Thursday, March 25, 2021 • ThE BuLLETIN
GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 3
ALL THINGS MUSIC
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Five Pint Mary’s Michael Holmes
was humble, passionate about music
BY BRIAN MCELHINEY • The Bulletin
M
ichael and Sarah Holmes, co-leaders of Irish folk-rock group Five Pint Mary, visited Ireland in June 2019 with their kids, Evan and Wynona. While
there, they stayed at a hotel across the street from Trinity College Dublin, near the busy shopping district on Grafton Street. The hotel, like many in
Ireland, had a bar, and one night, the family heard singing.
“We thought, ‘Wow, I guess it’s true, peo-
ple really do sing at the bars here,” Sarah
said. “And we both come around the cor-
ner, and here’s this group of guys — mostly
young men — all singing around a big, gi-
ant pub table. We were just awestruck by
that; they were a wonderful choir, just the
eight-part harmonies and really a lot of
Irish music, and kind of popular world mu-
sic as well. We just got to know them be-
cause we stayed there in that hotel for four
days, and a couple of them actually worked
in the bar as well. And then on our last
night in Dublin, we went to what was their
first big concert at a place called Liberty
Hall in Dublin.”
Michael died March 13 when his heart
stopped in his sleep. An exact cause of death
was not known at the time, Sarah said. He
was 63. Sarah was lying next to him, she
said, and Evan was in the house at the time.
Just days before, Five Pint Mary teased
“You inspired me
with your passion for
music and Irish
culture, he was a
more patriotic
Irishman than the
best of us. You know
you’ve lost
something special
when it touches
hearts all over the
globe.”
a return to live performance with a St. Pat-
rick’s Day busking set at O’Kanes at Mc-
Menamins Old St. Francis School. The band
had performed at the venue annually for the
St. Patrick’s Day and Halfway to St. Patrick’s
Day celebrations since at least 2011.
Condolences poured in over the next cou-
ple of weeks, many from friends and fellow
musicians in Central Oregon. Sarah also re-
ceived a note from Kevin Roche, a member
of The Ramparts, the singing group they
met in Dublin:
“You inspired me with your passion for
music and Irish culture, he was a more pa-
triotic Irishman than the best of us. You
know you’ve lost something special when it
touches hearts all over the globe.”
“I guess for myself, I had no idea that Mi-
chael had made such an impact on people,”
Sarah said. “And they all have so many won-
derful things to say just about his kindness
Continued on next page
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— Kevin Roche, a member
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Michael Holmes
Submitted photo
Michael Holmes performs at The Dublin Pub in Portland.
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