Rock and Roll for Sean Price's 83rd

A celebration of Sean Price’s 83rd birthday last night brought together family and friends in McTernans, writes Brian Byrne.

It wasn’t a big party, but it wasn’t quiet either, with Tony Kirwan lobbing out rock and roll musical memories from the 1950s in addition to performing a bunch of his own compositions and other popular covers.

Bill Haley’s ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ might have washed over the melodic consciousness of some of the Macs regulars, but there were some of us who raised an ear to a familiar of our youth. Another was his short homage to ‘The Killer’, Jerry Lee Lewis, who passed away just over a week ago.

For Sean himself, his birthday will always bring one particular specific sad memory — in 1960 it was the eve of the infamous Niemba ambush in the Congo which claimed the lives of nine of his platoon comrades, killed while out on patrol by Luba tribesmen who apparently thought they were Katangese mercenaries instead of the UN peacekeeper troops who had been sent to protect them. It was a shocking experience for the Irish contingent, deployed in a battle zone for the first time since the Irish Civil War.

“I never talk about it,” Sean told the Diary. “But I was reminded of it today when I got a birthday greeting from Jock Kelly, who was also with us in the Congo at that time.”

Still, Sean had a great time last evening. Glasses were raised in toast to many more. He's pictured above with daughters Lynda, Pauline and Shauna.

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