Richard T. Cooke

Sincere sympathies to Catherine and the Cooke family on the passing of Richard. May he Rest in Peace.

Richard T. Cooke is gone but forgotten he will never be by those privileged to be friends with him. I first met him in the old City Archives in Christ Church, South Main Street. His immediate warmth and enthusiasm was infectious as he pointed me in the various directions I needed to go. I still enjoy dipping into Cooke and Scanlon's 'Guide to the History of Cork'.
Together with his partner, the artist Catherine Courtney, he established The World Ghost Convention that was held annually in the old jail in Sunday's Well for over a decade. and each year the current Mayor was presented with a painting of Cork by Catherine Courtney.
A gifted musician. Richard wrote and performed memorable songs as well as the music and lyrics for the late Jim McKeon's musical The Storymaker based on the life of Frank O' Connor. His proudest moment in the musical was walking through the audience in the role of an Echo boy, his voice at full throttle selling 'de paper'!
I extend my deepest sympathy to all his family, especially to Catherine who was always a source of love and strength to him, as he also was to her.
Final thought: As proud Corkonians let's change 'Oh when the saints go marching in' to 'When Richard Cooke goes marching in.' I can see him grabbing the guitar and letting rip when he comes to 'I want to be in that number/when Richard Cooke goes marching in!'

I'm from the USA, but have been to Ireland many times with my wife Lucia. One of the highlights of all our trips was meeting Catherine and, later, Richard. We thoroughly enjoyed any time we got to spend with them (not enough.) Richard was as remarkable and interesting as Catherine said he was. He's the only person who called me Mick, and that was fine with me. He will be missed by many, even far beyond his beloved Cork City. But I think he touched a lot of lives in a positive way, and that's a life well lived.

I'm very sad to hear of Richard's passing.
He was always a bubbly, positive, kind hearted friend whose presence brightened up my day.
My deepest condolences to all his family and friends.
He'll be missed and i consider myself fortunate to have known him.

Very saddened to learn of the passing of Richard. Always such a pleasant upbeat friendly man. Condolences to the Cooke family.

RIP Richard 🙏

Our sincere sympathy to Declan, Sharon and the Cooke family on the passing of Richard. So sorry for ye're loss.

May he rest in peace.

Deepest sympathies to Catherine and Richard's family. Richard was a great friend to my late husband Brian. They were involved in many events together such as the Lord Mayor's Community & Heritage annual concert, Celebrating Cork Past Exhibition, World War 1 commemorative ceremony in UCC.
Richard will be greatly missed.

Sincere sympathy to the Cooke family and to you Catherine on the great loss of your beloved Richard. His memory lives on through all his wonderful work and projects. In our thoughts and prayers.

Our sincere condolences to Declan,Sharon and family and the extended Cooke family on the passing of Richard, may he rest in peace.

To the Cooke family.
Deepest thoughts to you all on your fathers passing.
I hold very fond memories of your father and family, growing up around crones lane and tower street.
He was a great and inspiring man who had words of encouragement for everyone.

RIP Richard. Matthew 18:6

Condolences to his family & friends. I have great memories of Richard at the all Mother Jones festivals & Cork Past Heritage Exhibition over the years. He had great energy. RIP Richard.

I was sorry to hear of Richards passing. Sympathies to all the family on the passing of a gentleman, great Corkonian and Historian, from the family of the Late John A Murphy.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilis

Catherine my condolences to you and all the Cooke family. It was a privilege to work with Richard in the Archives for over a year.His positivity,good humour and infectious love of Cork as well as his immense knowledge made it a joy for me to go to work every day. I will always remember his kindness and his friendship to me when I returned to the Library after my stint in the Archives.We never lost contact and his Christmas card was the first to arrive every year. I will miss him so much.

On behalf of the Cloyne Literary and Historical Society, I come here to express the sadness of losing Richard so suddenly.
For decades, Richard created of a very large number of various types of heritage events around Cork, going out of his way to make sure that everything went as expected and that everyone was satisfied with the results. His dedication, enthusiasm and efficiency have encouraged many people to discover and then to participate in the heritage sharing.
His open and friendly personality has made him a forever prominent 'star', sparkling in our Cork city area. None of us will ever forget him.

Rest in Peace Richard a gentleman and a lovely friend to have will miss our conversations about Cork.

Devastated when I heard that Richard had passed. Just a short month ago I had a wonderful long conversation with him that I will treasure. Richard brought joy, music and poetry to all the many facets of his life and Cork won't be the same without him. Heartfelt sympathies to his adored family, his many friends and colleagues. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

My sincere sympathy to Catherine and the Cooke family on the great loss of the amazing Richie. It was always a delight to meet him, as the conversation was always interesting and stimulating. His knowledge and passion for the history of Cork shone brightly always. The working day was enlivened by his spirited company. Go dtuga Dia suainhneas siorai dá anam.

