Ray McAreavey

Raymond McAreavey (1944–2023), most often called Ray McAreavey, was a musician from Belfast known for Irish rebel and folk music. He was lead singer of Belfast rebel band the Wolfhound in the early 1970s.

Biography

Ray McAreavey was born 1944, in the Clonard area off the lower Falls Road in West Belfast. He was amongst the youngest of a family of 12 siblings, including Gerry and Sadie.

He trained as a French polisher before becoming a teacher. During that time he was involved in cross-community work with schoolchildren of other faiths.

In 1970 he married Colette and they had four children – two sons and two daughters – and nine grandchildren.

In later years McAreavey lived in the Malone area of Belfast. He successfully battled cancer on three occasions before being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the mid-2010s.

McAreavey died on 8 December 2023 and was buried at Roselawn crematorium on 14 December 2023 after a funeral Mass in St Brigid’s Church, Belfast. It was attended by hundreds of mourners who heard him described as a "blessing in the life of so many".

Music

Music was McAreavey’s passion. After playing at Butlin’s Mosney in the late 1960s, he was a member of the well-known McPeake family, the Freemen, Wolfhound, Pikemen, Blackthorn – with whom he released the "Belfast Marathon" single in 1985 – and latterly Casey’s Crew. McAreavey played guitar skilfully but was known for his distinctive singing voice.

With the Wolfhound, McAreavey was both a singer of Irish rebel music and a balladeer.

His voice was heard on many singles and albums issued by the groups he was a member of. In 1986, McAreavey also released a solo album, "The Blood Stained Bandage", which contained a number of Irish rebel songs.

In 2019, McAreavey was interviewed for the TG4 documentary Ceol Chogadh na Saoirse which examined the history of songs documenting Ireland's struggle for freedom.