Inspiring, Haunting, Sweet Sad Song ...A MUST SEE!!!!

I was listening to the radio the other day when I heard a riveting interview with singer Danny Ellis.

  Danny, now in his fifties, had been abandoned to an industrial school when he was just eight years old. The place was, the  infamous Artane Boys Home in Dublin. (I should add here that this story has something of a happy ending)

 Appalling brutality, abuse of every kind and total breaking of childrens' spirits and bodies carried out by the so called "Christian" Brothers for many decades.

(Photo shows a family of siblings coming into state care. They were to be separated not only boys and girls but by ages and would not be allowed contact with each other even if in same home)

What happened in these places to both boys and girls has been thouroghly investigated and dubbed "Ireland's Hidden Holocaust"

Anyway the story I heard that day is best appreciated by watching the Youtube video below of Danny singing this amazing song he wrote about a stranger but fellow inmate who gave this 8 year old some respite in the hellhole that was Artane. It has a kind of happy ending (in as far as these things can - further details in the comments section)

 

Above: boys working in the cobbler's shop at Artane.

Below: one of the dormatories at Artane.

 

Thanks to Awphan on Youtube.com for the piece and following information.

Danny sings about "Tommy Bonner" a singer who inspired him in Artane Industrial School, an abusive Irish orphanage. From his album "800 Voices.

Danny hadn't seen or heard from Tommy in 45 years even though he'd "Googled" him many times. Then he wrote this song and put it on his website. Then amazingly, in May 2008, Tommy's son, Kevin, did a Google search for his dad and Artane School, wanting to know more about his dad's youth. Within minutes he was "gobsmacked" to be listening to this song. He emailed Danny, whom he'd never met and said; "Forgive the intrusion but I think you might be singing about my dad." Danny is now back in contact with Tommy because of this song.

Click on either of the links below to watch.

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Danny's album 800 Voices is available and is this year's must have album.

Comments

[Mimi]

pam, i am truly humbled today and (after my crying subsides) you will hear no complaining from this lass for the rest of the week...what a truly enlightening story and listening to him sing that song - well it just about broke my heart in a million pieces...thanks for bringing me back down to reality...hope you and paul are feeling dandy today!

[pam flynn]

Hi Mimi, lovely to hear from you. I hope I did not depress you with that. It had me in tears too. As it turned out Tommy Bonnar went to England married a lovely woman and had a happy life and is still enjoying it and Danny Ellis followed Tommy's example in the home and began to sing and learn music and joined the band and went on to much success in the music scene and is now getting even more famous due to his lovely song. They met recently and Danny sang the song for Tommy. So something of a happy ending for them.

How is the lovely Erin? What is our next devious move? any ideas? (you Baaaad momma you!)

cheers Pam

PS. I posted off your painting and you should have it very soon. Thanks again...Pam

To: unapamela@hotmail.com
Subject: [White O'Morn Cottage] Mimi submitted a comment to 'Inspiring, Haunting, Sweet Sad Song ...A MUST SEE!!!!'.
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 13:00:24 -0700
From: typepad@sixapart.com

A new comment from “Mimi” was received on the post “Inspiring, Haunting, Sweet Sad Song ...A MUST SEE!!!!” of the blog “White O'Morn Cottage”.
Comment:
pam, i am truly humbled today and (after my crying subsides) you will hear no complaining from this lass for the rest of the week...what a truly enlightening story and listening to him sing that song - well it just about broke my heart in a million pieces...thanks for bringing me back down to reality...hope you and paul are feeling dandy today!

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[Betty]

We're back from our 18-day trip; and, MY, you have been BUSY while we were away!

Cute picture of Chris; really cute pictures of you, Paul, Angie and Zinda (I want some of Paul's beer...wow, it looks delicious!). Funny story about Pants; er, I mean Knickers.

Beautiful tribute to Daisy Bell Lee.

I'll be checking out Danny Ellis, for sure. I had never heard about the Artane Boys Home...so very sad.

Oh, yeah, I really love the look of the Simply Tina band!

Take care. You look good in all the pics.

[Twiggy]

Hi Pam, hope you and Paul are well.
The Christian Brothers don't get me started, we watched a programme about the Magdalen Laundries last week, it simply beggars belief what those poor little mites had to tolerate, makes your heart heavy doesn't it. To come through somethng like that shows the power of the human spirit I think. All children need is love and encouragement and the sky is the limit.
Twiggy x

[kimme]

Oh wow, The chills, the tears and emotion coming to me from that song. The story is something. God bless those poor kids.

Thank you for sharing that amazing story. I need to get another tissue....

hugs~kimme

[Cheap Jordans]

IT IS hard to look at the Capitol in Washington, DC, without a frisson of excitement

[Sad Qutoes]

Wow, thought provoking story. Those pictures say a lot.

[Cheap Sunglasses 2011]

If God created the world, and set nature into motion, and in what way is God responsible or irresponsible. This is suspect.

[Microsoft Office]

Voila, I can now use 2007 as if it was 2002,