"Peter Horan
Killaval, Ballymote, Co. Sligo – peacefully at The North West Hospice, Sligo.
Reposing at Coen’s Funeral Home, Tubbercurry on Monday evening from 4.30 with removal at 7.30 to Killaval Church arriving at 8.30.
Mass of the Resurrection on Tuesday at 12 noon with the funeral proceeding to Gurteen cemetery.
Family flowers only please, donations if desired to North West Hospice care of Coen Funeral Directors"
We had him in concert here in Wexford a couple of years ago. Great character, and he played (mostly fiddle) in a session in the hotel until 4am afterwards. Strange thing about the man....he always looked the same, never seemed to look any older over the years. God rest him.
I met him a few times at various festivals around Ireland. Even though I was just one of perhaps thousands of musicians he must have shared tunes with over the years, he always greeted me warmly, as if I were an old friend. I don't know whether he actually remembered me from one time to the next, but it didn't matter either way - he had a genuine warmth and respect for people of all walks of life - and regardless of level of musicianship, so long as they shared his love for the music. He was also a man of great stamina - he would happily stay up through the night without flagging, long after those half his age had run out of steam, as long as the tunes and the porter kept flowing.
Yes CreadurMawnOrganig that was the nice thing about Peter.
He alway had time for anyone. Also he was a great encouragement for younger musicians. Some info
Peter Horan (born 1926, Killavil,County Sligo) was an Irish flute and fiddle player who was known for having developed a unique style influenced by the local irish fiddling tradition. For nearly 30 years performed as a duet with the famous fiddler Fred Finn. More recently he performed with Sliabh Luachra fiddler Gerry Harrington and the pair released a CD called "Fortune Favors the Merry," accompanied by Ollie Ross on the piano. He continued to perform and teach in Ireland and at Irish arts festivals around the world, including the Catskills Irish Arts Week and the Ennis Trad Festival. In 2002 he was given the Irish Music Awards Hall of Fame award. In 2009, St. Angela's College Sligo and NUI Galway recognised and honoured Peter as one of South Sligo's most talented and best known traditional musicians by awarding him an Honorary Master of Music. For "His authentic, natural style, which is firmly rooted in the Coleman tradition, stands out as a unique musical talent and resource within our region and our country.. . ." Peter Horan died on 17th of October 2010 in the North West Hospice, Sligo
Discography
Music of Sligo (with Fred Finn)
Music at Matt Molloy's (various artists), 1992
The Mountain Road - Tune Popular in South Sligo (various artists)
Fortune Favors The Merry (with Gerry Harrington), 2004
The Sound of Coleman Country Various Artists Featured Appearance (2006)
The Merry Love to Play (with Gerry Harrington), 2007
Ah, this is very sad news, though not unexpected considering recent reports about Peter's health. I had the very great pleasure of watching Peter play in Gurteen a few years ago. He was a tremendous talent and supporter of not only the music but his fellow musicians too.
The album he recorded for Comhaltas with Fred Finn remains an utter classic. It's a huge shame that it has never been reissued on CD. It's also an even greater shame that another earlier album of Peter and Fred's music, recorded by P.J. Curtis for the Mulligan label, never saw the light of day because Mulligan's then US backers didn't think that it was commercially viable.
A wonderful gentleman and a brilliant player. I met him at a session in Gurteen on St. Patrick's Day a few years back. He invited me to join him in a session that evening and had the cab that was bringing him to it pick me up at my B&B.
He had made it point to collect me early so that he and I could spend an hour playing tunes together and getting to know each other before the session started. His attention and encouragement were out of all proportion to my ability, but it was a great thrill to have been able to spend a few hours with the man.
R.I.P. Peter. May your memory live long in all of us who play this music.
I sadly only met him once at Catskills Irish Arts about four and a half years ago. I'd only been playing the pipes two-ish years and there wasn't much one could have said about my playing. But I was limping through sessions anyway, as you do when you're a beginner and haven't learned enough to know it's generally a bad idea to do thar. Peter joined this session I was playing at outside one of the pubs and ended up chatting away to me. He was an encouraging as anyone had been that weekend. He encouraged me to start a tune and as soon as he recognised it was Lucy Campbell's, he swooped in to rescue me and give it a solid lead. Just a lovely, lovely guy.
Cheers for the tunes, man. You'll be missed.
That clip of him and Fred Finn is a fine example of how it should be done.
My condolences to his family and friends. Peter will certainly be missed.
