In April 1846, the Dublin street performer Michael Moran passed away. Known as Zozimus, the ‘Blind Bard of the Liberties’ had spent years reciting poetry and verse on the streets of the capital, much of it composed by himself. Fearful of grave robbers, Moran was buried in Glasnevin cemetery, which boasted watch towers to keep the ‘sack-em-ups’ away from the corpses of the recently deceased.
A work dedicated to his memory was published in 1871, and noted that:
When arrived at his destined spot, Zozimus would spread out his arms, as if to catch all comers-and-goers- and say with his own great and peculiar accent:
‘Ye sons of daughters of Erin, attend.
Gather round poor Zozimus, yer friend.
Listen, boys, until yez hear
My charming song so dear.
Zozimus lay in an unmarked grave until 1988. In that year of Dublin’s so-called Millennium (a historically dubious claim, but a year that led to much positive civic pride), a headstone was placed over Michael Moran in Glasnevin Cemetery by the Smith Brothers of the Submarine Bar in Crumlin and the Dublin City Ramblers.
The grave of Zozimus, Glasnevin.
Just as the marking of the grave of Zozimus was a lovely gesture, we were delighted to hear recently of efforts to properly mark the final resting place of Thomas ‘Bang Bang’ Dudley, a much loved figure in the Dublin of the 1950s and 60s. Roaming the streets with his ‘Colt .45’, a large key he carried at all times with which to host fake shoot outs, he was a frequent site for anyone who entered the city centre via public transportation, jumping onto buses and trams. Everyone got in on the act, and as Paddy Crosbie recalled:
His favourite hunting-ground was the trams, from one of which he jumped, turning immediately to fire ‘Bang Bang’ at the conductor. Passengers and passers-by took up the game, and soon an entire street of grown-ups were shooting at each other from doorways and from behind lamp-posts. The magic of make-believe childhood took over, and it was all due to the simple innocence of ‘Bang Bang’.
At the time of his passing in 1981, he was recalled in the press as “one of Dublin’s best known and most beloved characters.” Like Zozimus, his fame didn’t follow into the gates of the cemetery, and he was buried in St Joseph’s Cemetery in Drumcondra into an unmarked grave.
Great credit goes to our friend, the ever unpredictable Daniel Lambert of Phibsboro’s Bang Bang Cafe, who decided it was time to mark the resting place of Bang Bang, fundraising through his cafe. It didn’t take long to accumulate the funds necessary, and soon a marker, complete with trademark key, will be unveiled in St Joseph’s.
Keep an eye on Bang Bang’s social media for more information on their plans to mark the life of Thomas Dudley in the weeks ahead.
Image Credit: Bang Bang Cafe,Phibsboro.
