Veronica Dunne ‘radiated’ light into lives of others, funeral Mass hears

Veronica (Ronnie) Dunne was a legendary singer, an inspirational teacher and a loving mother who radiated light into the lives of others, her funeral Mass has heard.

The internationally renowned opera singer, who died on Monday aged 93, was a constant and respected figure in the Irish opera scene for more than 60 years, mourners at St Joseph's Church in Terenure, and more than 1,000 others who watched the service online, were told on Friday.

Dunne’s daughter, Judy Gaughan reflected on her mother’s fun-loving and caring personality during the service.

“Mum was always loving, she was always caring, she was always giving, and it was never ending,” she said. “It didn’t matter who you were, you were always invited inside the door and a gin and tonic had to be served.

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“We will sadly miss her. She was our sun, we radiated around her and now she’s setting her sun in the west, and tomorrow we will wake up, and we will start again. She has given us all the tools we need to just keep going.”

Ms Gaughan admitted that her mother had struggled during the lockdown with not being able to connect with people and meet up with friends.

“At the end, I think Mum made her own decision about when she was going, I think she’d had enough.”

She reminisced about Dunne's adventurous streak, which brought her to places like Lebanon and Syria and her love of dinner parties which ran long into the night and were filled with singing.

Soprano Celine Byrne, mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught and piano and organ accompanist Dearbhla Collins provided the music during the ceremony while Dunne’s own voice brought the Mass to a close, with a recording of O Mio Babbino Caro played as the funeral procession left the church.

In thanking the musicians, Ms Gaughan suggested that the angels take note of the talent coming their way.

“Those singers up there have to wake up, because you just set the standard that she’s going to be demanding when she gets in there and tells them to drop their jaw and loosen their tone and, it’s all about the breath lads.”

Legacy

Dunne leaves behind a massive musical legacy including the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition, which awards bursaries to young singers in her name. Her singing career between the 1940s-1970s brought her to Milan and later London, where she landed a contract with the Covent Garden Opera House. She started teaching in 1961 and went on to work with nearly every major Irish opera singer in the decades that followed.

Before travelling to the church for the Mass, Dunne's funeral cortege left her home at Bushy Park Road, Rathgar and passed the Royal Irish Academy of Music on Westland Row and paused briefly outside the National Concert Hall on Earlsfort Terrace.

Tributes poured in during the farewell ceremony from those who tuned in online to pay their respects. She was described as an “inspirational woman” who was “instrumental in so many careers”.

“Ronnie is now enjoying the heavenly choir and a well earned rest,” wrote one viewer, while another reflected on her “indomitable legacy” which ensures “future generations will continue to hear your voice”.