In memory of Vinny Baker

Thanks to Danny Slevin of Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, for this news. As Danny says, it is hard to believe that it is now only a few months short of two years since the unexpected death of the irreplaceable Vinny Baker.

Danny headed the organising team for the very successful tribute concert held last June in Vinny's memory, in his home town of Mullingar. The event raised £3,712 for St Camillus Nursing Centre at Killucan, Co. Westmeath, and the proceeds have been used to develop a Garden of Tranquillity at the Centre, where Vinny had played many shows for the elderly residents. Danny will be visiting it later in the year to take photos when the garden is in bloom, and the BIB hopes to publish some of them then.

Yesterday (Saturday 7 March) Danny visited Vinny's grave, very close to those of his parents and grandparents, in a lovely location under a big tree. Danny writes:

Des Docherty put a small bird house on the tree, to ensure that there will always be birdsong nearby. I was proud to see that the stone over the grave was headed by a line from a poem I wrote when Vinny died. The line is: 'You passed when at your brightest.' It was a sad but fulfilling afternoon.