Standing ovation for Oscar-nominated singer and daughter of Skryne and Meath footballing Gladiator

GAVAN BECTON

World renowned composer Hans Zimmer led an Interstellar ensemble at a sold out 3Arena for two spectacular nights this week and there was a very strong connection to Meath in the line-up.

The German creator of epic scores such as Pirates of the Carribbean, Dune, The Lion King and Batman was joined by singer and composer Lisa Gerrard who received a standing ovation for her rendition of her Oscar nominated 'Now We Are Free' from Gladiator.

Ms Gerrard has deep connections with Co Meath and Skyrne and spent many years in Ireland. She is the daughter of Jack Gerrard, who was a member of Skryne's senior football championship winning team of 1954.

Mr Gerrard died in September 2010 in Melbourne to where he emigrated shortly after taking part in that victory over Kells Harps in which he played at full forward. Skryne won by 1-5 to 0-4.

His obituary in the Meath Chronicle of the time read:

He was a Navan native, where his family ran a grocery and provision business on Watergate Street. His father, Vincent, had returned from America at the age of 30 to set up the business, but died at the age of 39, in 1940, leaving a widow, Margaret, and family of five, Harold, Jack, Tom, Bertie and Dorothy.

Mrs Gerrard later remarried and with new husband, Michael Morgan, the family moved to the Hill of Skryne.

Young Jack Gerrard had played with the O'Growneys, De La Salle and Hogg stars before achieveing county minor honours in 1951. Hoggs Stars was a minor team based at the Hoggs Factory in Navan. In 1952, he scored four goals in a Leinster minor championship game against Louth.

In the 1954 final, Mr Gerrard, along with his fellow full forwards Ernest Kenny and Sean O'Brien, were described as 'dangerous full forwards' in the Meath Chronicle report, and Mr Gerrard concluded the scoring with a well taken point. The captain of the Skryne team was Tom O'Brien and the team included a number of players from that year's All Ireland-winning Meath team, including the O'Briens and Brian Smyth.

Mr Gerrard's playing career with Skryne ended in 1955, when Navan O'Mahonys defeated Skryne in the Feis Cup replay. Shortly afterwards, he headed to England for two years, then on to Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria. There, he met his wife, Nanette, the daughter of an Irish couple, and they had three children.

Mr Gerrard's brother, Tom, was a member of the Irish cycling team controversially excluded from participating in the road cycle race in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, where athlete Ronnie Delany won his gold medal in the 1,500 metres.

The Irish team was intending to participate under the banner of the National Cycling Association, a 32 county organisation, which was not recognised by the Union Cycliste Internationale. This Irish team of four men, which also included Tommy Flanagan from Navan, got as far as the starting line before being spotted by officials.

Jack Gerrard returned to Skryne in 1995, for his first return home since departing decades earlier. He had always kept in touch with the Meath football team and his first stop was to see Meath playing. His friends, including Jim Farnan and Sean Smith organised a reunion of old Skryne team mates in Fox's Lounge on the Hill of Skryne and a commemorative presentation was made to Mr Gerrard.

He stayed with his cousins, the Tullys of the Drogheda coal merchant family, and enjoyed visiting the Meath team training sessions at Dalgan Park. Sadly, that summer also saw the death of his son, Mark, in a freak domestic accident at home in Melbourne.

Mr Gerrard's daughter, Lisa, is a hugely successful Australian musician, singer, and composer who rose to prominence as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with former music partner Brendan Perry. Since her career began in 1981, she has been involved in a wide range of projects, and received a Golden Globe Award for the music score to the film 'Gladiator', on which she collaborated with Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badeit.

In addition to singing, she is an instrumentalist for much of her work, most prolifically using the yangqin, a Chinese hammered dulcimer. She has also received Golden Globe nominations for 'Insider' and 'Ali' and Oscar nominations for 'Gladiator'.

In 2009, she founded her own record label, Gerrard Records, with the intent to empower and support unsigned, unrecognised artists the world over. Deceased remained in touch with Skryne and Ireland and when the Irish GAA team was playing Australian Rules he always made sure to go along and meet local players like John McDermott and Trevor Giles. He was also a great horseracing follower and always kept friends in Skryne up to date on the Melbourne Cup. Mr Gerrard is survived by his wife, Nanette, daughter, Lisa, son, Jack, grandchildren, family, relatives and friends.