Big send-off for Big Tom, the country king

Hundreds of people descended on the rural townland of Oram, Co Monaghan, to pay their last respects to the star who died on Tuesday aged 81.

Big Tom and The Mainliners were formed in the 1960s and achieved widespread success, with Big Tom’s hits including Gentle Mother, Four Country Roads and Old Log Cabin For Sale.

His relatives said that he had died “peacefully in the company of his family”.

When he arrived at the funeral on Friday, Daniel O’Donnell told the Irish press pack: “You think people like Tom are going to go on forever.

“And in the country music circle, there’s no question, that he was the king, and he will be the king. He may be gone, but the king will live on, in everybody’s hearts and certainly in his music.”

He added: “It’s a huge loss here for the people. The main factor is that he was one of the people, no matter where he went. He didn’t carry the title of king or stardom very well.

“He was a real down-to-earth man. And he just had a connection with people that you can’t explain, other than you’ve seen it and understood it and were present to experience it.

“And this is testament today with the amount of people that are here and the amount of people that were there on Wednesday to pay tribute to him. It’s an honour to be here.”

Daniel told the Press Association that Big Tom was a “humble man who I suppose went to the top of his world but yet was as grounded as anybody could ever be”.

When Big Tom was laid to rest, singers performed hits at his graveside including Pretty Little Girl From Omagh, Gentle Mother and Going Out The Same Way You Came In.

A few couples took the chance to have a jive to the more catchy numbers.

The coffin was draped with an Oram Sarsfields GAA flag.

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins visited Big Tom’s family at the family home on Thursday evening.

The president was represented at the funeral by his aide de camp, while Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was also represented.

Father Leo Creelman said it was a sad day for “the world of country music and for many, many people throughout our country and beyond”.

He said it was “a heartbreaking replay of events” for the family, as they buried their mother – Big Tom’s wife Rose - earlier this year.

“When Rose died a massive part of Tom went with her. He was lost, dazed and brokenhearted,” he said.

The priest said his career had culminated with a lifetime achievement award at the Irish Country Music Awards in 2016, but that “it was the earth of this place Oram, Co Monaghan, that kept Tom McBride grounded”.

He said: “He loved the land, out on the old tractor ploughing or spraying the spuds, other times he was in the garden with the vegetables and flowers. ”

He told the packed church that Big Tom enjoyed golf, John Wayne films and water skiing, and played gaelic football for Oram, captaining the junior team to a winning double in 1963.

Heis survived by sons Thomas and Dermot, daughters Aisling and Siobhan, and sister Madge.