Hollywood star John C Reilly has always had an infinity with Ireland.
And he was “shocked” to learn that his friend, Irish musician Séamus Ó Beaglaoich had sadly passed away.
Kerry native Séamus hailed from one of Ireland’s most famous musical family and became a main stay in the trad scene.
His death was confirmed this week at the age of 73.
Speaking about the death of his friend the Stan and Olly star said: “He’s just a legend of a man and such a big loss for everybody. It’s a shock because I think the last time I was on Séamus’ farm, he was literally hand lifting boulders out of the ground onto his tractor. Someone so strong and stout, it’s just a shock to have lost.”
“That lilting tenor he had. There’s something really moving about a gentle giant like that, when you hear the sweetness of the voice of a man who’s so strong and such a formidable presence. An amazing sense of humour and a virtuosic player. To me the big loss – of course for his family and friends and everything personally it’s a big loss – but the loss to the music world is hard to calculate right,” he told RTÉ’s Drivetime.
“Because Séamus was like the holder of all these secrets, someone that carried these old songs inside of him. So, some people will have to take up the cause in his absence.”
John C Reilly was first introduced to Séamus Ó Beaglaoich a number of years ago by a mutual friend. He explained that they bonded immediately and they went on to collaborate together on the Téada cover of Eileen Óg which was released in 2021.
“We had a couple of amazing nights in pubs together where I would make these videos of him singing the songs and Irish because they’re just haunting melodies,” John added.
“He was almost like a stand-up comedian with his ability to recall jokes. He really could rapid fire them.
“His nephew Cormac is an incredible musician too. So, along with everyone else in the music world, I’m sure Cormac Begley will be continuing the tradition. He’s quite an impressive player himself. So, all is not lost.”
Michael D Higgins and Leo Varadkar also paid tribute to the titan of traditional music.
Séamus is survived by his wife Mary, children Breandán, Eoin, Niall and Méabh and an extended musical family of sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews.
