FRIENDS and Family gathered in Salthill, Galway earlier this month to bid a fond farewell to Eamonn Nugent (above) who passed away at the youthful age of 31.
Eamonn lived his early life in Bellshill where from a young age he attended St Patrick’s Comhaltas branch of Irish music classes in Coatbridge alongside his younger sister Ciara and cousins Conor, Sarah and Declan Markey. Most people have a straightforward journey in traditional music where, after a brief period learning the tin-whistle, they then move on to other instruments. However, Eamonn’s journey was very much out of the ordinary, starting out playing the hammer dulcimer—an instrument that his grandfather had passed on to him.
Despite his dulcimer playing exploits leading him to compete at the All-Ireland Fleadh in the instrument, he soon found a different discipline in music—one he would go on to master—the bodhrán.
The instrument in principle is simple. A wooden frame, a treated goat skin stretched over it, and struck with a wooden stick. The kind of instrument most people think they could get a rhythm out of—the reality though is very different.
Eamonn quickly fell in love with the instrument, and as his talent developed, so did his profile as an extremely solid, dependable musician to add to any performance. I had the pleasure of knowing Eamonn from a young age, whilst it was his bodhrán playing that drew me in to him initially, it was his persona that left me always wanting him around.
I’ll never forget a trip to play at the Jura Music Festival back in 2011. I had asked Eamonn to come up and play a gig with Adam Brown and myself, and the craic we had on this occasion was off the charts. Eamonn ended up being offered a gig at the festival the following year such were his obvious talents and infectious energy.
Galway bound
After leaving school, Eamonn went to university to study Ophthalmology and a placement opportunity in Galway led Eamonn to move to the west of Ireland—a move that would lead to the later part of his journey.
At this time in his life, Eamonn had three main interests: his studies, his love of Irish music, and his love of Celtic Football Club. Whilst those around him were confident he’d fit right in with the thriving music scene in Galway—an early concern was ‘how is he going to cope that far from Paradise?’ Cue his first interaction with the Galway Celtic Supporters Club.
Soon after he arrived in the city, I had contacted Eamonn to check in and see how things were going and, as with anything in Eamonn’s life, the response was upbeat and full of positivity: “It’s great, brilliant tunes, the placement is class, and I’ve joined the Galway CSC.” Not long after this he wasn’t just a member of the CSC, he became Vice-Chairperson!
It was clear by how quickly he had been welcomed into Galway society, that the person they were getting was the same one that so many Glaswegians had known, the sort of infectious person who brought people together, who only had good things to say, and was also a step ahead in everything that he did.
Eamonn soon found the next interest in his life, who would go on to be the love of his life, his beloved Sarah who was originally from Castlebar, north of Galway.
On a trip to Galway during the Covid-19 pandemic, I met up with Eamonn for a socially distanced pint and he couldn’t wait to introduce me to Sarah and whilst I’d known Eamonn as the most positive and cheerful person in my life, on this occasion he was on a completely different level. It was clear he had finally settled the last piece of his life, and that he was already well indoctrinated as an honorary Galwegian.
Diagnosis and surgeries
In October 2022, Eamonn was over in Glasgow to play an album launch gig in Cottiers with his cousin Sarah’s band. It was during this visit that he felt a little strange, one side of his body was tingly, and he had noted that he was going to get checked out when he got home. That visit to the hospital was one which turned his life upside down as he had been diagnosed with a large tumour on the left frontal lobe of his brain.
Within a week he had been prepped for surgery and sent me a message a few days before he went under the knife: “I have positive things going in my favour, just need to keep focused for now. The care I’ve been been getting has been top notch, one of the top neurosurgeons in the country has also took on my case, so I’m in incredible hands.” Despite the worry of facing life-saving surgery, as always, Eamonn wasn’t complaining and only had positive things to say.
His surgery wasn’t without complication and although initially a large amount of the tumour was removed, a few days later he was found to have a bleed, which disabled his speech. Fortunately, a follow-up surgery was successful and he regained the power to speak once again.
In the following 18 months or so Eamonn would go through treatment and follow-up checks, some giving good news, and some unfortunately not so good. Nonetheless, Eamonn never complained about the cards he had been delt, and everything was positive.
The Galway Celtic supporters club had thrown their arms around Eamonn and Sarah and held a fundraiser to help him with the target of raising €2000. They ended up raising €12,700 and Eamonn had asked for this sum to be donated to Beaumont hospital in Dublin where he had his surgery.
The Waiting Room
He floated the idea of releasing an album of music from tracks he had previously recorded and a few new ones and asked if I’d give my blessing to use a track he had recorded with me in previous years. He recorded the new tracks in Galway and released the album The Waiting Room with all proceeds being donated to two charities, Brain Tumour Research UK and Brain Tumour Ireland.
The album was released in March and quickly sold out of all physical copies with only downloads available. At the last update in June, more than €4500 had been raised from the album for charity and this sum has since gone on to rise as more and more people purchased downloads online.
In July of this year Eamonn tied the knot with his beloved wife Sarah surrounded by family and friends in Galway. Unfortunately, for Eamonn it was becoming clearer that his condition was not going to improve and the treatment he was undergoing was taking its toll on his body.
On October 28 it was officially announced that Eamonn’s album The Waiting Room had been shortlisted as one of the 10 albums in contention for ‘Album of the Year’ at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. News of this brilliantly deserved feat was bittersweet as unfortunately Eamonn lost his battle two days later on October 30 once again surrounded by his wife and family who had been giving him so much support and strength throughout his illness.
Final farewell
In a typically Eamonn-esque day, in Salthill with a huge turnout of family and friends, people gathered to say their final farewells. There were people from across Scotland, Ireland and further afield. Musicians, opthalmologists, the entire Galway Celtic Supporters Club all came together to share stories of Eamonn, every one of them having the same common theme of Eamonn’s positivity and skill. It turns out despite all his musical and ophthalmic exploits, Eamonn’s greatest skill was people.
After his burial, the congregation gathered in the Office Bar in Salthill for an afternoon of music, song and stories. The music gave way for a brief period in the evening where everyone gathered to see Celtic beat Aberdeen in the Hampden semi-final. The score wasn’t a surprise to many there—it was after all a typically Eamonn day—and this was his perfect cherry on top.
Despite only reaching the age of 31, what Eamonn managed to achieve in his short life is nothing short of incredible. He touched so many people in so many different worlds, locations and ways all of which go towards a legacy which will rightly be cemented for eternity.
Paddy Callaghan is the Operations Manager of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Britain
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