Musician Eithne Vallely dies after being hit by truck
By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association
Musician Eithne Vallely has died after being hit by a truck in Armagh, police have said.
The 81-year-old was killed while walking in the Portadown Road area on Friday morning.
Detective Inspector Stewart, from the PSNI’s collision investigation unit, said: “Officers attended, alongside colleagues from other emergency services.
“Medical treatment was provided to the pedestrian, however she was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“The Portadown Road, which was closed for a time, has now fully reopened.”
Eithne was a giant of Irish cultural life in Armagh and across Ireland
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact police using the witness appeal form at reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals quoting reference 247 21/08/26 or call 101.
Sinn Féin MP for Newry and Armagh Dáire Hughes praised Vallely’s impact on traditional Irish music.
He said: “I am deeply saddened at the news Eithne Vallely has passed away.
“Eithne was a giant of Irish cultural life in Armagh and across Ireland – a pioneering musician. Her decades of contribution to music and cultural expression cannot be overstated, evidenced by her countless awards and honours.
“Eithne had a lifelong passion for traditional Irish music and was tremendously gifted, with strong musical lineage and a skill fostered on the tin whistle in primary school that would evolve into piano, violin and more.
“Eithne was not only a great musician but she had been collecting and recording traditional music from an early age.”
He added: “She passed this passion on to her family and the wider community through the founding of the Armagh Pipers Club with her husband, Brian. Her legacy will live on, through them and the countless others she inspired.
“My sincerest condolences to Eithne’s husband, Brian, her children, grandchildren and the wider Vallely clan, Eithine’s friends, neighbours and those who had the pleasure of playing music with her, or learning from her.”
