Birdhill musician's tribute to Fungie the dolphin

A Birdhill musician has penned what the Irish Post last week described a “powerful tribute to Fungie the dolphin”.

The unexpected disappearance of Fungie has caused much speculation over recent weeks. The dolphin, a Dingle resident for the past 37 years, is a favourite with locals and tourists alike. Maybe Fungie will return but there is a growing acceptance that Dingle's adored dolphin is gone forever.

The situation inspired Birdhill man Niall Quinn to write the first musical tribute to the life and times of Fungie - ‘10,000 Candles in the Wind - Fungie the Dolphin Memorial Song’. He posted the song on YouTube; it “might be a tongue-in-cheek tribute to our favourite sea mammal, but it still finds a way to tug at the heart strings,” The Post said of the song.

Niall is a native of Birdhill and attended St Anne's Secondary School in Killaloe. With his Fungie tribute, he channelled his “inner Chris Rea with a little Bruce Springsteen thrown in for good measure”.

The song, written to honour Fungie, is full of beautiful lines, like “Take a graceful leap and learn to fly” and “Trade your dorsal fin for angel’s wings”. It enjoys a catchy chorus: “Bye-bye Fungie the dolphin” and invites him to “swim up in Heaven's bay”.

It is a lovely song based on a tribute written for a fictional hero, ‘Lil Sebastian’.

Written and performed by Niall, a student at the University of Limerick, the track was mixed and mastered by Brendan Pooley of Killaloe.

With almost 5,000 views on You Tube over three days, it is a fitting tribute to the young men who put it together. Both Niall and Brendan have been involved in music since their school days and it is great to see their talent being recognised. Why not check out their tribute on You Tube, or follow Niall on ‘Niall Quinn FTW’ on You Tube or Twitter.