Seán Tyrrell - 1943-2021

Known for his interpretations of songs, his settings of poetry to music, and his distinctive mandocello and tenor guitar accompaniments, he was a musician and singer who was truly loved by many.

Irish singer and musician Seán Tyrrell died on 30 October 2021 at the age of 78.  Known for his interpretations of songs, his settings of poetry to music, and his distinctive mandocello and tenor guitar accompaniments, he was a musician and singer who was truly loved by many.

Seán was born in Galway in 1943 and began playing music while living there.  He emigrated to New York in 1968, where he played music professionally for several years as part of a duet, and later forming a band, Apples In Winter.  Later he moved to San Francisco and began a solo career, becoming part of the folk scene there.  He returned to Ireland in the late 70s and in 1978 began working for University College Galway, based in the Burren in Co Clare.  At this stage he had become tired of the road and his professional music career was somewhat on hold.  But he was still playing, in sessions and the very occasional gig, and all the while he was amassing new material and developing an interest in setting old Irish poetry to music.

Guesting on two albums with uilleann piper Davy Spillane, and touring with him, gave Seán a taste for life on the road again.  He set the 18th century Irish poem, Cúirt An Mheán Oíche, by Brian Merriman, translated by David Marcus, to music, and persuaded the Druid Theatre in Galway to put it on as a traditional opera with a cast of 10 musicians and singers (including Mary McPartlan and Seán Keane).  It premiered at the Galway Arts Festival in 1992 and went on to tour Ireland with more than 100 performances.

Solo projects and albums followed, beginning in 1994 with Cry Of A Dreamer, followed by The Orchard (1998), Belladonna (2002), Message Of Peace (2009), Walker Of The Snow (2012) and Moonlight On Galway Bay (2014).  He also collaborated with fiddle player Kevin Glackin and piper Ronan Browne to create And So the Story Goes in 2011, and recorded a live album in 2013 with Liam Lewis and Fergus Feely celebrating 27 years of Wednesday night sessions, Live at Greenes.

Through his songs, Seán could tell a convincing story, and he always displayed a real sense of integrity and humanity.  Actress Brenda Fricker summed him up when she said: “If you’re lucky you come across a voice like Seán’s once in a lifetime.  When he sings I feel alive.”  He will be sorely missed.

Seán is survived by his wife Connie, his sons Benji and Cíarán, and his daughters Áine, Lilia and Róisín.

www.seantyrrell.com