Christy Dignam RIP

I wouldn't consider myself to be an Aslan fan but there was something about their live shows which gripped me in the way their records never did. I first saw them play live in the early 00s when I tagged along with some friends to the local hotel. I wasn't expecting much but how wrong I was. They were feckin' brilliant live and like everyone else in that room, I was singing along (badly) to the hits by the end. There's a good reason why so many people in Ireland went "Ah no..." when they heard that he had died.

As an aside, I didn't think much of Dave Fanning's comments about Christy and Aslan on Claire Byrne's radio show earlier. It wasn't the time nor the place to criticise him and his band.

I didn't hear what Dave Fanning said, but there's a time and a place for criticism, and this isn't it.

Many of us remember Aslan when they were rising stars, but Christy was always honest about where it went wrong. It takes a lot of courage and self-awareness to acknowledge your own foibles.

Dave Fanning was on RTE.. gave an unfairly blunt review of their career, or lack of.

I think its bad form to be dissing people who have recently died.

Fanning is and was a great DJ. Quite well known even outside of Ireland. I kind of get his point, although it probably wasn't good timing. Louis Walsh once said the Irish music industry had wasted millions on bands like Aslan who thought they were rock stars before they really were. I wouldn't be a fan of Walsh or his music but he probably had a point here. Aslan were a great band but they squandered their own success.

How did the Irish music industry spend millions on Aslan?? Who knows Fanning outside of Ireland but slags of f

Christy because he was only known in Ireland

The late 80s/early 90s was my time for Irish music and you could go to a good gig four nights a week.

Bands like Something Happens, A House, The Stunning, The F&W, Microdisney/Fatima Mansions, 4 of Us, Fat Lady Sings, An Emotional Fish, The Golden Horde etc all brought out excellent albums.

Feel No Shame stood up against all of those and songs like This Is, Loving Me Lately and Please Dont Stop were anthems for their years.

I kind of get what Fanning is saying and I wouldn't disagree that Aslan peaked with Feel No Shame.

But you could say the same about The Golden Horde and A House. I'd also say that his buddies U2 have barely released a decent tune in almost 20 years.

But today is not the day for that debate.

Christy deserves the many fine tributes being afforded to him. His fans loved him. And he had many fans.

Cry Before Dawn were terrific.

Also bands like Light A Big Fire, The Power of Dreams, Whipping Boy, Fountainhead, Toasted Heretic, The Sawdoctors and The Sultans of Ping.

A great time for Irish music.

It was really bad. It’s one thing to trash his career but he also trivialised his childhood sexual abuse and suggested that he used that as an excuse to become an heroin addict. Disgraceful remarks.

Legend