A requiem for Ó Riada 40 years on

This weekend brings the final events in a year-long tribute to our greatest modern composer, says Nicki ffrench Davis

FOR many of us, Seán Ó Riada is spectral, a nebulous legend. To others, he is a vital and tangible presence. The gregarious Ó Riada drew people and had a knack for dissolving social barriers. His name brings a smile to those who knew him, but his effect on music and culture is fresh and immense.

As 2011 draws to a close, so too does the 40th anniversary of Ó Riada’s death, in 1971 at 40. A weak liver shortened his life cruelly. His funeral was televised and public sympathy was that of the loss of an epic chieftain.