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US FOLK SINGER Pete Seeger, famous for his strong lyrics and political activism, has died at the age of 94.
Seeger, who died of natural causes at New York-Presbyterian Hospital last night one week after being hospitalised, spent his life as a champion of folk music.
He was known for his renditions of songs like “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”, which he co-wrote, as well his version of the civil rights hymn “We Shall Overcome”.
Seeger, who played the guitar and the banjo, was an iconic figure in folk music. He was involved in many political causes, from anti-Nazi protests in the 1940s to the civil rights movement in the 1960s to the Occupy movement in the 2010s, and was vocal about his beliefs.
He was one of the key figures in the revival of folk music in the US in the late 1940s.
He was kept off television for more than one decade after he was investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1955 who questioned him about his former membership of the Communist Party and charged him with contempt of Congress.
However he later described the 1950s as the highpoint of his career, as he toured America spreading the music that he had created or preserved.
“The most important job I did was go from college to college to college to college, one after the other, usually small ones,” he said in 2006. “…And I showed the kids there’s a lot of great music in this country [the US] they never played on the radio”.
Seeger had the words ‘This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender’ inscribed on his banjo.
“Be wary of great leaders,” he said in 2011 after an Occupy protest in New York. “Hope that there are many, many small leaders”.
He married his wife Toshi in 1943 and the two were together until her death last year.
(Video: abargle/YouTube)
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Additional reporting by Associated Press
Eamon Ryan is a bit of a Nugget himself.
@Brian: A nugget short of being a full Happy Meal
@Fergus Murphy: 5 nuggets short you mean.
@Brian: an insult to nuggets everywhere
@Brian: a poo nugget.
Everything I’m reading or hearing from the government says to me that there will only be outdoor service for the hospitality sector during the summer, at best open by end of June. Which to me doesn’t correlate with the amount they’re planning to have vaccinated by June.
@John Egan: apparently outdoor hospitality will resume on May 24th.
@Colleen: where did you hear that?
@John Egan: Nphet and the buffoons in government must be expecting one hell of a summer weather wise. Awnings and heaters aside, I’ve got almost 45 Irish summers under my belt and a good 30 of them have been washouts.
@John Egan:the north, scotland, wales, uk, will have indoor and outdoor up and running in a few weeks.. July or august is a long wait here for indoor especially if weather poor.
@Robert Clifford: haha, as last years was terrible after April theres a chance this years could be good (never do we get 2 in a row). But just find it annoying/confusion. The vaccinations and level of restrictions are not matching, restrictions look to be 1 or 2 behind.
@Dara Mac Fhionnain: it has to the North is opening the 24th May if not loads heading up the North me included
@Dara Mac Fhionnain: on the rté news website. Apparently they are discussing it tonight.
@Dara Mac Fhionnain: they were doing their – ‘we don’t want to create uncertainty’ with ‘kite flying’ ahead of announcements – by erm – kite flying ahead announcements.
If outdoors is safe, and they know everyone is meeting up having cans at this stage, why won’t the open the bloody pubs for outdoor sittings so.
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue: Hush now with that kind of talk.
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue: They’ve said (leaked) that they will. So much ado/anger about nothing then
How about the féicin hairdressers? I’m starting to look like the love child of Enda Kenny and a 1980’s rock star at this stage.
@Alex Marquis: Either that or put up a couple of short documentaries explaining how to mind ‘crazy’ hair for lads. I haven’t a clue, not a bull’s notion about hair products or conditioners. Googled it there, first step it said was do something with a comb. Sure I don’t have a comb.
I would rather catch the virus than eat the chicken nuggets in some pubs,
More of a tenders guy myself
How does outdoor dining work with hotels, do you eat and drink in your car, honestly we are governed by Muppets.
Took them long enough to realise
@Eoin Fitzgerald: Realise what? You think they should have recommended outdoor dining in winter?
@Thomas O’ Donnell: they should have let pubs serve from last June/July outdoors
The content of the article kind of contradicts the headline. If ministers are pushing for “outdoor dining” that means they’ll have to enforce the 9 euro substantial meal carry on again because that implies that “outdoor dining” will be allowed while “outdoor drinking” won’t be and so that demands there be a distinction between gastro pubs and “wet pubs”.
@Seán: Outdoor drinking will be , so no problem.
You
What part of the Chicken does a nugget come from ? – The mechanically separated of what is left over.
People say “I love animals” – No – you love pets – if you love animals you would stop eating them…
The content of the article kind of contradicts the headline. If its understood some ministers are “pushing for outdoor dining” that means they’ll have to enforce the 9 euro substantial meal carry on again because that implies that “outdoor dining” will be allowed while “outdoor drinking” won’t be and so that demands there be a distinction between gastro pubs and “wet pubs”.
@Seán: and will gastro pubs even bother opening for outdoor dining only, might not be worth their while and may wait till they are allowed indoors too
Also may not want drinking tables only, not enough money from that, they will want to keep their tables for ppl having food&drink, better return off them
@Seán: no i think they are finally realising that the public have moved ahead and the days of garda or health officers being expected to be checking up on premises this summer is just not gonna work – honestly if people could see the level of social activity already along canals and parks at weekends – its crazy busy and they really should reopen the more controlled environments with toilet facilities etc even this bank holiday weekeend – actually disgraceful the lack of toilet facilities last weekend in places like Howth head – people just trying to do what they were allowed outdoors but they shut toilet facilities – honestly we are a shambles at offer decent services to the public – still 25% capacity on transport and yet telling the public to get outdoors creating backlogs and crowds at places like howth dart station – we are seeing the worst of both worlds – our abundance of caution is not whats happening in the the real world – its nonsense
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