Asbestos was widely used as a building material, particularly in the roof and ceiling areas of buildings in the latter part of the last century. In the 80s , medical science established a conclusive link between its dust and an incurable, chronic lung disease , now known as asbestosis. Those most at risk were plasterers, insulation workers and labourers in the building trade. Many older buildings were constructed with asbestos as a component which is deadly , if the dust is disturbed during renovation.
Two of Ireland’s finest singers died as a result of exposure to its catastrophic properties.
Christie Hennessy , Tralee born in 1945, was interested in music and songs from early childhood. Unable to find work in Ireland, partly due to severe dyslexia , he took the boat to labour on building sites in the London area. Music and song-writing were his pastimes ‘across the water’. In the 70s, he met another wandering troubadour, Christy Moore and gave him one of his songs, “Don’t Forget Your Shovel”. Recorded at a later date on an album , it proved a very big hit for Moore. In 1992, Hennessy recorded an album, “The Rehearsal” for the Son label which went on to outsell the owners of the studios, U2. The former labourer from Kerry released four more albums; their trademark was emotion and melodic appeal and made him one of Ireland’s top selling performers with his work regularly appearing in the repertoires of Frances Black and Christy Moore.
Aged sixty-two, he died in 2007 from a rare form of lung cancer which has been attributed to his years on London building sites and exposure to asbestos. His friend, Christy Moore, unveiled a commemorative statue in Tralee Town Square.
His music lives on.
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