A light dusting of snow lay on the ground as Liam Reilly, the Dundalk musician who penned Summer in Dublin , made his final journey last Thursday morning (7th).
Friends, and neighbours braved the winter cold to bade farewell to the Bagatelle frontman, lining the streets as his remains were removed from his family home on the Avenue Road to St Joseph s Redemptorist Church, giving him a final round of applause as the coffin was removed from the hearse.
They stood in silence outside the church, as Fr Noel Kehoe welcomed Liam s mother Teresa, sisters Evelyn, Barbara, Darina and Paula, brothers in-law Pat and Eamon, nephews and nieces, who were the only ones able to attend the funeral due to lockdown restrictions,
Mr Reilly s family confirmed in a statement the sad news that he had died. With sad hearts, the family of Liam Reilly, musician, songwriter and front-man of Bagatelle, wish to confirm that he passed away suddenly but peacefully at his home on January 1, 2021, read the statement. We know that his many friends and countless fans around the world will share in our grief as we mourn his loss, but celebrate the extraordinary talent of the man whose songs meant so much to so many. We ask that you respect the family s privacy at this difficult time.
The band was formed in 1978 in a flat in Bray, with two of its members being from the town - Ken Doyle and the late John O Brien. Over more than 40 years, Dundalk man Liam Reilly and Bagatelle had many hits including Summer in Dublin, Trump Card, Streets of New York, and Second Violin.
Tributes have poured in from around the world for singer/songwriter Liam Reilly who died on New Year s Day aged 65. The Bagatelle front man had penned the iconic Summer in Dublin and represented Ireland in the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing joint runner up with his song Somewhere in Europe.
In his native town, Liam is remembered as a proud Dundalk man, who encouraged up and coming musicians and who donated his talents and money to charity.
Liam grew up in the Avenue Road and went to school in the CBS. He trained as a primary school teacher but music was his first and enduring love as he had started out playing traditional music .
Tributes paid as Dundalk legend Liam Reilly is laid to rest today
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A flood of tributes have been paid to Bagatelle frontman Liam Reilly remembering the legendary Dundalk musician as a “true artist” and one of the country’s “greatest songwriters”.
Liam, who wrote the much-loved song Summer In Dublin which resonated with a whole generation and became an Irish classic, passed away suddenly but peacefully in his home in Dundalk on New Year’s Day at the age of 65.
The musician’s family said: “We know that his many friends and countless fans around the world will share in our grief as we mourn his loss, but celebrate the extraordinary talent of the man whose songs meant so much to so many.”
Liam Reilly’s priceless, eternal gift to the nation of his birth.
His master creation is the most beautiful, touching poem, lyrical and haunting, a skeleton key that unlocks any door behind which lurks a wounded human heart.
A gorgeous, profound snapshot of the city in which we came of age. Despite the name of the band with whom Reilly made the days better, this was no mere bagatelle.
We sang it in the summer of our happiness and in the winter of our broken relationships.
We hummed along in dank college bedsits, applied it as balm for lost adolescent love, treasured it as the calling card of our perfectly imperfect hometown.