Chart topping John Condon

Mr Starrett (57), from Drumahoe, who died in March 2007, had become one of Northern Ireland’s most widely admired playwrights, and his song, ‘John Condon’, came in ahead of ahead of such writers as Paul Brady and Richard Thompson.

Starrett had been working on a production based on the Battle of Messines in conjunction with friend Glen Barr, founder of the International School for Peace Studies in Belgiumand the song is based on the youngest soldier killed in the First World War. He wrote it with his partner, all-Ireland champion fiddler, Tracey McRory, and Richard Laird.

Together with Tracey, Sam had performed at the annual war commemoration ceremony in Belgium at the invitation of the Ypres town council. The couple also wrote a song for the young victims of the 1996 Dunblane school massacre which they played at the children’s gravesides.

The now globally successful ‘John Condon’ was voted Song of the Year on Richard Digance’s BBC Radio Devon Folk Programme and was described as “the most wrenching anti-war song”. It tells the story of John Condon, the boy soldier from Waterford City who lad was killed on May 24, 1915, at the tender age of 14.

Following a visit to the Battlefields of Flanders in 2002 the songwriters felt inspired by the tragic beauty that preserves the memories and secrets of a lost generation of young men to write an album ‘Boys of the Island’. This album, which includes the song John Condon sung by the wonderful Mary Dillon, tells the stories of men, who had different backgrounds and different faiths but on those battlefields of France and Flanders, they fought and died together, all boys of the island of Ireland.

Since ‘John Condon’s’ release, the song has been recorded by a number of other artists: Niamh Parsons; Jerry Lynch; Flossie Malavialle and most recently, beautiful and emotive Co. Armagh singer Janet Dowd. It was Janet Dowd’s version that was named Number One. And on November 11 last year the Belgian Royal Navy Orchestra performed ‘John Condon’ to a packed Cathedral in the city of Ypres at one of the largest commemorations in Europe.

This year on November 13, at The Playhouse theatre there will an opportunity to hear ‘John Condon’ and other evocative music of World War One in a concert organised by Tracey McRory and Richard Lairdwho will be joined by Richard Digance.

The ‘Boys of the Island’ concert will take place at 8pm and bookings can be made at www.derryplayhouse.co.uk or by telephoning 028 7126 8027.