IN MEMORIAM:
DONNA SHEEHAN
This morning (Palm Sunday 2021) I received the news
that Donna Sheehan had passed away, after having fought for some time
"the good fight" against ALS. Unfortunately, it continues to be a fight
that no one wins.
I have been told that our musical efforts were a great comfort to her and her family and friends during this
time. To those who participated, no amount of gratitude is too much. To
those who have promised to participate, this page will remain open for
your contributions.
After suffering as she did during life, there's no question in my mind
that Heaven's gates opened wide for Donna on a "no questions asked"
basis when she arrived before them today.
We grieve because we're human, and that's the way we deal with losses. But
once we put our selfish human nature aside, we can understand how the
end of a loved one's suffering should be a source of joy.
I hope it's not too much to ask that we make "Donna Sheehan's Reel" a
remembrance of her life, of her suffering, of the end of that suffering, and now of her willingness to
pray for us who remain behind in this increasingly weird world.
Donna's daughter Katie posted a lovely tribute to her mom on Facebook.
May God be kind to Donna, her family, and friends.
For those musicians who might want to add to this page, here's the tune and a link to the sound file:
This is the way I presented the idea to Maureen Conway, Secretary for the RHC Branch of Comhaltas and a friend of Donna's :
"Years ago the great Kerry fiddler Padraig O Keeffe supplied a jig to
Breandán Breathnach for his 'Ceol Rinnce na hEireann' collection. We
know it today as one of the 'Kilfenora' jigs but O Keeffe's name for it
was 'A Prayer is Better Than a Tune'.
With all due respect to Padraig, I'd like to suggest that 'A Tune Can Be a Prayer' might be more appropriate."
This is the reason for "Donna Sheehan's Reel" (aka "A Reel Can Do No
Harm"). The idea is that every time it's played, we keep the lady in
mind in the kindest way possible.
It's up to the individual musician to decide what degree of spirituality
is involved in this - my own inclination would be to "offer it up"
(Catholics will understand this concept immediately!)
Other musicians might have different ways of approaching this - as far
as I'm concerned any way of showing love for someone they may never
know, and of wishing to become part of her struggle, is good.
Music has a spiritual power we don't always understand. I'm hoping that
"Donna Sheehan’s Reel" can generate some of that power for this best of
all causes."
The Project also envisioned inviting traditional musicians from anywhere
and everywhere to record their version of the tune, either by itself or
combined with other tunes they thought might be appropriate.
We're not looking for perfection - as I have told everyone, it's what comes from the heart and not the fingers that's important!
So far I've heard from the following - click on their names to hear their contributions.
I've heard expressions of interest from others whose recordings will be
gratefully added to this page. MP3s or links to other platforms
(YouTube, SoundCloud, etc.) are preferred.
Thanks to all for their willingness to help in this endeavor.
UPDATE:
Thanks to the efforts of Seán Quinn, Donna's story and the tune have
been added to the Irish Traditional Music Archives in Dublin. Here's the
acknowledgment he received:
Dear Sean,
I hope you are keeping well. My colleague Ellen Doyle has forward
on to me your recent donation to ITMA. I just wanted to send you an
email to acknowledge this donation and to say thank you to you, and to
Bill Black for agreeing to the donation. I was very sorry to read about
Donna Sheehan’s diagnosis. Rest assured Bill’s reel which he composed in
Donna’s honour will be preserved in ITMA for current researchers and
for future generations.
Thanks again for supporting ITMA.
Kind Regards,
Maeve [Gebruers]
updated 3/28/21