James Byrne would have been well used to the gale force winds which swept his beloved Gaeltacht village of Glencolumbkille as his mortal remains were laid to rest there on Monday because he was born and reared in one of the most windswept areas of the Glen, Meenacross, where he learned most of his vast repertoire of fiddle tunes.

However, for most “inlanders” who thronged to Glencolumbkille to lay his mortal remains to rest in this normally tranquil setting, the gales which sent thirty foot waves crashing against the rocks, saw even the hardiest of souls rush for the comfort of the nearest hostelry once the obisques had been completed.

James Byrne, undoubtedly the doyen of fiddle players in Donegal has passed away suddenly on Saturday, his body having been found on the laneway to his rural home after returning from a seisiun of music in the Highlands Hotel in Glenties. When news of his untimely death filtered out on Saturday, many tears were shed for this true gentleman of music who did not have an enemy in the world.

That his death was so sudden and came when he seemed to be so full of life made it doubly hard to accept, particularly for his partner in life, Connie, and their family and friends.

James Byrne’s wake and funeral was one of the largest ever seen in the West Donegal Gaeltacht with people, particularly musicians, travelling from all corners of Ireland, north and south, to be present.

One musician talked of leaving Kerry at 3 am that morning while the legendary box player, Joe Burke, left Galway, along with wife, Anne Conroy, about 5 am. This meant nothing to the many musicians who came from long distances to pay their last respects to a man described as a legend in his own lifetime and a true gentleman of music into the bargain.

Anyone who knew James Byrne or ever visited his humble home at Meenacross was always assured of a unique Glen welcome and a cup of tea and a tune on the fiddle before being sent on their way. He was a fund of tradition, of genuine stories of his area and had a vast repertoire of tunes, all played in the unique Donegal style and passed on with a generosity of heart which was typical of the man.

The funeral cortege from his home to the local Chapel of St. Columba’s was one of the largest ever seen in the parish. Local children, his pupils, played their fiddles in the windswept valley as his remains set off on their last journey to the Church.

The Requiem Mass was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Seamus Gallagher, C.C. Leitirmacaward and his co-celebrants were Rev. Fr. Daniel McBrearty, C.C. Glencolumbkille and Father Paddy Molloy of the Millhill Fathers, a native of the area.

In his homily, Fr. Gallagher described James Byrne as “ a unique individual” and said they were all there that day to give back to God one of the greatest gifts that God had given to the Glencolumbkille area.