Saddened to hear of Richards passing sincere condolences to David and all the Cooke family

Shocked and saddened to hear of Richard's passing. Sympathies to the Cooke family. It was always a pleasure meeting Richard as he was a bundle of creative positive energy. His love of Cork and its heritage shone through in his many activities and inspired others. He will be missed.

Deepest sympathy to Catherine on the sad passing of your lovely husband Richard. May he Rest in Peace.

Sincere sympathy Catherine on the passing of your lovely husband, Richard. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. May he Rest in Peace.

so saddened to hear of richards passing ' A true and uplifting person will be a big loss to our neighbourhood.Our thoughts are with catherine and his family may he rest in peace

Deepest sympathy to Catherine, Timmy, Thomas, all the Cooke family and friends, on the very sad passing of Richard T Cooke.

Richard was one of a kind. A very Talented person.
A Songwriter, Singer, Musician, Historian,
Writer and Actor.


I grew up with Richard (Richie as we called him), in the North Mall area.
He was a friend to all the Nyhan family.
Especially to my brother Micheál.
I can still remember Richard calling my brothers name from the top of the Rock Steps, behind our house.

In more recent times, I was delighted to meet Richard at The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival. A Festival he lit up with His Spirit. I was also very glad that my son Gearoid met Richard at that Festival.

I loved Richard's enthusiasm. Especially his Passion for his beloved Cork City.

A True Cork Gentleman. Who will be missed by everyone who's lives were Enhanced by knowing him.

May Richard rest in Eternal Peace.

I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Richard. He was such a lovely positive encouraging man. A gem. I used to send the songs i write to him and he always kept encouraging me to keep writing and to make an album. I have just finished my album which is dedicated to my own deceased Dad but will think of Richard in it too now. A hugh loss of beautiful energy to all his family and friends. May his beautiful spirit travel in your souls and bring you all comfort. RIP Richard ❤️ 🙏

To Richard’s family sincere condolences from Lee Rowing Club 🌺

Dear Catherine, I just found out about Richard’s passing today. I am so sorry for your loss. It’s hard to imagine that someone so full of enthusiasm and zest is gone from us. His loss to Cork is immense but his loss to you is immeasurable. My deepest sympathy to you and the rest of his family.

Sincere condolences to Dave and all the Cooke family at this sad time, may Richard rest in peace.

Sincere sympathy to all of the Cooke family on the sad passing of Richard. I had the pleasure of working with Richard on the Cork Adult Education Council of which he was President. He was always positive, enthusiastic and committed to the development of adult education in Cork city.
Rest in peace Richard

Sincere condolences to Richard's family on his untimely passing. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him. Richard's love for his city knew no bounds and his books, music, historical articles,etc, are a testimony to that. Ar dheis de go raibh a anam dilis.

Deepest sympathy to all of the Cooke family and Richard's friends and colleagues on his sad passing. He will be a great loss to all the local history groups in Cork. May he rest in peace.
From the Committee and Members of Cloyne Literary and Historical Society.

My deepest condolences to Catherine and the cooke family for your very sad loss.
Richard was a very witty talented man you never knew when he was going to tell one of his very funny jokes, he was a mine field of interesting history and tales of cork.
On behalf of myself and the members of the niche sing your heart out group I would like to say thank you to Richard for including the group and asking us to perform at the events you organised over many many years in cork.
We will never forget your friendship and generosity.
May you rest in peace.

Deepest condolences to Catherine and family on the untimely passing of Ricard , R.I.P. He was a great character and friend - and did amazing work in Cork City - we will miss him dearly .Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

Sincere sympathies to Catherine and all the family on the sad passing of Richard, may his gentle soul rest in peace . We have wonderful memories of making a CD "There is not place like home" with Richard - he was such an iconic figure and so giving of his time and talent to lots of communities around the city - we will miss him dearly. Thinking of you all at this very sad and difficult time .Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Belated sympathy David and Catherine and other brothers sorry for your loss..regards Pat Kavanagh

Rest in peace my friend

So sorry to hear of yer loss Dec and family may he Rip 🙏

My sincere condolences to all of Richard’s family on his sad passing
We always enjoyed his company at the Lord Mayors Heritage concert meetings.
He will be missed by so many people.
Ar Dheis De go raibh a Anam dilis
May he now rest in Heaven

It was with the heaviest of hearts we learned the news that Richard had left this earthly world. Historian, Author, Songwriter, Storyteller, Proud Corkonian, Friend but most of all beloved Family man Richard has left behind a legacy unrivalled by many.

