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A 75-year-old man who died after being hit by a reversing van in the parking lot of a sports field in Cork City was a musician, poet and author who was “an inspiration to everything he knew”.
Pete Newman, who was also known as Pete Duffy, died at the scene at College Corinthians in Donnybrook, Douglas, on Saturday shortly after 3:30 p.m.
People rushed to his aid and gardaí and paramedics arrived at the scene within minutes.
But Newman, who lived in nearby Hillcourt in Donnybrook with his family, was pronounced dead before he could be taken to hospital.
Musician Ger O’Sullivan met Newman at an open mic event at Gallagher’s Pub in Cork City a few years ago. He said Pete was a “talented songwriter, poet and storyteller.”
“It was an inspiration. Age was just a number for Pete. I used to joke with him and say ‘I want to be Pete when I grow up’. His music and positivity will be sadly missed. He lived many lives in his life. It made us all smile. “
Mr. Newman performed several concerts for charities and composed a special musical number for the Mother Jones Festival.
He was also a great friend to the Douglas Library and the Lantern Project, which runs community education projects in Cork City.
Karina Healy, Project Lantern coordinator, said Pete “shared his gift of stories and songs” at his lunchtime concerts.
“He had the gift of lifting people’s spirits. We are deeply saddened to hear of her passing. We loved Pete very much. “
‘Loved and respected’
College Corinthians also paid tribute to Mr. Newman saying that he was “loved and respected” by everyone there. They expressed their deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.
Mr. Newman also frequently attended yoga classes at the Sacred Body Studio in Donnybrook. In a statement, the studio said he was a positive man who was “full of energy.”
“We lost a great person. Pete was an example of life. When he was not training, he went to yoga, played guitar, sang or laughed with his dearest friends. ”
Mr. Newman grew up on Orrery Road off Cathedral Road in Cork City. A few years ago, he gave an interview to the Cork Folklore Project detailing his memories of life in Cork in the 1950s.
He enjoyed a long career as a musician initially with the group Reptiles and later as a soloist. In 2013, he celebrated 50 years in show business by releasing an album of self-written songs.
She performed material from the album as part of the Mother Jones Festival and took the stage in 2018 at St Finbarr’s Cathedral in Cork as part of the Western Front Association’s ‘Night of Remembrance Concert’ to commemorate the Irish who died in the Great War.
‘The salt of the earth’
Historian Gerry White said he wrote a beautiful song for the night that brought the story to life.
“It struck a chord that night. He was a wonderful man. The salt of the earth.”
Newman was also the driving force behind Lennox Robinson Literary
Festival and released CDs of his prayed narratives
He was also a short story writer and published his first collection, Old
Dog for the Hard Road, in 2014. He released a second collection titled Pup for the Boreen.
Gardaí has asked for witnesses to the incident at College Corinthians on Saturday. The driver of the truck involved was unhurt but badly shaken. He had dropped off his son for a game and was leaving the parking lot when the event occurred.
Gardaí cordoned off the scene for a full forensic examination. Mr. Newman’s body was taken to Cork University Hospital for an autopsy.
Gardaí is asking anyone who witnessed the accident to contact them at the Garda station on Angelsea Street at 021-4522000, the confidential Garda line at 1800-666111 or at the local Garda station.
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