Electric Picnic is a rollercoaster of a emotions at the best of times – and thousands who were gathered at the Main Stage on Saturday witnessed a touching moment last weekend.
British singer Tom Odell, who entertained a huge crowd from 7.30pm, dedicated his hit song ‘Another Love’ in memory of the late Rory Deegan.
Rory, aged 22 and from Cullohill, died in Greece back in June where he had been working for the summer.
The song provoked a huge response from the crowd and no doubt gave the Deegan family a memory they will have forever.
Rory’s funeral brought a huge crowd to Cullohill and anyone who was present or watched online will remember that ‘Another Love’ was sang during the mass.
Speaking to LaoisToday, Rory’s father Joe explained how once Tom learned of Rory’s love for the song, he asked to meet the Deegan family prior to his performance.
Joe said: “What Tom did was very nice and very simple and it meant a lot to all of us.
“We were completely unaware of this originally but one of Rory’s friends emailed a management company or messaged a fan page.
“Then my son Conor’s girlfriend Niamh emailed Tom. He read the story and asked us to meet him before the gig.
“So all us met Tom around 7pm backstage in his area. So he joined us on a bench, asked us about Rory and then said he’d like to dedicate the song to him.
“Rory absolutely loved that song. Tom Odell is a polite gentleman and what he did was lovely.
“When we came back out to watch Tom, a huge group of friends and family had gathered together so we were all together.”
Speaking on the stage before his performance on Saturday, Tom encouraged everyone to sing in memory of Rory.
He said: “I want to dedicate this next song to a young man named Rory Deegan.
“He was meant to be here today – standing amongst you all but he tragically passed away in June.
“I want to dedicate this to him and his family who are here today. If you all sing it loud enough, maybe he will hear us.”
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