There he is - bold as brass! Séamus Begley, famous in Irish traditional music circles for his singing, storytelling and accordion playing abilities. And even more famous among those who saw through the Covid hoax, for that expletive laden video that went viral in December 2021, at a time when the world of celebrity had closed ranks to support the ole ‘safe ‘n effectives’ lest it might jeopardise their careers. Some even trusted the $cience.
We had to squint our eyes. Was that really Séamus Begley appealing to the young people of Ireland to resist the onslaught of tyranny? It sure was the Bold Kerryman and he wasn’t holding back.
“Covid is the biggest fucking scamdemic that ever hit this fucking world. And I am an old man and I can see through all this fucking bullshit. I am depending on you young people. I don’t give a shit. I’ve only a few years left, I’m depending on you young people, stand up and fight this fucking shit, this lie, it’s a fucking lie. It’s a lie. We’ve the biggest gangster government in the world who are fucking trying to keep us fucking down and trying to keep us locked up because they know if we get out to protest, we have a reason to protest, because they’re so bad.”
For those of a delicate disposition, there were indeed a distressing number of curse words. An outrageous amount of fucks were given but under the circumstances, it’s understandable. The Irish were rolling up their sleeves under false pretences and entering a medical trial designed to do them harm. If that doesn’t warrant a few fucks I don’t know what does.
Séamus Begley died in January 9, 2023 aged 73, after suffering a heart attack.
His passing was mourned far and wide. Ireland had lost a great and rare talent and a treasure trove of heritage and tradition.
Here he is in 2019, again appealing to the young of Ireland in The Patriot Game, a song written by The Dubliners.
“Come all ye young rebels and list while I sing
For love of one's country is a terrible thing
It banishes fear like the speed of a flame
And it makes you a part of the patriot's game”
Considering nationalist sentiment has been rebranded racist and far right, you can only imagine my surprise to see the Bold Begley on a commemorative stamp, among three other musical greats, Christy Dignam, Sinéad O’Connor and Shane MacGowan.
Aslan frontman Christy Dignam died on June 13, 2023 following a long fought battle with cancer. He was 63.
Singer Sinéad O’Connor died, aged 56, in her London apartment on July 26, 2023. Her death certificate said she died from exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low grade lower respiratory tract infection.
On November 30, 2023 Pogues lead singer Shane MacGowan died from pneumonia after many years of ill-health, aged 65.
2023 was a bad year for musical losses in Ireland.
Only one of the four musical legends chosen by An Post management for the commemorative stamps had spoken out against the Covid scam and that was Séamus Begley in that viral video we’ll never forget, cannot forget. In fairness to the others, they just didn’t see through the propaganda, like so many. If only they’d known.
The An Post website tells us:
In an atmosphere of true respect and gratitude, we mark the passing of these four giants of Irish music with a series of simple, unadorned images. In these, their humanity, their strength, and their vulnerability are all in evidence.
Each image highlights both the artist’s eyes, which saw and recorded so much, and their hands, which they used to create and inscribe works of art that will stay with us forever.
They are all beautiful portraits of artists whose talent lives on through their music, but there’s one stamp I’ll be sticking on as many envelopes as possible in the coming months, as a mark of defiance to the regime, and that’s the one of Séamus Begley, the Bold Kerryman to the end.
RIP Séamus Begley (1949-2023)
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