Tribute Concert: Event remembers legendary folk musician Liam Weldon
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A tribute concert, marking the 25th anniversary of the death of legendary folk musician Liam Weldon, was broadcast online last month by the Ballyer Trad Hub.
Over 500 people viewed the tribute concert, which featured performances from a number of folk musicians, including Daoirí Farrell, Liam Kennedy, Caoimhe Hogarty, and Eamonn Hunt.
Caoimhe Hogarty
Derek Copley from the Ballyer Trad Hub told The Echo: “It was important to mark this milestone from within Liam’s home town of Ballyfermot.
“Of course, if there were no restrictions, there would no doubt have been a lot more events, but given the times we are in, an online singing tribute felt fitting.”
The Ballyer Trad Hub was set up in January 2019 to promote traditional music in the area, and so Derek felt that it would be fitting for the group to organise a tribute to Liam Weldon – who he described as “a colossal figure in the folk scene in Dublin”.
“A big part of the promotion of the music within the area has also been to highlight the big names in the global traditional music community who have come from Ballyfermot,” explained Derek, “families like the Keenans and Fureys, as well as individual musicians like Paddy Sweeney and Liam Kennedy.
“Integral to this list is Liam Weldon, who was a colossal figure in the folk scene in Dublin and beyond, from the 60s onwards and whose legacy has grown strong as new generations discover his singing and songs.”
The tribute concert was pre-recorded and produced by Derek, and features performances from Liam’s wife, Nellie, and son, Shay, who also recounted some stories about Liam.
“The list of participants could’ve been huge, but we had to take into account the travel limits and safety [measures] at the time of recording,” added Derek. “To keep everyone safe, each singer was filmed at separate times.
“There was a warm reception to the recording, which was put together fairly last minute, particularly from Liam’s wife Nellie who was delighted that the tribute came from within Ballyer.
“Ken Larkin reached out to the ‘Ballyfermot diaspora’ and there were a few engagements from Britain and probably further afield too!”
The Ballyer Trad Hub has plans to show a recording of ‘The Liam Weldon Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Celebration’ publicly, when they can resume their regular Saturday morning gathering at Ballyfermot Library.
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