Singer Bridie Gallagher buried

Image via WikipediaALMOST 500 mourners gathered yesterday for the burial of renowned singer Bridie Gallagher.
Ms Gallagher was buried at Doe Cemetery outside her beloved birthplace of Creeslough in Co Donegal.
A lone tin whistle player sounded the tune of The Town I Loved So Well as mourners braved wind and rain for the burial.
A funeral Mass had taken place earlier at St Bridget’s Church, Derryvolgie Avenue, in Belfast, where Ms Gallagher had moved to from her native Donegal in the 1960s.
The chief mourners included Ms Gallagher’s son, Jim Livingstone, and her sister, Maggie Curran.
Mr Livingstone and his family thanked people for turning out.
“It means so much to us and to Bridie,” Mr Livingstone said.
Also among the many mourners was close family friend and singer Daniel O’Donnell. O’Donnell, who flew in from Texas for the funeral, said Ms Gallagher was one of the first singers to inspire him.
“She was a fantastic woman and I wanted to be here today for her return to Donegal.
“She was one of the first singers who inspired me and I just wanted to say thank you and goodbye to her,” he said.
The graveside prayers were said by local priest Fr Joseph Broidy.
Ms Gallagher, who was 87, died at her home early on Monday morning last.
Better known as “The Girl From Donegal”, she was a world-renowned singer and had played the Sydney Opera House, New York’s Carnegie Hall and London’s Royal Albert Hall.
She had inspired a generation of singers with hit songs such as A Mother’s Love’s A Blessing.
Her life was tinged with sadness after another son Peter (21) was killed in a motorbike crash in 1976.


Singer Bridie Gallagher buried - The Irish Times - Thu, Jan 12, 2012