I saw Tom speaking at the Inishowen traditional singing weekend last March and noticed that he was "wile failed", as they say here in nw Ireland. The slimmer figure suited him, but I heard he had lost weight through illness. The seminar organisers gave Tom a task outside his field of expertise, to speak about the Flight of the Earls but Tom put in the research and delivered a talk that was both informative and witty. I didn't know Tom Munnelly well, but I always found him very approachable and helpful with queries about Irish folksong (whether the query was made in person or by letter). He will be greatly missed indeed.