'Pecker' Dunne laid to rest in Clare

The music of Paddy “Pecker” Dunne “is silent but not dead”.

That is according to Fr Michael Sheedy who told mourners yesterday that Pecker “made an extraordinary difference to lots and lots of people”.

The famous musician and storyteller died last Wednesday aged 79 and St Senan’s Church in the west Clare town of Kilrush yesterday was packed to overflowing, as Pecker’s life was celebrated in word and song.

At the end of the Mass, Pecker’s eldest son Stevie paid his own tribute when he played solo at the altar, receiving a sustained standing ovation after performing Pecker’s best known tune, Sullivan’s John.

Asked to speak on behalf of the family, Pecker Dunne’s friend Oliver O’Connell told the congregation that Pecker’s death was “the passing of an icon”.

With Pecker’s death “we lose a piece of ourselves”.

He said that Pecker “helped us define us as a people”.

Fr Sheedy said that music came second to being a husband and a father for Pecker.