Tributes to a 'great crooner'

Tributes were paid at last week's meeting of Nenagh Municipal District to local singer Joe Hackett, who died on October 9.

Councillor and musician Hughie McGrath came to know Joe when he joined the Nenagh Mint Jazz band in 1986, when Joe was the lead singer. He remembered the recently-deceased Joe as "a great crooner, and great part of Nenagh life and community".

Cllr McGrath said Joe was regarded as a "singer of international standard", who thrilled and amazed many an audience with his performances at The Kenyon bar over the years.

"We had great singers, professional singers, at The Kenyon," Cllr McGrath recalled. "The professionals would just stand back and say to me: 'Where did he come from?'"

Singing right up to his 80th birthday, Joe had an outstanding vocal range, Cllr McGrath said. He was also very popular in the community and once won a competition to become mayor of Nenagh, a memory of amusement when Cllr McGrath was elected mayor some years later.

Cllr John Carroll also paid tribute to Joe, speaking of the voice and charisma espoused by a "larger than life" character and "real likeable person".