It is with sadness that I make the first entry to Prayer section of the website. My good friend and fellow band member, John McLean, died on 24 March 2010. He was in hospital for cancer treatment and never recovered from his operation.
John was a great musician, which is how I knew him. We played as the Saggy Bottom Boys last summer and our last gig with John was on Hogmanay at the Lamlash Bay Hotel with Donal, Nicola and Jon. He was undergoing chemo at the time, but you would never have known. He was always happy when he was playing and sharing his music with others. He also had a great sense of humour and brought much fun and laughter to our rehearsals. I knew him for only a short time, less than a year actually, but it feels like much longer. He was very easy to get along with and I guess that’s partly why it feels like I’ve known him for longer.
It was a great personal pleasure to play with him and I for one will miss him. We were to play a headline gig at this year’s Arran Folk Festival in June. I’m not sure whether we will still be playing, but I would like to think that we would. We could make it a fitting tribute to John’s memory.
So, my fellow congregation members, I would ask that you add John and his family to your prayers.
The funeral is on Wednesday 31 March at 11:30 a.m. at Whiting Bay Church, followed by an open session at the Eden Lodge Hotel.
Rest in peace, my friend.