By Sean Collins

Last week Barry Cluskey, a master musician and all round nice guy, passed away in his adopted County of Kildare, still for all the years a proud Duleek Gate man. As they said of another great musician, it was “the day the music died.”

In an interview in 1987, Barry recalled for the “Out of Town’ column in a local newspaper, how he was in third Class at St. Mary’s Boys National School in the Old Hill when the historic move was made to the new school premises in Priest Lane [June 1953].

His classmates included Peter Hughes, Kevin Martin and Henry Clinton. At the time they regularly lined out for the Wolfe Tones GFC. Barry was one of seven children of Jack and Peg Cluskey from 9 Halpin Terrace and the Cluskey family had deep roots in Duleek Gate.

In his early teenage years Barry, along with his neighbour Christy Smith, his old pal Tony Wynne and Johnny Milne, joined the Drogheda Brass and Reed Band under the guiding hand of Jimmy Nash and he soon began to spend most of his free time in the band hall.

Barry’s father Jack had also been a musician playing double bass with the Stephen McCann Orchestra. The double bass is still being played by Ogy Collins with the Watery Hill Boys, gifted to him by Barry some years ago, with a wish to see the instrument played once again.

On the work front, Barry was employed on Drogheda Docks where his uncles Patrick and Brian Cluskey also worked. His main interest though, was music and he soon began to play with local groups like the ’Flying Aces’ the ‘Silver Seven’ and the ‘Jazz Notes’.

In July 1962, Barry joined as clarinet and saxophone player with, “The Boyne Valley Stompers” (pictured below) led by Paddy Kierans from Trinity Street and so his professional career began. Playing all over Ireland from Ballybunion to St. Mary’s Hall in Drogheda, and touring regularly in England.

In late 1962, Barry along with a group of likeminded musicians - Ronnie Reynolds from Donegal, Pat Braiden from Killeshandra and a front man called Prince Vince formed the “Kings Showband”. A very hard working band, the Kings regularly toured on the continent at the new up and coming resorts like Sitges and in the USA. In England they played support to Bill Haley and the Comets, and Little Richard.

On one of these support gigs according to music historian Paddy Reilly, Jerry Lee Lewis offered Barry a permanent position in his backing band, but home was more important and Barry declined.

Back on the local scene Barry performed with Sonny Knowles and the Hopkins Brothers at Georgie’s on the North Quay in Drogheda in 1967. Butch Moore visited Halpin Terrace with Barry and my sister Geraldine, Doreen Maguire, and May Gregory were so excited.

The showband years declined in the 1970s and Barry tried his hand at retailing and opened up a retail store on Cutlery Road in Newbridge selling electrical goods from washing machines to music centres. “All goods sold at giveaway prices, you could save at Barry Cluskey’s” was his sales pitch.

In the late 70’s and early 80’s Barry’s name began to appear on the billboards again. He had never entirely moved away from music, and with two friends Billy and Des Hopkins formed the Cluskey Hopkins Jazz Band who would later perform as the Guinness Jazz Band which achieved great acclaim at the Cork Jazz Festival in 90s and into the new millennium at pre-Rugby Internationals on Landsdowne Road.

The local paper reported in 1985 that Jazzman Barry Cluskey, Las Vegas Showman Paddy [Podger] Reynolds, and session guitarist Eamonn Campbell would play a gig in aid of St. Luke’s Cancer Hospital at the O’Raghailligh’s Club .Three Drogheda men who first studied music at the Drogheda Brass and Reed Band.

Barry said he was very pleased that night to meet his old friend Jem O’Neill. Barry was always available to support a good cause whether it was for Sister Consilio in Carlow or in his home town, in 2000, he brought the Guinness Jazz Band to support the Mayor’s Show in aid of Cystic Fibrosis for his old friends Paddy Kierans RIP and Peter Hughes.

In the last few years Barry played an occasional gig in Drogheda with David Leddy and with Tom McCann, just as his Father, Jack did with Tom’s Father Stephen over eighty years ago.