Boomtown bassist returns to his roots

A former member of the defence forces Frank O’Reilly was stationed in the old barracks in Cavan Town when a fellow native of Ballyjamesduff pulled him to one side and told him to tune into the Late Late Show later that night.

“I didn’t think much of it, I’ll be honest with you,” recalls Frank, who says televisions were “scarce” in the billets. Regardless, he endeavoured to find one of the only two black and white screens available that evening, and after the nine o’clock news had ended, stationed himself in front of the one that was free.

“I didn’t know what was on,” says Frank, who is retired from the army 15 years, and served in both barracks in Cavan Town during his career. “At that time a lot of the fellas wouldn’t have had much interest in the Late Late, and televisions would’ve been scarce enough, so I made it my business to put it on. I couldn’t believe it to see the bould Paddy Cusack with The Boomtown Rats on the television. That was a long, long, time ago. So I said to myself, and I’d seen him on television several times since, but if there ever was a chance to see him on stage I’d be there.”

Saturday night, with the Boomtown Rats playing Cavan Town’s Egg Market as part of Cavan Calling, fulfilled that lifelong “ambition”.

Frank missed out when the first run of tickets were released, and only by good fortune managed to pick one up on the second attempt.

Frank and ‘Paddy’ grew up on opposite sides of the town. The Cusacks lived on the Virginia Road, and Frank’s family heading towards Kilnaleck.

“Ballyjamesduff was a different town back in that time. Paddy’s father was a solicitor, a great man for Tidy Towns, and great man for the town in general, and a founding member of the Frolics as well,” says Frank.

“Young ‘Paddy’ as I knew him, not ‘Pete’, I’m, 75 now, and Paddy tells me he’s nearly 72, so he was three years behind me going to the boys' school up by where Liffey Meats is today. It was a small school, but that’s how we got to know each other. But over the years you lose track of people.”

Frank says of the opportunity to meet: “It was lovely. [Ballyjamesduff] has a lot of talent down through the years. We had Mick Clerkin, Connie Lynch, big names on the showband scene. Paddy was the man who went furthest. When he was at school, he was always very well dressed. I thought he’d be a solicitor, or something else, never on stage playing guitar. It’s unbelievable. But the music was always there.”

Frank thanks Fine Gael’s Trevor Smith and Council Director of Service, Eoin Doyle, for helping make the connection at the weekend.

Cllr Smith was also on hand working behind the scenes to facilitate Paddy visit his old family home in Ballyjamesduff last Sunday before flying back to London.

Patrick Cusack left Ballyjamesduff age 12 years for boarding school and to live with his sister in Dublin after their parents died. The family home was subsequently sold.

“Bob [Geldof] says it was 48 years, and the band had never played Cavan. It's maybe 58 years since [Patrick] was home really. It's an amazing story,” says Cllr Smith.

“Cavan Calling did bring that man home. He truly came back the other evening.”

Cllr Smith joined Chief Executive Tommy Ryan and Cathaoirleach Philip Brady in presenting Patrick with his Civic Honour on stage in front a crowd of 2,000 plus cheering people.

“That has to be a special moment for anyone. Being from Ballyjamesduff and seeing that happen for one of our own, we’d always grown up knowing about Paddy and the [Boomtown Rats], but to see it happening, and to see him play, in Cavan after all these years, it was really surreal.”