A host of stars turned out for the final farewell to Dickie Rock at the legendary singer’s funeral mass on Thursday morning, December 12.
A statement from Dickie’s children said they were "saddened to confirm that he passed away peacefully" on Friday, December 6, at the age of 88.
The Dublin native gained success in the 60s, as one of the frontmen of the Miami Showband — where he enjoyed 13 top-ten hits, including seven number-ones.
On top of his chart-topping-success, Dickie represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1966, where he placed joint fourth alongside Belgium.
Dickie is predeceased by his wife Judy Rock, who sadly passed away in 2022 after spending time in St Vincent’s Hospital for many weeks following a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Dickie Rock in 1998. (RollingNews.ie)
Among those attending Dickie’s funeral mass at the Church of the Most Precious Blood, located in Cabra West, on December 12, was fellow showband performer Ronan Collins, presenter Aonghus McAnally, Liveline presenter Joe Duffy and Twink.
December 12, 2024: Ronan Collins at the funeral for Dickie Rock. (RollingNews.ie)
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald was also at the mass.
President Michael D Higgins was represented at the funeral mass by his Aide-de-Camp Paul O’Donnell.
After Dickie’s coffin was carried to the alter, with his Eurovision song "Come Back to Stay" playing on the church’s speakers, Father Brian D’Arcy reflected on the musician’s impact on Irish music.
"It’s a day we don’t know whether to be sad or joyous. Maybe we should be both. We’ve come to say goodbye to one of Ireland’s greatest legends...
"There were many showband singers, over 10,000 people in the business at one point, always the cream that came to the top was the blessed trinity of Brendan Bowyer, Joe Dolan, and Dickie Rock.
"We come to lay to rest the last of the legends… Knowing Dickie and Judy, the fact they’re together in heaven with their lovely son Joseph is a great day of joy. They’re together at last and looking after all of you," he said.
December 12, 2024: Father Brian D'arcy at the funeral for Dickie Rock. (RollingNews.ie)
Recalling the memories of Irish showbands, Fr D’Arcy continued: "The men on one side and the women on the other. Everybody half sober and the rest half drunk when there was no drink anywhere to get… The star of the show would be introduced. Dickie would bound out over the place and the whole place would be dancing, diving and jumping.
"Your worries would be forgotten for two hours. There was a sense of enormous freedom that we could do these things and we could travel to see the Irish stars and parts of our communities… You were waiting to hear all the songs that were hymns to him.
"Songs you sang yourself on your way home and if you were lucky might have got a girlfriend to bring home. If you had a car you had a better chance than if you were on a bike. It was a very different Ireland. It’s wonderful that after all these years later all of Dickie’s fans and friends are here today for the joy he brought us all."
Dickie Rock performing in Dublin in 1986. (RollingNews.ie)
A number of gifts were brought to the altar during the ceremony, including a microphone and a picture of Dickie and his wife Judy.
Providing music for the occasion was Red Hurley, with The Nevada Showband member also representing Ireland at the Eurovision.
December 12, 2024: Red Hurley at the funeral for Dickie Rock in Dublin. (RollingNews.ie)
One emotional moment saw Dickie’s son singing a rendition of the classic Carl Sigman song "Till," performed in the past by the likes of Tom Jones and Robbie Williams, which contains the lyric "you are my reason to live."
During the mass, Fr D’Arcy noted the impact that The Miami Showband massacre had on Dickie. Occurring in the summer of 1975 after he left the band, five people were killed, including three members of The Miami Showband, by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
"Dickie had a sense of guilt about that, that he had brought fellas into a band and that’s what happened to them…. he always thought 'if I hadn’t introduced them then perhaps that wouldn’t have happened'… You gave them an opportunity and they took it. You did the good thing, somebody else did the evil thing," he said.
The Miami Showband.
Following the mass, Dickie’s son Jason said his father was "more than an entertainer" and it fills the family with ‘great pride’ to bring him back to the Cabra church where he performed for the first time.
"To us, he was so much more than a dad on stage, he was a loving, caring father… While dad lived a very public life, he worked hard to let us grow up out of the spotlight," he said.
Noting that sport brought Dickie "so much joy," Jason recalled being brought to see Liverpool play Manchester United adding that Dickie arranged for them to meet all the players and staff afterward.
Jason went on to say that Dickie was "never quite the same" after "the love of his life" Judy died and "part of him died that day."
Finishing the funeral mass was RTÉ presenter Ronan Collins, who said Dickie was "reborn in 1956 when rock and roll came to the fore," calling him a "pioneer."
Holding back tears, he said: "None of us ever thought we’d be here… Dickie hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s in our hearts and in our minds.
"Dickie and I had a strained relationship for a while, it was one of the great moments in my life when we reconciled. I missed him and he told me he missed me, and we had too much together to walk away from it.
"To be asked to speak today to recall my friend, your friend, and a wonderful father, I am absolutely flattered beyond belief.
"I apologise for getting emotional. I got happily emotional and very annoyed emotional with him a number of times… All of that was superseded by the love and warmth he had for his family and friends…
"Beneath the brash exterior and confidence he exuded all the time, Dickie was a shy introverted person a lot of the time. He didn’t do regrets in life, he told me 'I would have loved to have had a formal education.'
"I told him 'Dickie you wouldn’t have listened.'"
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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