‘He will be missed and loved forever’
A deeply emotional tribute has been paid on Irish television to a Cork musician who died of cancer in 2024.
On last weekend’s episode of 'The Tommy Tiernan Show' on RTÉ, friends and collaborators of the late Eoin French, known for his musical project Talos, closed out the show with a performance of the song ‘We Didn’t Know We Were Ready’.
French passed away in August 2024 following a short battle with cancer. Known for his profound song-writing and exquisite falsetto vocals, French gained early recognition for tracks like 2014’s ‘Tethered Bones’ and 2016’s ‘O Sanctum’.
‘We Didn’t Know We Were Ready’ was originally written by French along with Ólafur Arnalds, Niamh Regan, and Ye Vagabonds, who opened the performance and were then joined by a host of other musicians and singers.
Since its broadcast at the weekend, the clip has clocked more than 1.2 million views on Instagram alone, with messages of support and love pouring from around the globe.
‘We Didn’t Know We Were Ready’ was first performed at the 2023 Sounds from a Safe Harbour (SFSH) festival in Cork.
A close friend and collaborator of his, and Director of SFSH, Mary Hickson, said French had been a vital part of SFSH.
“We will need to figure out how to do all this without him now,” she said.
Ms Hickson recalled hearing the song for the first time in 2023, describing it as “something incredibly important and powerful”.
She said: “The reaction when it was performed in the lobby of the River Lee Hotel and at the finale event of the festival, ‘Lighthouse Constellations’ which was hosted by Ye Vagabonds, was immense.
“At that time, it felt like Eoin was unstoppable. Little did we know what was to come. It certainly makes us all feel incredibly grateful for the time we had with him and to continue to represent his legacy where possible. He will be missed and loved forever by all at SFSH,” added Ms Hickson.
Performing on ‘The Tommy Tiernan Show’ with Ólafur Arnalds, Niamh Regan, and Ye Vagabonds, were Jófríður Ákadóttir (JFDR), Kate Ellis (cello), Sandrayati Fay, Steph French, Dermot Kennedy, Laoise Leahy, Memorial, The Staves, and Christof van der Ven, backed by a striking portrait of French by photographer Niall O’Brien.