Paddy Tunney

Paddy Tunney 1921 – 2002 Was An Irish Traditional Singer Poet Writer Raconteur Lilter And Songwriter. He Was Affectionately Known As The Man Of Songs. He Collected Many Songs That Have Now Become Standards. Paddy Tunney Was Born Of Irish Parents In Glasgow Scotland On January 28 1921 The Year The Black And Tan War Was Ended .
When He Was One Month Old His Parents Returned With Him To County
Donegal Ireland. Although Paddy's Father Is From Donegal And His
mother Is From Fermanagh The Boundaries Of The Two Families' Farms
met At The Border Between The Two Counties. Paddy Lived In Donegal
until He Was Five Years Old At Which ' Time The Family Moved Back To
the Old Farmstead In County Fermanagh. There On The Farm In A
spotless White-Washed House With A Thatched Roof Among The Fields
and Close To The Peat Bogs He Grew Up Hearing The Music And The
songs That Had Been In His Familv For Generations. Paddy's Own
words Tell Of His Family And Its Traditions "My Mother Mrs. Brigid Tunney Was A Fine Traditional
singer. Though Still Alive Her Voice Is Failing. She Taught
me To Lilt And Sing. Her Maiden Name Was Gallagher Of Rusheen Templecarron Pettigo P. O. County Donegal. Her Father Michael
Gallagher Was A Fine Singer And Story Teller. I Remember Him
taking Me On His Knee And Singing To Me. Michael Gallagher Was
a Tall Fair-Haired Man With A Flowing Red Beard. He Had A
ruddy Complexion And A Proud Haughty Bearing. He Knew Both
Gaelic And English And Had A Fine Repertoire Of Folk Tales And
classical Ballads. He Could Make Good 1 Pot'een 1 Mountain Dew And Knew All The Journeymen Tinsmiths Tailors Cobblers Weavers Spinners Etc. Who Travelled Around The Country When
he Was A Young Man. He Disliked Small Dark Men Unless They
had The Gift Of Song Or Poetry. Every Year He Went To The
Station Island Of Lough Derg Diocese Of Clogher County Donegal On Pilgrimage Travelling Barefoot All The Way As Was The Custom
then. The Memory Of This Poet-Grandfather Who Died When I Was
four Years Old Has Haunted Me For 37 Years." "My Father Patrick Tunney Is A Quiet Tall Darkish Man
at 77. He Knows When To Speak And When To Remain Silent. His
appearance Now Is Statuesque And He Has A Quiet Pride All His
own. In His Youth He Was A Good Footballer And A Beautiful Reel
dancer. Lilting Fiddling And Melodeon Playing Were Then The
only Ways Of Making Music." Paddy Went To School In Derryhollow County Fermanagh And Later
to The Technical School In Ballyshannon Donegal. His First Job Was
as A Forester Working For The Ministry Of Agriculture In Northern
Ireland. That Was In 1941 The Same Year In Which He Be~Ame An Active
member Of The Irish Republican Army. Paddy Can Tell Many Adventurous
tales About This Period Of His Life -- Of Giving Extended Order Drill
in Dark Fields At Night And Of Teaching Irish History While Sitting On
a Creel In A Cold Deserted House With Only A Candle For Light. In June 1942 He Took On The Job Of Road-Roller Flagman And At The Same Time Became A Part Of The Counter-Espionage Force Of The I.R.A. During The Next Year He Successfully Transported 100 Pounds Weight
of Gelignite A High Explosive Sixty-Four Miles From County Gaven
to Fermanagh On A Bicycle. In 1943 While Carrying 17 Pounds Of Gelignite On A Bus With
his Bicycle Strapped On Top Of The Vehicle He Was Stopped At The Beleek Border. The Gelignite Was Found Wrapped Up In His Overalls. Paddy Immediately Admitted Responsibility For The Gelignite And Also Claimed Ownership Of Some "seditious Documents" Which Were Actually Being Carried By Another Man. He Was Arrested And Removed To Derry
Gaol. He Was Tried On May 1st In A Petty Sessions Court At Inniskillen And Then Put Back In Jail. Later That Summer He Was Tried By An Orange Jury And Found Guilty Of "possession Of Explosives With Intent To En-
danger Life Or Damage Property". Paddy Remained Silent Throughout The Proceedings And Was Said By The Court To Be "mute Of Malice". He Was
sentenced To Seven Years Penal Servitude In H M. Prison And Was Removed To The Belfast Gaol Where He Remained For Four And One Half Years. While He Was In Prison He Worked In The Bootshop Learned Irish Gaelic And Wrote Poetry. He Participated In Several Hunger Strikes Protesting Against The Treatment Of Political Prisoners. For Relax-
ation He Says He Watched The Rats Running About In The Prison Yard
and Exchanged Jigs And Reels With The Other Prisoners By Tapping On The
water Pipes In The Cells. One August 12th He Heard The Skirl Of Pipes
as A Band Of Pipers Passed Up The Street Outside The Prison. Paddy
says That This Was The Only Time He Ever Welcomed The Sound Of Orangemen. Upon His Release From Prison He Was Sent To Hospital And From There He Went Home To Fermanagh. After Awhile He Went To Work As A Health
inspector In Dublin Taking His Training At University College. Later
he Was Transferred -- First To Donegal Then To Kerry And Finally To
Letterkenny Donegal Where He Has Remained. In The Letterkenny Health Office Paddy Met The District Nurse Sheila Bradley Who Was Called According To Paddy "Omar" Bradley Due To Her "rousing Efficiency". After A Romantic Courtship In The
Donegal Hills Among The Ancient Battle Sites And Near The Seat Of The
crowning Of The Kings Of Tyrconnel They Were Married In 1950. They
now Have Six Children And Live In A Newly Decorated House On The Out-
skirts Of Letterkenny. Paddy's Job As Health Inspector Includes Inspection Of Housing Meat And Food In General -Drugs General Hygiene And Environmental
hygiene. He Covers A Large Area And Recently Helped Give Small-Pox
innoculations To Sailors Landing On The Donegal Coast. He Says That
he Especially Enjoyed This Task When It Involved Stopping A Ship From
Norway. He Describes The Sailors As They Rowed Ashore In An Ancient
type Of High-Bowed Boat Dressed Much As Their Famous Ancestors Must
have Been When Centuries Ago They Constantly Invaded Ireland. Paddy
says "I Suppose This Was The First Time A Norse Ship Was Ever Prevented
from Landing On The Donegal Coast!" read less