Tom Dunphy remembered 40 years on

A commemoration ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the death of country singer Tom Dunphy will be held in Leitrim on 31 July.

The Waterford man was one of the pioneers of country music in Ireland and he died in a road accident near Drumsna, a few miles from Carrick-on-Shannon, on 29 July 1975 on his way to a dance show in Co Donegal.

Tom was a country singer with Ireland’s acclaimed Royal Showband, fronted by Brendan Bowyer, who blazed a trail out of Waterford in the 1960s.

Tom Dunphy, along with Shay Hutchinson, Brian Coll, Larry Cunningham and Big Tom McBride, were among the major pioneers of the country genre and played massive roles in bringing it to the masses.

He came from an era where music was going through an exciting revolution with the advent of rock ’n’ roll and other genres that witnessed their own evolution.

In essence, the arrival started a little earlier in the closing year or two of the 1950s. Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Cark Perkins and a host of others were setting the woods on fire over in the USA.

Back home in Waterford, it was a special era too. In 1959, a great Waterford team defeated their arch rivals and neighbours, Kilkenny, in the replay of the All-Ireland hurling final. The same teams met in another classic showdown in 1963, with Kilkenny shading it on this occasion.

Brendan Bowyer recalls the magic of that era and his sporting heroes, like Frankie Walsh, Tom Cheasty, Martin Og Morrissey, Philly Grimes, Seamus Power and others. (Waterford famously led Tipperary by 8-2 to no score at halftime in the 1959 Munster hurling semi-final).

“Between music, hurling and soccer, it was a great time in Waterford,” says Brendan Bowyer.

“Tom and I had moved on to form the Big Eight showband and we were doing great business between Ireland and Las Vegas in the 1970s.

“Even in the 1960s, when we were making the huge breakthrough, Tom sang all the country songs. He was brilliant and he helped broaden our appeal in many country areas. He was one of my closest friends. His death came as a massive shock to all of us. There was a truly special quality about him.”

In 1965, Tom reached No 1 in the Irish charts with If I Didn’t Have A Dime. Forty years on, the fondness for Tom Dunphy has never diminished among country music fans of that era.

Connoisseurs of real country are a discerning lot and Tom Dunphy’s special place in the country hall of fame here in Ireland has never been in doubt. He was not only a true country singer, he was an absolute gentleman.

The legendary commentator and raconteur Jimmy Magee penned the sleeve notes for Tom’s debut album, Tom Dunphy Country, which was released in 1970.

“Tom’s easy-going charm, perpetual good humour and willingness to help out over and above the call of duty, are attributes that place him sky-high in my personal assessment of human beings. I’ve gotten to know him well from our Monday night outings with the All-Stars.

“Tom is a great fan of Roger Miller and he has included two of Miller’s numbers here. So successful has been the spread of the Dunphy reputation that he numbers among his friends on first name terms, some of the biggest names in Nashville,” wrote Jimmy at the time.

The album includes such standards as Miller’s Cave, Apartment Number Nine, Five Hundred Miles, Branded Man, Middle of Nowhere, Old Doc Brown and Mama Tried.

Tom’s death made headline news on RTÉ radio on that fateful day of 29 July 1975.

Two days later came the Miami Showband massacre outside Newry, making it the blackest week ever in the history of Irish showbiz.

In July 1978, the Jimmy Magee All-Stars erected a stone monument at the spot where Tom died in the road accident in Leitrim.

The inscription reads: “Erected to the memory of Tom Dunphy, one of Ireland’s leading country music stars who was fatally injured near this spot on the 29 July 1975, aged 39 years. The melody lingers on. Ní bheidh a leithid arís ann.”

Tom is survived by his wife Maura and their family of four, Caroline, Terry, Tom and Colum, and his sisters Maureen, Terry and Joan.

A local voluntary committee in Leitrim, fronted by Des Shanley, John Flynn and Padraig Gilbride, has been busy organising this commemoration ceremony over the last few months.

“We have been receiving a lot of enquiries from around the country so it looks as if quite a few people intend to travel to Leitrim for the ceremonies,” says John Flynn.

“Members of the Dunphy family are coming up from Waterford and other places. Brendan Bowyer will be home from America and other members of The Royal and Big Eight bands will be present too.

We also understand that Noel Flynn, the keyboards player with Big Eight, who was travelling in the car with Tom at the time of the crash and who was injured in the accident, will be in attendance too.”

Mass will be celebrated by Fr Brian D’Arcy at the site of the roadside memorial at 7.30pm (weather permitting) just off the N4 beside the Masonite enterprise. Otherwise, the mass will be celebrated in Annaduff church.

A reception will be held afterwards in the Lough Allen Hotel in Drumshanbo, where the Dave Moynihan Band will provide the music. A number of other Leitrim singers and dancers will also entertain at the gathering in Drumshanbo.