'Gentle personality': County Limerick Comhaltas group pay tribute to late founder

CLUAIN Chreadhail CCÉ, Killeedy and the wider traditional musical community are mourning the loss of Conchúr Ó hÍorbaird, Neilus (Con) Herbert. We offer our sincere sympathies to his family in the UK and in Ireland.

Neilus was widely acknowledged as an accomplished and renowned musician, master accordion and concertina player, a fine fiddle player and a humble multi-instrumentalist. He leaves behind a significant legacy in Traditional Irish Music.

He was a pillar of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and a foundation stone to our branch established in 1977, tutoring children to All-Ireland success early in his career. The students were endowed with the riches of his talents from the start. He would painstakingly write staff-notation on carbon paper to copy it for his music class. He was a gifted music teacher who remained a leader and driving force in the branch throughout his life.

As well as founding our own Branch, through his time as school principal of Freemount National School, he was also a founding member of Craobh Chrónain in 1979. He founded the Allow Céilí Band and toured nationally and internationally with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. He played music throughout the country and abroad with his own Mountain Road Céilí Band.

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Neilus taught and mentored numerous Céilí Bands, Trios, Duets and Solos to County, Munster and All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil success. He was responsible for starting and nurturing countless fine musicians who carry the flame onwards. An inspirational teacher to generations of musicians, his dept of insight enabled him to see a young musician’s talent and to offer invaluable advice as they chose an instrument to progress to.

Perhaps his greatest talent, which brought him such personal joy, was when he quietly and intuitively oversaw the many happy unions between musicians and their instruments. An invaluable human resource to our Branch, he could carry out running-repairs on most instruments but it was at changing and tuning reeds of accordions and concertinas that he excelled and became renowned for.

One of the traditions he most enjoyed upholding was that of the Wren Boys. The Loch A’ Ghé Wren Boys were his batch. Wren boys coming to his own house as a child inspired him, a memory he often spoke of, as he carried on the tradition. In 2004 the Loch A’ Ghé Wren boys won the All-Ireland Wren Boy competition in Listowel, Co Kerry. It was a joyous occasion with fond memories for all involved.

A long-held ambition of his was to have a musical home for our Branch in Killeedy. This was realised in 2022 when the Tigh Cheoil found a home as part of the Ashford Social Hub (The Ash), in his native Killeedy. With our help, he organised several notable events since its launch by the then Minister, Heather Humphreys. We hosted and celebrated the music of The Kilfenora Ceili Band, Shaskeen, and of piper Mickey Dunne. We celebrated the unveiling of Seán Ó Séadhacháin painting in the Tigh Cheoil, as well as many more nights of great entertainment at oícheanta cheoil frequented my musicians, singers, storytellers and poets from far and near.

We are deeply saddened by Neilus’ unexpected loss. There is a void in our Branch that will never be filled. With humility and honour we have hosted so many of Neilus’ great friends and his dear family in Ashford and Raheenagh (Killeedy) over this past week. We were privileged to welcome his family from the UK and Ireland, many of his friends from near and far, locally from West Limerick, the surrounding hinterland and from throughout the whole country.

We and his family are aware of the deep loss many feel after his passing and are grateful to everyone who expressed their sympathies, contributed to the ceremonies and shared with us, all the ways Con was part of your lives. He was not just a good friend but a trusted confidant of many. A great listener who possessed the ability to make people feel truly heard and seen as if you were the only person in the room. We will miss him immensely as a musician, teacher, mentor, Branch member but we will mostly miss him as a treasured friend.

We would like to thank everyone who helped us facilitate the beautiful ceremony to celebrate Con’s life and mourn his loss. Cluain Chreadhail CCÉ members, his friends and his family have been receiving expressions of gratitude and appreciation for the welcome and hospitality they received while paying their respects to Con and his family. We want to thank the wider community for their overwhelming support, which allowed us to come together to pay this true Gael, both Chieftain and Bard, due respect and give him a fitting farewell.

Neilus was a true appreciator and scholar of Irish heritage including music, Gaeilge, arts and culture, fostering curiosity and interest in all who shared his passion for all things traditional and Irish.

Bhí grá, gean agus meas as cuimse ag Conchúr ar ár dteanga Gaeilge agus bhí sé toilteanach labhairt go líofa i nGaeilge nó i mBéarla lena chairde cé gurbh í an Ghaeilge an teanga ab ansa leis. Chreid sé go láidir san nath “Tír gan teanga Tír gan anam”.

Neilus had a huge love and respect for the Irish language and conversed fluently with friends both in Irish and English, Irish being his preferred choice.

Maidir le Conchúr, chreid sé gur ón croí amach a tháinig an ceol agus mar sin teanga ar leith a bhí sa cheol céanna agus tháinig an ceol sin chugainn tríd an ngléas ceoil a bhí á sheinnt, ba chuma an láthair nó an lucht éisteachta. Fad agus a bhí an ceol fíor agus saor ó truailliú bhí sé sásta. Go bhfaighe gach duine againn a raibh aithne air, spreagadh óna cheol agus a phearsantacht, lách, shéimh.

For Neilus, music was the language of the heart expressed through the instrument, no matter the location or audience. Authentic music was all that truly mattered. May his music and gentle personality inspire all of us who knew him.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.