The Voyages Of Brendan

IN MEMORIAM

The voyages of Brendan

BRENDAN WOODS GAVE THE PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME AT HIS OWN FUNERAL. THE DUBLIN BORN (JANUARY 11, 1947) ENTERTAINER PROVIDED MOST OF THE ENTERTAINMENT AND SOUNDTRACK FOR HIS OWN SEND-OFF AT KARRAKATTA CEMETERY ON JULY 12.

A poignant video rendition of ‘Never Too Old To Be Young’ sung by Brendan set the tone for the occasion, which saw many of his friends and family gather to pay their respects. Marian Byrne was celebrant and old friends Frank Murphy and Mick Murray gave touching and fond tributes to their deceased mate. Fr Greg Donovan led a prayer and blessing for him. Brendan appeared in sound and vision again with lovely versions of ‘My Blue Eyed Galway Girl’ and ‘The Cry of the Dreamer’. “Brendan was definitely a Character with a capital C,” said Marion, who has known him since she and her husband Niall came to Perth. “Actually I don’t think any Irish person living in Perth for the last 30 odd years could not have known Brendan Woods. He was a showman and loved an audience, which accounts for the fact that he welcomed you in here today himself on screen. He will entertain you during this service and he will also sing himself out of here at the end of this service. So how lucky are we! Brendan loved to make other people laugh and even though he went through ups and downs in life, a smile was never far from his face. With Brendan you got what you saw, there was no pretence.” Marion read the aptly named poem ‘When I Come To The End Of My Journey’ from the John Boyle O’Reilly Memorial in New York. With brother Ken by his side, son Alan Woods gave their father’s eulogy. “Let me start by saying that my Dad was no saint, he had his demons which he fought every day and sometimes he won the battle; and sometimes he didn’t - which didn’t make life easy for him or for the people that loved him. He inherited his love of music from his parents Rose and Robert (Bob) Woods – Rose played the violin (she was from Ougterard in County Galway). Bob was from County Wicklow and played the drums and the piano accordion; he was also part of a marching band. So Dad grew up in a house full of music and of course there were many sessions to be enjoyed by all. Bob was also a professional footballer and Dad inherited his love of football and all things sport from him. Before leaving Ireland he had a couple of businesses - music shops selling musical instruments and all things music. He was

also involved in ‘The Show Band Scene’. Then we all moved to Perth in 1988 and Dad was a professional musician for many years. He toured extensively throughout Australia, sometimes with Sean Roche.” [Brendan and Sean also toured America and were about to leave to return when September 11 hit and their stay in the states was extended longer than they had bargained for.] “As a young boy he attended North Brunswick St. School in Smithfield Dublin and then St Vincent’s Christian Brothers secondary school in Glasnevin. He then went on to nursing school at St Brendan’s Training Hospital and qualified as a psychiatric nurse. All this time he was playing music and played in The Hospital Band with his Dad, and they both enjoyed playing at the patient’s dances in the hospital. I might add that both his parents were also senior psychiatric nurses.” Proud of his Irish heritage, the true blue Dub made a massive contribution to celebrating that history in WA. “He wrote plays including ‘Cashman’s Diary’. He also wrote poetry and stories. He was a historian and an expert on John Boyle O’Reilly, The Catalpa, ‘The Fenian Break Out’ and Fremantle Prison. He was heavily involved in the JB O’Reilly Association*. He gave freely of his time and energy and helped with fund raising for various charities around Perth. His plays were performed in The Irish Club, The Blarney Castle and Fremantle Prison, where he became a tour guide and story teller. While doing this job he met all the Irish dignitaries from The Wolf Tones to The Fureys and basically anyone of importance that passed through Fremantle. He loved history, music, acting, poetry, Irish literature, arts

*A FENIAN FRIEND TO THE END

Brendan’s passion for history and in particular the Western Australian Irish story of John Boyle O’Reilly was infectious and unrelenting. Every so often Brendan would call me up and convince me to publish another story or article about O’Reilly, the Fenians or the Catalpa or some other aspect of that remarkable story. The last time I saw Brendan was on Easter Monday in Rockingham at the Fenian memorial to mark the dramatic escape of O’Reilly’s fellow Fenians. I gave Brendan a lift back home to Perth and the journey home was full of banter, laughter and stories and shenanigans between two ould Dublin codgers, most of which could not be repeated here. Travel well Brendan! – Lloyd Gorman

and crafts and watching football and sport of any sort. He was obsessional and always had a project of some sort happening. Basically he was a creative genius! I will miss the chats and banter I had with him and especially the long answers to the short questions. I would like to think that Dad will be remembered as a Loveable Larrikin, a gentle soul and mostly a kind man.”

TWITTER TRIBUTE AND TWITS

On August 10 the Dictionary of Irish Biography tweeted the following message: “After a daring escape from an Australian prison, John Boyle O’Reilly, journalist, poet & political activist, made his way to Boston where he became a passionate advocate for all victims of racial, class & religious oppression. He died #OTD 1890. https:// dib.ie/biography/oreilly-john-boyle-a6990… #DIBlives”. This set off a bit of a bit of an exchange on the social media platform, including this comment from one Caroline Kennedy in Dublin that alluded to Brendan: “I saw his death mask on display in Fremantle Prison, Perth, some years ago. An incredible visit to the museum, we were guided by a Dubliner who had emigrated decades earlier. Fascinating.” The next day another Twitter user rowed in with a comment that they were pretty sure she was confusing O’Reilly with Ned Kelly! If he was still alive the ever witty Brendan would have been well able to put this person in their place. In any case, Kennedy – an experienced media worker and broadcaster who heads up her own PR firm – did what any journalist worth their salt would do and did some more homework. She found another online message by Peter Murphy – a fellow Dub and friend of Brendan’s – from the John Boyle O’Reilly Association. Peter had written that on a recent visit to Fremantle Prison he was fascinated to see how many exhibits were on display and paid homage to the 62 Fenians (Irish political prisoners) who arrived on the last prison ship to Australia, the Hougoumont. Peter also wrote: “There was however one particular exhibit that stopped me in my tracks; the death mask of Fenian John Boyle O’Reilly (1844-1890). O’Reilly is best known for his literature, poetry and advocacy for human rights. He was also one of the organisers of the Catalpa Rescue” (image left). Armed with this info Kennedy was able to confidently respond to her doubter: “Just checked. I seem to be correct.”

THE SEAN O’CASEY CONNECTION

Frank and Gerry from Celtic Rambles on Radio Fremantle memoralised Brendan across two excellent shows. Amongst the many great stories and memories about him emerged a classic yarn about his mother and Sean O’Casey. The story goes that Rose Woods wrote to O’Casey – who was then in the UK – in the 1950’s in protest at his play The Shadow of a Gunman. She was unhappy about the use of the name Donal Davoren, the “shadow” of the play, the same name as her late brother, and the cowardly portrayal of his character. The playwright responded with a cordial handwritten letter in which he said he had known Donal in Dublin in the 1920s and had asked him for his permission to use his name for the main character he was writing at the time. Donal was selling “insurance” and had visited O’Casey, then a struggling playwright, in his tenement in North Circular Road. The strongly socialist O’Casey – despite not believing in private insurance – took a policy out with him out of solidarity for the TB sufferer who was trying to make a living. O’Casey recalled him as a “handsome lad’ and remembered much about him. In her reply Rose told the writer that her brother had died from “consumption” in 1927. “I’ve seen many in Dublin go down with tuberculosis, so many, so many, because of the rotten life they had to live,” she wrote. The pair developed a friendship of their own and exchanged Christmas cards for several years. ☘