Any Irish music lovers out there will be sad to hear of the death of Kitty Hayes
Kitty took up the concertina in her youth, but laid it aside to bring up her family and work the farm with her husband, Josie.
We used to see her at Gleesons in Coore, where the locals danced sets to the music of Junior Crehan, Pat Kelly, her husband Josie, a fine flute player, and the group of older musicians known locally, and somewhat disrespectfully as 'Dad's Army' or sometimes 'The Stiff Six' (all fine traditional musicians). She would get up to dance the set, and occasionally sing a song, but nobody knew her as a musician, until one night, after Josie's death, she turned up with her concertina and floored everyone with her playing; she was then around 70.
She went from strength to strength, getting her skill back, and became a regular at Gleesons, teaming up with a fine young Dutch uilleann piper, Peter Laban.
She made two solo CDs of her music, and after a couple of recordings sessions in our kitchen, where she sang to us for the album of Clare songs, 'Around The Hills of Clare', we persuaded her to think about a duet CD with Peter, resulting in the magnificent 'They'll Be Good Yet' in 2005. All the CDs are available through the OAC (Oidreacht An Chláir) website.
She and Peter became known, respected and much sought after in traditional music circles; one of their last bookings together being in the beautiful setting of Bantry House, at one of the regular music recitals.
She was due to attend the launch of the song CD 'Cascades of Song' on Saturday night, but was found to have quietly passed away some time the night before.
A wonderful, talented, modest, quietly humourous lady, she will be missed by everybody who knew her or knew of her music.
Her funeral is at 6pm tonight at Queally's funeral home, Miltown Malbay, followed by a service at Coore Church.
Jim Carroll