Killarney

By Michelle Crean
<h3>A Killarney man who is much loved for his musical talent has paid a wonderful and very special tribute to his young teenage brother who tragically died in July.</h3>
14-year-old Thomas Healy from the Gap of Dunloe, sang his brother&#8217;s self-penned song &#8216;Christmas Without You (Candle on the Window)&#8217; just weeks before he passed away unexpectedly in an accident on Ross Road.
However, his eldest brother, Jack Patrick Healy, only recently heard the video existed and decided to create a duet of them singing together to fulfil a promise they made to record it.
Thomas&#8217; beautiful tones are mixed with Jack&#8217;s and it has since been released online for free.
&#8220;Myself and Thomas made a deal that we would record it together,&#8221; Jack, who has been living in London for the last three years, told the Killarney Advertiser.
&#8220;However, because of COVID it never happened.&#8221;
In 2009 Jack wrote the song after being &#8220;thrown out&#8221; of maths class one day in the Intermediate School in Killorglin. He was aged 15, the same age Thomas would have turned this December 27.
&#8220;I was sitting outside in the hallway and I was writing chords and the lyrics were just coming to me. I was listening to Christmas songs and they&#8217;re all happy but not everyone is happy at Christmas time, and thinking of my mother who has a tradition of the candle in the window at Christmas.&#8221;
Himself and Thomas sang the song each year in Sol y Sombra&nbsp;in Killorglin in aid of the local hospice branch but sadly never got the chance to get to the studio together.
Seven weeks ago Jack received a message from one of Thomas&#8217; friends saying there was a video he needed to see.
There, he saw Thomas singing his song which is especially poignant given how close it&#8217;s getting to Christmas.
Then Jack decided to keep their promise and using modern music technology recorded their voices together as a duet in the most amazing and special way.
&#8220;I listened to it and I said I have got to do something with it,&#8221; Jack said. &#8220;He had his own way of singing and it&#8217;s lovely. I took his voice and my voice and put it together. I&#8217;m very proud of it, and it&#8217;s a lot of healing for mom and dad [Julie and Ger].&#8221;
And the song is not for sale, he added.
&#8220;I&#8217;m not selling it. It&#8217;s up online for people to listen to. If it can give one family a bit strength I&#8217;ve given something from myself and Thomas.&#8221;
To listen to the special duet go to Facebook: Jack Patrick Healy.

Jack keeps promise to Thomas with special song tribute

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