This from "Farewell to Junior Crehan", by Muiris Ó Rochaín:

"Junior composed many songs, many of them of a personal nature and two which he always claimed were very special to him.  To quote Junior, One was for my music master Scully Casey, the other my friend Willie Clancy.  When Scully Casey died there passed away a wealth of fiddle lore because for my generation Scully represented a connection with the great fiddle players of the past; and when Willie Clancy died the link with such great pipers as Garrett Barry and Johnny Doran was broken."

The full text of the speech is at the  Willie Clancy Summer School web site


TRIBUTE TO WILLIE CLANCY

(Words:Junior Crehan  Music: Bruach na Carraige Báine)

I am writing these lines with tears in my eyes
For a comrade who now has departed
And my soul is heavy with grief and woe
And I'm almost broken hearted,
For the voice of the one that we'll surely miss
A voice that is gone forever
Oh! Willie asthore we'll see you no more
Oh! never, never, never.

There's a gap in tradition that ne'er will be filled
A wide gap that ne'er shall be mended
On the hill o'er town we laid you down
'Twas sad that your young life ended.
Let's hope that we'll meet in that brighter land
With music and song forever
Aroon, aroon you were taken too soon
And your music we'll hear again never.

You are up in high heaven I hope tonight
With your father and mother who bore you
And the Dorans and Rowsome and Scully and Tadg
The musicians who went before you
By night and by day for you I will pray
To the Blessed God above you
That His Angels may gather you under their wings
Is the prayer of one who loved you.

This appeared in The Clare Champion, 2 February 1973, on the occasion of Willie's death.

The following was quoted in an obituary of Junior by Tom Munnelly:

When my last days have come I'd like to be assured
To let me walk through the fields that I drained and manured.
An' lie in the bed where I got sick and got cured.
And in that same bed let me peacefully die
And give up my soul to my Maker on high.
An' lay me down easy with music galore
By the side of the chapel near Caisleán an Óir.
Yes, leave me down easy with music that I prize
By the side of the chapel where I was baptised

The full obit. may be seen at  .

Malcolm