As some have mentioned he always had time for people, and possesed a great warmth. Some years ago at Tubbercurry we wandered into the hotel-travel agency and heard flute playing in the back. It was Peter and Seamus Tansey talking and having some tunes. An American lady with a silver flute sat between them. We sat with our guinesses at another table and just listened. It was fascinating to listen to Peter & Seamus discussing with each other about this or that variation, or how they played this and that, then demonstrating for each other. We had our instruments, but also had the sense not to intrude, and spoil the peaceful afternoon. They also encouraged the American lady to play, and treated her like an equal. Peter like the gentleman he is, came over to us and asked if we also played, and how we liked the week. We were awestruck, and overwhelmed by the situation and were happy just to sit there and listen. A couple of years ago we had the pleasure of some tunes with Peter & Gerry Harrington in the Central during Willie Week
Just back from Peter's removal to Killavil Church tonight. I arrived in the church around 7.15pm. The choir and musicians were already in the gallery and only about 10 people in the church. We were treated to 1 hour and 30 mins of Music and Song while we waited for Peter to arrive from Tubbercurry. It was fantastic and what a way to greet Peter for his last trip to Killavil. Probably the only session in his life that he was the last one to arrive at, but a fitting tribute to a great man. "Go dtuga Dia suaimhneas síoraí dá anam dílis"
I first met Peter almost 5 years ago to the day. Every Monday I would give him a lift home to his farm where we would often talk about music for an hour or so. He was intelligent, perceptive, and would sometimes make comments that I would only realise the significance of a day later.
He always put others first - a gentleman of the old school........
I'm Orla, Peter Horan's Grandaughter, all your comments are so fantastic, he would be more than chuffed! Just to let you know if anyone is interested, we, his family, have organised a memorial concert for Peter Horan being held on 15th October 2011 in Gurteen, Co. Sligo. Proceeds from the concert will go to North West Hospice. We will have a website up in the next couple of weeks but in the meantime if anybody is looking for details or wants to get involved please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing peterhoransligo@yahoo.ie.
Peter Horan ..R I P
Peter Horan ..R I P
Sad news today as Peter Horan the Master musician has died . A true gentleman May he rest in peace/.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by corncrake
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
That is sad news
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
:( Sad news indeed. A gentleman and a fine musician.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0CTHmQ2Jus
RIP
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by Hugo Chavez
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Great musician and fine character. Will be missed. Lucky to have played with him quite a lot. He gave so much to traditional music. RIP.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by Joe G
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Ah crap, one of my very favorites. I hope he went out playing.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by kkrell
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Confirmation.
"Peter Horan
Killaval, Ballymote, Co. Sligo – peacefully at The North West Hospice, Sligo.
Reposing at Coen’s Funeral Home, Tubbercurry on Monday evening from 4.30 with removal at 7.30 to Killaval Church arriving at 8.30.
Mass of the Resurrection on Tuesday at 12 noon with the funeral proceeding to Gurteen cemetery.
Family flowers only please, donations if desired to North West Hospice care of Coen Funeral Directors"
http://www.midwestradio.ie/MWR/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=9279&cntnt01detailtemplate=Sample&cntnt01returnid=51
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by Ptarmigan
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Very Sad New Indeed -- He'll be missed ,,
jim,,,
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by FIDDLE4
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Very Sad a true gentleman indeed . Tootey and I met at a session where he was playing .
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by bazouki dave
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
So sad to hear this.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by Rudall the time
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
That's very sad news about another great player; one of THE greats!
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by Murrough
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
We had him in concert here in Wexford a couple of years ago. Great character, and he played (mostly fiddle) in a session in the hotel until 4am afterwards. Strange thing about the man....he always looked the same, never seemed to look any older over the years. God rest him.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by Free Reed
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
I met him a few times at various festivals around Ireland. Even though I was just one of perhaps thousands of musicians he must have shared tunes with over the years, he always greeted me warmly, as if I were an old friend. I don't know whether he actually remembered me from one time to the next, but it didn't matter either way - he had a genuine warmth and respect for people of all walks of life - and regardless of level of musicianship, so long as they shared his love for the music. He was also a man of great stamina - he would happily stay up through the night without flagging, long after those half his age had run out of steam, as long as the tunes and the porter kept flowing.
Very sad to see him go.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Yes CreadurMawnOrganig that was the nice thing about Peter.
He alway had time for anyone. Also he was a great encouragement for younger musicians. Some info
Peter Horan (born 1926, Killavil,County Sligo) was an Irish flute and fiddle player who was known for having developed a unique style influenced by the local irish fiddling tradition. For nearly 30 years performed as a duet with the famous fiddler Fred Finn. More recently he performed with Sliabh Luachra fiddler Gerry Harrington and the pair released a CD called "Fortune Favors the Merry," accompanied by Ollie Ross on the piano. He continued to perform and teach in Ireland and at Irish arts festivals around the world, including the Catskills Irish Arts Week and the Ennis Trad Festival. In 2002 he was given the Irish Music Awards Hall of Fame award. In 2009, St. Angela's College Sligo and NUI Galway recognised and honoured Peter as one of South Sligo's most talented and best known traditional musicians by awarding him an Honorary Master of Music. For "His authentic, natural style, which is firmly rooted in the Coleman tradition, stands out as a unique musical talent and resource within our region and our country.. . ." Peter Horan died on 17th of October 2010 in the North West Hospice, Sligo
Discography
Music of Sligo (with Fred Finn)
Music at Matt Molloy's (various artists), 1992
The Mountain Road - Tune Popular in South Sligo (various artists)
Fortune Favors The Merry (with Gerry Harrington), 2004
The Sound of Coleman Country Various Artists Featured Appearance (2006)
The Merry Love to Play (with Gerry Harrington), 2007
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by Frank_Finn
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
That is very sad news indeed; a true giant of traditional music he will certainly be missed yet he will will on in the music.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by Why Bother?
