TOE Burke might be regarded as Jone of the greatest exponents of the accordion in Irish traditional music, but he can't be accused of being precious about his instrument, if the story he told on Monday night in the Harcourt Hotel is anything to go by. The Galwayman recalled the tale of legendary Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman, who was asked for a shilling to bury a dead accordion player. "Here's four bob, bury four of them," replied Coleman.
One of Coleman's few surviving pupils, Irish American fiddler Andy McGann, will be flying in on Easter Monday night to the Town Hall Theatre in Galway to pay tribute to Loughrea's most famous son. McGann couldn't be present on Monday when Burke was presented with the AIB Traditional Music Award for 1997 but the event was attended by a veritable who's who of Irish musicians.
Matt Molloy and Sean Keane of The Chieftains are veterans of many a music session with as are current De Dannan supremo Frankie Gavin and the group's former accordion wizard Mairtin O'Connor, and they all turned up to pay their respects. Members of Altan were in evidence as was fiddler Sean Smith whose album The Blue Fiddle is still selling well. Traditional music pundit Fintan Vallely is no mean flute player either and he commemorated a long association with Burke in The Harcourt as did broadcaster Ciaran McMathuna, his wife Dolly McMahon and actor Peadar Lamb.