The late Tom Nealon's work to strengthen Tipperary's ties with Canada is celebrated

Extended caption for photo above: Members of the Carrick-on-Suir Newfoundland Connections Committee: Back l-r: John Roche, Tom Bartley, Dr Walter Kirwan, Sean Callaghan, Thomás Babington and Walter Dunphy. Seated: Chris Bartley, Margaret Doyle and Sylvia Cooney-Sheehan, Chairperson.

Friends who worked with the late Tom Nealon in strengthening Carrick-on-Suir's cultural links with Canada’s most Irish province hosted a tribute night of music, song and story in his memory at Brewery Lane Theatre.

The cultural evening at the Carrick-on-Suir theatre on Saturday, June 14 was organised by the Suir Valley Ireland Newfoundland Connections Committee, which Tom played a key role in founding with Margaret Doyle. He chaired the group until his death last December. 

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Tributes were paid at the event to the much loved former principal of Carrick-on-Suir’s Greenschool CBS from Ennistymon, county Clare who lived in Carrick-on-Suir for 68 years.

Suir Valley Newfoundland Ireland Connections Committee was founded over 15 years ago. Its members and others from Carrick-on-Suir and communities in the Suir Valley visited Newfoundland for the Festival of the Sea celebrations every second year and in turn they hosted visitors from Newfoundland when they visited the South East for the Ireland Newfoundland Connections Festival.

Tom Nealon visited Newfoundland several times as part of these exchanges and did much to promote the close historical and cultural links between his adopted town and Newfoundland where an estimated 500 people from Carrick and its surrounding hinterland emigrated between 1760 and 1830 to work in its fishing industry.

Members of the late Tom Nealon’s family who attended the special tribute night in his memory at Brewery Lane Theatre. Pictured from Left: Rory O’Callaghan, (son-in- law), grandchildren Conn O’Callaghan, Cara Nealon, Tom Nealon, Eadaoin O’Callaghan, Ailbhe O’Callaghan, daughter Mairead O’Callaghan, son Fergal Nealon and his wife Claire Nealon.

His successor as chairperson of the Suir Valley Newfoundland Ireland Connections Committee Sylvia Cooney-Sheehan was Master of Ceremonies at the tribute night.

“It was an extreme pleasure to do this in memory of Tom. He loved people and to be involved in things and he loved history,” she said.

She began the event by playing a video tribute message from Kyran Dwyer from St John's and Fogo Island in Newfoundland where Tom spent a lot of time during the exchange trips due to its close connections with Carrick-on-Suir.

Fellow Newfoundland Ireland Connections Committee member Walter Dunphy recalled the time he and Tom staged the Pot of Broth play during one of their trips to Newfoundland.

Walter performed a recitation Tom used to do written by the Belfast comedian Jimmy Young at the tribute night while Tipperary Ramblers ballad group sang, An Island to An Island, as part of their set.

The song was written by former Canadian Ambassador to Ireland Loyola Hearn from Newfoundland whose ancestors came from Carrick.

The Dunhill Singers from county Waterford, New Ross singer Seamus Kiely and Carrick folk singer and musician Kevin Power also performed at the event while Saoirse Barrett recited a poem about Newfoundland.

One of the guests at the tribute night was former assistant-secretary general in the Taoiseach’s Office Wally Kirwan, who played a key role at government level in forging greater links between Ireland and Newfoundland.

Mr Kirwan, who was also involved in the Northern Ireland Peace Process, said he considered Tom Nealon as Carrick-on-Suir’s ambassador for anywhere.

Chairman of Newfoundland-Labrador Irish Connections Ralph Tapper and his wife Joanne from Torbay, Newfoundland took time out from participating in the Limerick Sings International Choral Festival to attend the tribute night. Ralph recalled meeting Tom during his visits to Newfoundland and remembered him as “a great guy”.

His Irish counterpart Mick Murphy, Chairman of the Ireland Newfoundland Connections Committee, described Tom as an “absolute gentleman” who approached any situation with humour. On Tom’s skill as a story teller, he said the famous storyteller Eamon Kelly couldn’t hold a candle to him. “He had that magic touch.”

Paula Uí Uallachain from Waterford’s Ring Gaeltacht recalled how Tom mixed easily with both older and younger people and fondly remembered the lovely relationship he developed with young traditional musicians who travelled over to Newfoundland during the first exchange visits in the mid-2000s. Tom was very proud of the cultural showcase the Irish contingent brought to Newfoundland, she added.

Tom Nealon’s children Fergal and Mairead and their families attended the event and very touched by the tributes.

Mairead, who spoke on behalf of the family, extended a “heartfelt” thanks and appreciation to the organisers and all who attended and performed at the tribute night and spoke about Tom.

“It was lovely to hear all the nice memories. He absolutely really enjoyed his time with the Newfoundland group. He made new friends here and he absolutely loved the trips to Newfoundland,” she said.

The Tipperary Ramblers concluded the tribute night by performing, My Lovely Rose of Clare about Tom’s home county. 

Noel Power, Carrick-on-Suir and John Roche, Kilsheelan enjoying refreshments at Brewery Lane Theatre after the tribute event in memory of the late Tom Nealon

Check out this article and more photos from the tribute night in this week's edition of The Nationalist now on sale in local shops. 

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