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Ah, this is very sad news, though not unexpected considering recent reports about Peter's health. I had the very great pleasure of watching Peter play in Gurteen a few years ago. He was a tremendous talent and supporter of not only the music but his fellow musicians too.
The album he recorded for Comhaltas with Fred Finn remains an utter classic. It's a huge shame that it has never been reissued on CD. It's also an even greater shame that another earlier album of Peter and Fred's music, recorded by P.J. Curtis for the Mulligan label, never saw the light of day because Mulligan's then US backers didn't think that it was commercially viable.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by MacCruiskeen
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
More recent clip of him with Gerry Harrington: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxdHa7Mm1io
RIP
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by slainte
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Really sad news,, he will be sadly missed. Great flute player. May he rest in peace...
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by Carol X
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Oh NO!!!!
That's terrible news.
R.I.P.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by DaveL35
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Had the opportunity to play a few tunes with this man a few years back at the Joe Mooney festival. Truly one of the great Connaught flute players.
Cheers for the tunes Peter.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by mixofmolydians
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
A wonderful gentleman and a brilliant player. I met him at a session in Gurteen on St. Patrick's Day a few years back. He invited me to join him in a session that evening and had the cab that was bringing him to it pick me up at my B&B.
He had made it point to collect me early so that he and I could spend an hour playing tunes together and getting to know each other before the session started. His attention and encouragement were out of all proportion to my ability, but it was a great thrill to have been able to spend a few hours with the man.
R.I.P. Peter. May your memory live long in all of us who play this music.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by Murph
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
I sadly only met him once at Catskills Irish Arts about four and a half years ago. I'd only been playing the pipes two-ish years and there wasn't much one could have said about my playing. But I was limping through sessions anyway, as you do when you're a beginner and haven't learned enough to know it's generally a bad idea to do thar. Peter joined this session I was playing at outside one of the pubs and ended up chatting away to me. He was an encouraging as anyone had been that weekend. He encouraged me to start a tune and as soon as he recognised it was Lucy Campbell's, he swooped in to rescue me and give it a solid lead. Just a lovely, lovely guy.
Cheers for the tunes, man. You'll be missed.
That clip of him and Fred Finn is a fine example of how it should be done.
# Posted on October 17th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Sad news. Lucky to have played with him on several occaions. A great character and wonderfull musician.
I'm sure he will be missed and remembered.
# Posted on October 18th 2010 by Dark Raven
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
My condolences to his family and friends. Peter will certainly be missed.
As some have mentioned he always had time for people, and possesed a great warmth. Some years ago at Tubbercurry we wandered into the hotel-travel agency and heard flute playing in the back. It was Peter and Seamus Tansey talking and having some tunes. An American lady with a silver flute sat between them. We sat with our guinesses at another table and just listened. It was fascinating to listen to Peter & Seamus discussing with each other about this or that variation, or how they played this and that, then demonstrating for each other. We had our instruments, but also had the sense not to intrude, and spoil the peaceful afternoon. They also encouraged the American lady to play, and treated her like an equal. Peter like the gentleman he is, came over to us and asked if we also played, and how we liked the week. We were awestruck, and overwhelmed by the situation and were happy just to sit there and listen. A couple of years ago we had the pleasure of some tunes with Peter & Gerry Harrington in the Central during Willie Week
# Posted on October 18th 2010 by Steamwilkes
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Just back from Peter's removal to Killavil Church tonight. I arrived in the church around 7.15pm. The choir and musicians were already in the gallery and only about 10 people in the church. We were treated to 1 hour and 30 mins of Music and Song while we waited for Peter to arrive from Tubbercurry. It was fantastic and what a way to greet Peter for his last trip to Killavil. Probably the only session in his life that he was the last one to arrive at, but a fitting tribute to a great man. "Go dtuga Dia suaimhneas síoraí dá anam dílis"
# Posted on October 19th 2010 by Wrenboy
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
He played the Return to Camden festival in 2008. I was lucky to hear him in concert, and all night in the session afterwards.
# Posted on October 20th 2010 by Sean Knows
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
I first met Peter almost 5 years ago to the day. Every Monday I would give him a lift home to his farm where we would often talk about music for an hour or so. He was intelligent, perceptive, and would sometimes make comments that I would only realise the significance of a day later.
He always put others first - a gentleman of the old school........
# Posted on October 20th 2010 by hoopoe
Re: Peter Horan ..R I P
Hi all,
I'm Orla, Peter Horan's Grandaughter, all your comments are so fantastic, he would be more than chuffed! Just to let you know if anyone is interested, we, his family, have organised a memorial concert for Peter Horan being held on 15th October 2011 in Gurteen, Co. Sligo. Proceeds from the concert will go to North West Hospice. We will have a website up in the next couple of weeks but in the meantime if anybody is looking for details or wants to get involved please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing peterhoransligo@yahoo.ie.
Thanks again!
# Posted on April 19th 2011 by OrlaS