Traditional musician Eithne Vallely has died after being hit by a truck in Co Armagh, police have said.
The 81-year-old was killed while walking in the Portadown Road area on Friday morning.
Det Insp Stewart, from the PSNI’s collision investigation unit, said: “Officers attended, alongside colleagues from other emergency services.
“Medical treatment was provided to the pedestrian, however she was pronounced deceased at the scene.
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“The Portadown Road, which was closed for a time, has now fully reopened.”
In a statement, Armagh Pipers Club, which Vallely founded with her husband Brian, said it was with “great sorrow” that they shared news of her death, extending “heartfelt sympathy” to her family.
“Eithne brought music into the lives of children for six decades,” the club said. “Her enormous contribution to Irish traditional music was recognised nationally with many awards and honours.”
Sinn Féin MP for Newry and Armagh Dáire Hughes also praised Vallely’s impact on traditional Irish music.
“Eithne was a giant of Irish cultural life in Armagh and across Ireland – a pioneering musician. Her decades of contribution to music and cultural expression cannot be overstated, evidenced by her countless awards and honours,” he said.
“Eithne had a lifelong passion for traditional Irish music and was tremendously gifted, with strong musical lineage and a skill fostered on the tin whistle in primary school that would evolve into piano, violin and more.
“Eithne was not only a great musician but she had been collecting and recording traditional music from an early age.”
He added: “She passed this passion on to her family and the wider community through the founding of the Armagh Pipers Club with her husband, Brian. Her legacy will live on, through them and the countless others she inspired.
“My sincerest condolences to Eithne’s husband, Brian, her children, grandchildren and the wider Vallely clan, Eithine’s friends, neighbours and those who had the pleasure of playing music with her, or learning from her.”
Armagh SDLP councillor Thomas O’Hanlon also expressed his “deep sadness” at the news, describing it as “simply devastating”.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Brian, the entire Vallely family and all those who loved Eithne at this incredibly difficult time,” he said.
“Eithne came from Donegal, but she made Armagh her home, and what an extraordinary contribution she made to the cultural and musical life of our city, this island and far beyond over many decades.
“Together with Brian, she founded the Armagh Pipers Club, helping to place music and traditional Irish culture firmly at the heart of Armagh.”
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the PSNI.
