EPISODE 620 THANKS TO TRACEY AND JAMIE DINEEN….MEMORY OF BARNEY DWAN… AND ALSO DAN BOWYER SENT THIS PICTURE OF W.C.HANDY
alan skeoch
august 7, 2022
Dań Bowyer often takes the episodes a little deeper. In this case
he found a great photo of W.C. Handy with his ‘Memphis Blues”
highlighted. (SEE EPISODE 619)
W.C. HANDY (AB0VE)
BARNEY DWAN (BELOW)
“WHAT is that huge thing under our boat, Barney?”
“Basking shark…harmless.”
“must be 20 feet long”
“I think it wants these mackerel, master Skeoch”
(Why does Barney keep calling me Master Skeoch?)
I also received word from Tracey and Jamie Dineen that their grandmaster
Barney Dwan had passed away. Barney was my key man in Ireland
way back in 1960 when we became part of a team considering the
reopening of a 19th century copper mine near the village of Bunmahon.
Barney led me on some great adventures. Just the kind that 22 year old
boys/men love. Before arriving in Bunmahon I saw the movie The Quiet Man
at a theatre in Dublin. I recommend readers try and see the movie
as i write my memorial to Barney Dwan who I called Bandy because
the Irish spoken on the south coast did no seem to use the later ‘“r”,
Every time I asked Barney a question the whole team of ten local
Irish men burst into laughter.
Note:
The strangest thing has happened as a result of writing my Irish episodes.
People have sent me email letters expressING their joy in remembering
that magical summer of 1960. Some will not understand how
that is possible. I think you need to be Irish to fully appreciate
what happened that summer.
So I will be writing my memories of a great young Irishman
in the next episode. BARNEY DWAN. Some of the stories
were part of previous episodes but they are worth repeating
because Barney made them happen.
Hope you can come along for the ride.
alan