Statement by President Higgins on the death of Liam Ó Flynn
Date: Wed 14th Mar, 2018 | 15:31
"People all over Ireland, and further afield, will have heard with sadness of the death of Liam Ó Flynn, renowned musician and Uilleann pipes player.
He leaves an important and lasting legacy, through his music, but also through his generous, uplifting and committed approach to the role of music in Ireland’s cultural heritage, contributing to composition and performance with orchestras and in film.
As one of the sources of inspiration behind the founding, in 1968, of Na Píobairí Uilleann, Liam Ó Flynn can be credited with having contributed to the revival of the Uilleann Pipers, and it must to him have been a source of great pride and satisfaction that UNESCO, the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, recently added the Uilleann pipes to its register of important and unique cultural heritage symbols.
Liam Ó Flynn will be remembered for his performances and recordings – many of them on the Claddagh Records label founded by his lifelong friend Garech de Brún – with groups and artists such as Planxty, Seán Ó Ríada, the Chieftains, Shaun Davy, Seamus Heaney and countless others who shared his love for music, in all its wonderful forms.
As President of Ireland I pay tribute to his work and legacy and offer my deepest sympathies with members of his family, his friends, colleagues and all those who enjoy and support Irish music."