THE BIG READ: Offaly man has given a lifetime of service to traditional music and Birr parish

A man who has given almost seven decades service to traditional music and Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann in Offaly has been honoured.

Birr's Padraig O Dufaigh was presented with the Unsung Hero of Offaly Award by the Offaly Association (Dublin) at a ceremony in Tullamore last weekend.

A native of nearby Drumcullen, Mr O Dufaigh served at local, county, provincial and national level with Comhaltas and is also a dedicated member of St Brendan's parish pastoral council in Birr since the late 1950s

A special citation in honour of Padraig was read at last Saturday week's gala evening in the Bridge House Hotel by Pat Teehan, a member of the Offaly Person of the Year sub-committee of the Offaly Association.

It reads as follows:

It gives me great pleasure to present to you this evening the 2024 Unsung Hero of Offaly recipient.

The award goes to a man who has given a lifetime of service championing traditional Irish music through Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann at local, county and national level.

Despite his advancing years, the 2024 Unsung Hero is still involved with Comhaltas locally and is also an active member of the Parish Pastoral Council in Birr.

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A multi-talented individual, he is a veteran radio presenter who has fronted the popular Coppers and Brass traditional musical programme on Midlands 103 for over three decades.

Born in Ballywilliam, Eglish, in Drumcullen parish, our 2024 award recipient grew up with his siblings on a small farm. He was educated at the Presentation Brothers in Birr.

Shortly after completing his secondary education, he secured a position with Woods Textile Manufacturing in Birr, later Birr Fabrics, where he worked for 25 years, advancing to the role of sales manager

Following that he spent another quarter century working at Erin Peats where he was logistics manager at the time of his retirement.

Despite his busy working life and commitment to Comhaltas, our award winner found time to woo and wed his beloved wife, the late Virginia Magee, from Borris-in -Ossory, and the happy couple reared three children, Sinead, Ciaran and Nollaig.

Nollaig, who lives and works in the United States, has flown over from Chicago to attend tonight's awards ceremony and we give her a special welcome. Our award winner also delights in his five grandchildren.

It was a twist of fate that the 2024 Unsung Hero of Offaly, became involved in Comhaltas in the late 1950s.

In 1958, the celebrated Marian Hall has just opened in Birr and various fund-raising efforts were being organised to finance the development.

One of the ventures suggested was the organising of a fleadh cheoil and our award winner was nominated to help organise the fund-raiser as he had previously attended a fleadh cheoil. At the time Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann was in its infancy and not many were familiar with fleadh cheoileanna.

The subsequent fleadh cheoil proved an enormous success and in the following year the Offaly County Board of Comhaltas was formed with the first ever county fleadh being held in Birr.

Our award winner was secretary of the first fleadh and the first county board and he has remained in administrative roles in Comhaltas up to this day.

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Originally there were just three Comhaltas branches in Offaly, though Clonaslee was affiliated for a time as there was no Laois county organisation. Offaly now boasts seven branches – Birr, Ballyboy, Kilcormac, Rahan, Tullamore, Daingean and Edenderry.

In due course, the 2024 Unsung Hero was elected to the Provincial Council and to the National Executive of Comhaltas in the early 1970s.

He filled the onerous role of national competitions co-ordinator and was also elected National Treasurer, a post he remained in for 35 years until stepping down last year. Our award winner remains a National Trustee of Comhaltas.

He has attended every Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann since 1958 and was a key member of the ogranising committee which brought the event to Tullamore in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Incidentially, the Offaly Person of the Year award was bestowed on that committee in 2009 Sso our Unsung Hero has the distinction of being also the holder of an Offaly Person of the Year award.

Our award receipient also became involved in parish affairs in his adopted home of Birr in the late 1950s and remains a member of the Pastoral Council to this day.

He has served in the role of Secretary and Chairman of the body but now describes himself as "ordinary foot soldier."

He was recently awarded the St Brendan's Medal for his work for the parish for over six decades.

Now aged 87, the 2024 Unsung Hero retains his zest for life and his commitment to all things Gaelic and Irish, both language and music.

Tonight we salute the fith recipient of the Unsung Hero of Offaly award.

Ladies and gentlemen please be upstanding for the 2024 Unsung Hero of Offaly, Padraig O Dufaigh.