ARCO regrets to inform its members of the death of Colonel Fred O’Callaghan, at the age of 96, of Cloneen Road, Deansgrange, Dublin, on 5th October 2024 in the tender care of Four Ferns Nursing Home, Foxrock. Predeceased by his brother Jimmy and survived by his sisters Joyce and Dympna, brothers Ralph and Brendan. Fred will be fondly remembered by a large circle of friends in the music world in Ireland and abroad and by his comrades in the Defence Forces. Fred has donated his body to the University College Dublin School of Medicine.
Fred O’Callaghan was born in 1927 and educated at the Christian Brothers School in Synge Street. He enlisted in the Defence Forces in 1942, at the age of 15, as a Trainee Bandsman in the Army School of Music. The Director at the time was Colonel Christian Sauerzweig who, like the first Director Colonel Fritz Brase, had been recruited from Germany in 1923. After his initial period as a trainee, and then as a bandsman, Fred was offered a cadetship in 1947 and was commissioned in 1951. He was initially appointed as an instructional officer and in the same year graduated from University College Dublin as a Bachelor of Music. He went on to hold the appointment of Conductor, Army No 1 Band, where he commanded that band’s participation in ceremonial occasions over many years. These included Presidential Inaugurations, visits by foreign heads of state, the presentation of credentials by ambassadors, along with a wide range of state and military commemoration ceremonies, including the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rising.
Fred was a prolific composer and arranger, particularly of band music, and his output remains an essential part of the military band repertoire. He was Director of the Army School of Music from 1981 to 1987. Fred’s interest and commitment to music also lay outside the Defence Forces. He was Chorus Master of the Dublin Grand Opera Society on a number of occasions throughout the 1950s and with James Cavanagh formed The Irish Youth Wind Ensemble in 1985, one of the lasting legacies of European Music Year.
Members may wish to leave personal messages in the ‘Condolences’ section of Fred’s death notice on rip.ie – https://rip.ie/death-notice/col-fred-ocallaghan-dublin-deans-grange-570916
