Dick Farrelly
| Dick Farrelly | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Farrelly |
| Born |
17 February 1916 Kells, County Meath, Republic of Ireland |
| Died | 11 August 1990 (aged 74) |
| Genres | Irish songs / ballads / film theme |
| Occupation(s) | Policeman / songwriter / poet |
Dick Farrelly born Richard Farrelly (17 February 1916 – 11 August 1990) was an Irish songwriter, policeman and poet, composer of "The Isle of Innisfree", the song for which he is best remembered. His parents were publicans and when Dick was twenty-three he left Kells, County Meath for Dublin to join the Irish Police Force. He served in various Garda stations throughout his thirty-eight-year career, ending up in the Carriage Office in Dublin Castle. At heart Dick was very much a songwriter and poet. He was a private, modest and shy man who wrote over two hundred songs and poems during his lifetime. He married Anne Lowry from Headford, Co.Galway in 1955 and the couple had five children. His two sons Dick and Gerard are professional musicians.
On a bus journey from his native Kells, Dick Farrelly got the inspiration for his now timeless composition the "Isle of Innisfree" and by the time he reached Dublin he had written the words and music. Farrelly's poignant words express the longing of an Irish emigrant for his native land. It was recorded by Bing Crosby for whom it became a huge international hit. It has since been recorded by a great many artists worldwide but above all, it endures in the hearts of many to this day as one of the great songs of Ireland.
Professor Des MacHale who writes extensively on Dick Farrelly in his book, "Picture The Quiet Man", goes on to say – "Film director John Ford heard it and loved it so much that he decided to use it as the principle musical theme of The Quiet Man... The melody is featured at least eleven times throughout the film, including its use during the opening sequence. "Sadly the composer of The Isle of Innisfree, Richard Farrelly received no mention in the screen credits".
In more recent times "Isle of Innisfree" was also used in the film ET (1982) where a scene from The Quiet Man is shown, and again the melody can be heard in the soundtracks of the films, Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) and Breakfast on Pluto (2005).
A few years earlier in 1948, Anne Shelton recorded Dick Farrelly's first success, "If You Ever Fall in Love Again", becoming a hit for her in the UK. Guy Lombardo and his Orchestra, instrumental pop group, The Three Suns, and singer Bill Lawrence recorded the song in the USA. Other Dick Farrelly songs include, "Cottage by the Lee", which was popularised by Joe Lynch (singer & actor), and "The Rose of Slievenamon", recorded by Joseph Locke.
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Wikipedia