By a strange quirk of fate I was playing in a session in O'Donoghue's (where the Dubliners started all those years ago) this afternoon when the news filtered through that Ronnie had passed away. That threw a pallor over proceedings, but we pressed on and did a few songs that Ronnie sang. About six o'clock in came John Sheehan (fiddler with the Dubliners), and after a chat he joined the session, playing on the tin whistle a few of the pieces that he had composed himself. Afterwards he told us that he had been with Ronnie last weekend, and everything seemed OK, but Ronnie got a dose of pneumonia (or something similar, not sure yet) during the week, to which he succumbed.

Seeing John playing away there, surrounded by all the photos of the Dubliners over the years, was magic, despite the sadness.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Don