Among the music was Slievenamon, the tipperary song his mother used to sing, while his daughter Louise recited the John Hewitt poem Expectancy at the graveside, before an emotional rendition of The Parting Glass.Ī fitting quote, from Kavanagh's On Raglan Road, opened the Mass booklet and will be included on his gravestone: "And i said, let grief be a fallen leaf at the dawning of the day." requiem Mass was celebrated in St Patrick's Church, Keady, where road bowlers formed a guard of honour. He was also a popular compere at local quizzes and charity events and organised regular nights celebrating the words and music of irish writers including Patrick Kavanagh.ĭickie burke, from tassagh near Keady, died on August 23. He loved the atmosphere at meets around the country, where his warmth and wry take on life made him many friends. Smitten by the sport, he established a new club, served as chairman of the northern branch of bol Chumann na heireann and earlier this year was honoured by the organisation for half a century's faithful service.ĭickie was also a keen follower of Gaelic games and the fortunes of his native tyrone, but perhaps his chief sporting interest was horse racing. He settled in the county, where he married Mildred Hughes and became an unlikely champion of the ancient art of road bowling. After spells in enniskillen and London, where he built a rapport with children in the east end with the help of trips to football matches, Dickie took up a teaching post in Armagh technical College in 1964. in Dublin he worked for a time as an actor, appearing alongside the likes of Frank Kelly, Pat Laffan and Anna Manahan, before deciding to fire younger imaginations in the classroom. His father, also richard, was principal of the technical college in Cookstown and Dickie developed a passion for english as a boarder at Garron tower College and student at UCD. richard burke was a native of Cookstown, Co tyrone, the youngest of three children of parents from tipperary and the Kilkenny-Waterford border. the former actor used his stage skills and wonderful wit to make words come alive for young people with little previous interest in the subject.įor him, english drama and literature was not simply an academic pursuit but something to be enjoyed by everyone - and everyone he taught left with fond memories. "the best teacher i ever had" was a constant refrain at the wake and funeral of the 75-year-old, who instilled a love of literature in generations of students in Armagh. Dickie Burke was proof of the adage that everyone remembers a good teacher.