Our many many meetings over the years at The Coal Quay Festival, Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and Celebrating Cork Past Exhibitions were always the highlight of the events we attended. He took us into his heart and us him.

We will be forever grateful to you Richard and we will remember you always for all you did to keep the history and culture of Cork alive. To your family, friends, colleagues our deepest and heartfelt sympathies. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

So sad to read of Richards death i must have known him for close on forthy years.Worked with him in Adult Education and he was so giving of his time with songs and stories to many groups i was involved in always ready to help me out with no fuss a true gentleman .
Sincere sympathy to you Catherine and all the family.

I was shocked to hear the news of Richards passing. He was a great friend to me. He had me on the local radio in 2015, and played my songs. We had a great chat about the Beatles on the radio. Condolences to his wife and family. I will miss him so much. He was a great person. Rest in peace Richard. Joe Daly.

Condolences to Declan, Amy and family on the passing of your father. May he Rest in Peace.

I am shocked to hear of Richard's passing. A gentleman, musician and scholar - a Cork legend. It was my pleasure to know you. Rest in peace Richard T.

Sincere condolences to Ca, Dave and the Cooke family on your sad loss. May he rest in peace.

It was with deep shock and sadness to hear of the passing of our dear friend , Richard. He was an accomplished historian but we got to know him also as a friend, a lovely gentle person who will be sadly missed, Sincere condolences to all the family and may he rest in peace.

We were so saddened to learn of Richard's passing, he was a unique and lovely man and dedicated to a love of local history. A great character who made a huge contribution to the promotion of history and heritage , sincere condolences to all his family and may he rest in peace, from all his friends in The Federation of Local History Societies.

So sorry to hear of the passing of Richard. Sincere condolences to his family and friends. My late wife Sandra used to talk fondly of Richard and they had a shared interest in poetry & music & song. May Richard rest in peace.

I’m so sorry to hear the sad news about Richard. My condolences to all his family. He was a thorough gentleman and I had the pleasure of performing for him both in UCC and at the Coal Quay festival for the last number of years. Rest in peace dear friend.

So sorry to hear about the passing of Richard. A lovely man who did so much to bring history to the ordinary people most notably through his writings and music but especially with the annual Celebrating Cork's Past Exhibition and in more recent years when he got involved in Mother Jones Festival. He was always most appreciative of any articles I wrote in The Southern Star and more recently The Carrigdhoun. Richard, you are already so very much missed. Condolences to Catherine and family.

Rest in peace Ritchie in the loving arms of your higher power and his blessed mother in my thoughts and prayers

It's with disbelief and great sadness we learned of the sad and untimely passing of Richie T. We extend our sincere and heartfelt sympathy to his Dear Wife and Family and extended Families on this very sad occasion. Richie was a true and genuine friend of our society where he helped us many the time erecting our stand for Cork's Historical Past Exhibition in the City Hall. No matter what the problem Richie was there to lend a helping hand be it a chair or table. A lovely kind Gentleman in every way, Richard's passing is a huge loss to Cork and all its activities but more so to his immediate family where he shared his love and care to all. Our society have cherished memories of all he did and done for us. May Richard's Gentle Soul Rest in Peace.

My sincere condolence to Dec on the death of your dad Richard. Thinking of you, your brothers & Catherine at this time. Also to Sharon, Sean & Amy my sincere sympathy.

Richard was an extraordinary person, his passion for life clear to see for all who had the pleasure of meeting him. The legacy of his work in celebrating the history and heritage of Cork will always be with us. Go raibh suaimhneas síoraí ort mo chara, cuimhnítear ort go brách.

Sincere sympathies to catherine and the cooke family on the passing of richard..May he rest in peace.

With deepest sympathy to Richard's family on your sad loss. I have wonderful memories of Richard at the Celebrating Cork Past Exhibitions in Cork City Hall. May he rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy to Catherine and the Cooke family on the sad passing of your beloved Richard. One of nature's gentlemen, he will be fondly remembered by many.
It was always a pleasure to encounter Richard on his many ventures to City Hall over the years and recalling his own portering escapades when as a young fella I'd have to cover the Archives for Richard.
Rest in peace Richard.
You've done a great job.

Very saddened to learn of Richard's passing. The city owes him such gratitude for his learned collecting of our story, and his active, lengthy involvement with many civic events and organisations.

My deepest sympathy to Richard wife and family and also Timmy and Thomas and Timmy wife jo and all Cooke families of passing of Richard may he rest in peace

Dave Pauline and the cooke.family sincere condolences on the Passing of your father Richard T.R .I.P.

Sad to hear about the passing of Richard, we always had some interesting chats on the sideline during our days with tramore athletic under 9s, and always looked forward to Richards unique Christmas cards without fail every year, will miss them from now on,condolences to Darren and the cooke family, RIP.