By Monk
Belfast has lost a true titan of its music scene with the death of Seamus ‘Seamie’ O’Neill, founder and director of the city’s annual Blues Festival, after a battle with cancer.
Known to many as “Mr Belfast Blues”, Seamie helmed the festival for 17 years, and was known for his tireless work ethic and his genuine commitment to bringing the music he loved to as wide an audience as possible. Outside the festival, he himself was an accomplished drummer (he was a founding member of 1970s punk act Bank Robbers) and producer. More recently, established the city’s Guinness Blues Café, staging regular Saturday afternoon shows in the city centre Deer’s Head pub.
It is rare for us to make personal comments in articles such as this. But, I had the great pleasure of knowing Seamie and working with him for almost a decade. Through our sister promotion, Paradise City, DQ and I were DJs at several of the festival’s closing night parties, with Seamie taking great delight in the reaction of diehard blues fans to heavy metal DJs pumping out blues tunes. As journalists covering the festival, he was always affable and approachable, welcoming us to every show with genuine appreciation and warmth.
He always had a smile on his face, a glint in his eye and a pint of Guinness in his hand. He was a true gentleman. A one of a kind.
Our deepest condolences to the O’Neill family and Seamie’s hundreds of friends in the blues community, both in Belfast and across the world.