Obit: Ivor Browne -Irish psych-musician(1929-2024)

Subject: Obit: Ivor Browne Irish psychiatrist-musician
From: Felipa
Date: 28 Jan 24 - 05:10 PM

This article https://www.rte.ie/news/dublin/2024/0124/1428411-ivor-browne/ tells of "one of Ireland's best known psychiatrists, Professor Ivor Browne" and also mentions that Dr Browne was "a talented musician." His family notice in the Irish times https://notices.irishtimes.com/death/browne-ivor/61173821 also refers to the late doctor as "a talented musican."

Dr Browne played trumpet, but he was very interested in traditional music as well as jazz. He was a co-founder of Claddagh Records which produced recordings of the Chieftains, and many other folk and traditional musicians and singers https://claddaghrecords.com/collections/irish-traditional

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/obituary-ivor-browne-acclaimed-psychiatrist-who-was-a-mental-health-pioneer-and-remained-defiant-when-censured-over-fr-michael-cleary-scandal/a1953581448.html

Subject: RE: Obit: Ivor Browne Irish psych-musician(1929-2024)
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jan 24 - 06:12 PM

He was also a piper and whistle player.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ivor Browne -Irish psych-musician(1929-2024)
From: Thompson
Date: 29 Jan 24 - 07:34 AM

And father of piper Ronan Browne.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ivor Browne -Irish psych-musician(1929-2024)
From: Felipa
Date: 30 Jan 24 - 07:36 PM

yes, I read that Ronan played tin whistle at his father's funeral. I remember Rónan used to present a traditional music programme on the radio. And here is a video from RTE television) of Rónan playing pipes along with his sister Tiarna playing fiddle https://www.rte.ie/archives/2022/0218/1281714-tiarna-and-ronan-browne/

Rónan composed the score for a film about his dad
Meetings With Ivor and has composed and/or played music for other films, tv programmes and stage plays

Subject: RE: Obit: Ivor Browne -Irish psych-musician(1929-2024)
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 03 Feb 24 - 03:16 PM

Obit - Irish Times

Subject: RE: Obit: Ivor Browne -Irish psych-musician(1929-2024)
From: Felipa
Date: 03 Feb 24 - 06:05 PM

not to belittle his achievemnets as a psychiatrist, but this being Mudcat, I am singling out the musical details re Ivor Browne and family.

From the obit linked to above, in Peter Laban's post
"It was his love of music, in this case Irish traditional music, that brought him to his late wife Orla Kiernan, daughter of folk singer Delia Murphy."

another article has similar information re Orla Kiernan and describes Ivor Browne's father playing the mandolin at home www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/in-praise-of-ivor-browne-groundbreaker-lifesaver-1.2924489

Remembrance by Dennis Bradley, founder of Northlands Addiction Treatment Centre in Derry https://www.irishnews.com/opinion/we-are-living-in-a-society-that-is-driving-people-mad-IE3ODL3MVRF7PN2DEYBUV4HKYE/ "There is a lovely letter in one of the papers of a patient who had not spoken for several days on entering hospital. Ivor sat on the man’s bed, pulled out his beloved tin whistle and played until the man began to smile and then speak. Which put me in mind of an occasion he and I were asked to leave a pub when he started to play the same tin whistle. The owner was not too keen on us trad people who, he claimed, attracted a rough crowd."

Subject: RE: Obit: Ivor Browne -Irish psych-musician(1929-2024)
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 04 Feb 24 - 07:02 AM

There is probably a lot more to be said about the man, both as a psychiatrist and his contributions to the field of traditional music, but that's probably not for me to do.

There was a fine documentary on RTE some years ago, 'Meeting with Ivor'. There's a website for it, if I recall correctly


Here are a few bits:
A Rollong wave special:

When Séamus Ennis met Ivor Browne : an unlikely friendship

And a piece by Mirian O Callahan that I caught on the rzdio when it first went out, both the man himself and Ronan appearing:


Prof. Ivor Browne

Subject: RE: Obit: Ivor Browne -Irish psych-musician(1929-2024)
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Feb 24 - 07:16 AM

And Alan Gilsenan's documentary (,or at the website with trailer and details):

Meetings with Ivor

Subject: RE: Obit: Ivor Browne -Irish psych-musician(1929-2024)
From: Thompson
Date: 04 Feb 24 - 12:16 PM

Meetings with Ivor for rent on Vimeo.