Greystones Mourns The Loss Of Beloved Adopted Son Johnny McEvoy

The Offaly-born balladeer, who made his home in Greystones and raised his family there, passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday.

Johnny McEvoy, the singer-songwriter who left his native Offaly to settle in Greystones has died at the age of 81.

He died peacefully at his home in the seaside town on Sunday. His children, Jonathan and Alice, confirmed his death in a statement. “To us, he was just Dad,” they said, thanking people for the love shown to him over the years.

''Dad's music meant so much to so many people, but to us, he was just Dad,' they said. The family thanked well-wishers and requested privacy.

Greystones was where he lived with his family for many years, and it was there that he was surrounded by them at the end.

He is survived by Jonathan and Alice and by his grandchildren Kyle, Isabella and Cinéad. His wife, Odette, died in 2013.

Born in Banagher in the Faithful county in 1945, McEvoy became one of the best-known voices in Irish music.

Speaking to The Greystones Guide in 2016, he said it felt like home from the first day, and he made clear he had no plans to leave. He described a daily routine of walking the seafront from the South Beach to the harbour, then stopping for a coffee before heading home. He said he loved it a little more each time.

His idea of a perfect day in the town was at the end of the pier with his wife and grandchildren on Christmas Eve. He spoke of her with warmth, saying that although she was gone, that day would always remain with him.

Asked what he would change in Greystones, he named the loss of the La Touche Hotel and hoped someone would take it over. Asked what he hoped would never change, he joked that he didn’t want the town to get any bigger, because of the traffic.

Away from the seafront, McEvoy was one of the best-known voices in Irish music. He began in the early 1960s with the folk duo The Ramblers Two and supported The Rolling Stones on their Irish tour in 1965.

A year later his version of “Muirsheen Durkin” reached number one and made him a household name. “The Boston Burglar” and “Nora” followed, and he was tipped as Ireland’s answer to Bob Dylan.

He later went electric and formed a band in the 1970s.

His own songs included “Long Before Your Time”, which also topped the Irish charts, along with “Michael”, “Going to California” and “Never Learned to Dance”.

His life was the subject of the 2010 RTÉ documentary The Johnny McEvoy Story.

Senator and singer Frances Black described him as “one of the finest interpreters of Irish song we have ever had” and noted that he was still filling venues this year.

She added that he could hold a room with only his voice and guitar. She noted that he was still filling venues this year.

His own songs included “Long Before Your Time”, which also reached number one, along with “Michael”, “Going to California”, “The Ballad of John Williams”, “Rich Man’s Garden” and “Never Learned to Dance”. 

Tributes came from far and wide. Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, called him “a true icon of Irish folk music”. 

Mick Foster, of Foster and Allen, called McEvoy 'a legend' on RTÉ Radio 1. He also remembered the singer's willingness to discuss his experience of depression publicly during the 1990s.

Foster believed that openness helped people who struggled to understand or speak about their own difficulties. 'I'd say it definitely helped a load of people,' he said.

Nathan Carter, who shared the stage with him several times, said his music would live on for many years.

Sharon Shannon recalled his records being played daily in her home growing up. She praised his “gorgeous voice” and said the kindness in his speaking voice was as clear as it was in his singing.