Kerry will fondly remember a beloved son this Wednesday morning with a gathering at a statue erected in his honour.
Tralee Municipal District Council and the people of the town will meet at the Christie Hennessy monument at Central Plaza – just off the town square – at 9.30am to mark the 17th anniversary of his death, at the age of 62.
A wreath will be laid to commemorate the life and times of the great singer-songwriter and to thank him for the music.
The brilliant balladeer – one of Ireland’s most gifted songwriters – was born Edward Christopher Ross in Tralee 1945 and he owned his first guitar, created using an old tea chest, at the age of six.
Christie worked on building sites in the UK for many years, releasing his first album in 1972 but he had to wait a further 20 years for his first commercial success in the music industry with the release of his hugely successful album The Rehearsal which attained triple platinum status.
He penned and performed some epic songs including Roll Back the Clouds, Remember Me, Oh Jealous Heart, The Last Goodbye, Song for Stephen, If You Were To Fall and the iconic Messenger Boy which was a memory of his first job in Tralee.
Christie also wrote Don’t Forget Your Shovel and All The Lies that You Told Me which became smash hits for Christy Moore and Frances Black respectively.
Christie died in London on 11th December 2007 with a rare form of cancer.
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