Imagine John Lennon at 70 living on an island off the Mayo coast.
It could have happened. Had John Lennon not been shot by Mark Chapman, he would have turned 70 this weekend. He would also have gone through with plans to turn a remote Irish island into a hideaway retreat, his Irish lawyer revealed.
Lennon bought Dorinish Island off the Mayo coast in 1967 and got planning permission from Mayo County Council to build a house there for himself and Yoko Ono. That planning permission had lapsed, but according to his lawyer, Michael Browne, he was looking into renewing it before he was shot.
Yoko One has no doubt they would have returned there
"It was a place where we thought we could escape the pressures and spend some undisturbed time together. But because of what happened our hopes never came to be," Yoko Ono has said. "We often discussed the idea of building a cottage there. It was so beautiful, so tranquil, yet so isolated, it seemed a perfect place to get away from it all."
Lennon first saw the island for sale in 1967 and decided he wanted it . He hired a local, Paddy Quinn, to take him to the island.
Quinn did not know who his famous passenger was. "It was only afterwards that I discovered it was John Lennon. As far as I was concerned, he was a customer. Beatlemania and the Swinging Sixties had not quite reached the west of Ireland," Quinn said.
They spent an hour and a half surveying the 19 acres of Dorinish,
Browne said: "He had a cine camera with him and was taking shots of the scenery all around the area. He was very impressed with Clew Bay. I found him very practical and business-like. He was completely in command of himself, and interested in the logistics and the cost of building a house out on the island. He was worried about further erosion on the island. He was concerned that something should be done to prevent it."
Lennon returned later and visited the island by helicopter with Yoko.
In 1970 he handed the island to a commune of hippies, who made it their summer camp.
It was sold in 1984, three years after Lennon’s death, to a local farmer named Michael Gavin, who still grazes sheep there.
In 1980 just before he died, he made enquiries again about the island and was in the process of making plans to visit again. Then came Mark Chapman and that dreadful night.
After she sold the island Yoko gave the $50,000 proceeds to a local Irish orphanage.
14 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.pat52rk | Oct 10, 2010, 08:09 PM EDT
so beatlemania had not reached the west coast of ireland in 1967 even though they were the biggest band on the planet and quinn did not know who lennon was... that tells you all you need to know about ireland in the 60's ..
edmundburke | Oct 10, 2010, 05:15 PM EDT
Dillon and Citizen: The song was "Mull of Kintyre", which was written by Paul McCartney. It has been recently covered by Celtic Thunder. The Mull of Kintyre is in Scotland. Lennon is an Irish surname, and Wikipedia reports that Lennon's great grandfather was from Ulster. Lennon's paternal grandmother was named Maguire. So plenty of Irish heritage in John Lennon.
seamusmac | Oct 09, 2010, 01:37 PM EDT
Isn't it wonderfull that we live in an economic system that allows, even praises the idea that one person can own an island while the great majority struggle day to day just to get by.
Darlene | Oct 08, 2010, 12:35 PM EDT
Wonderful article and a commendable conclusion to a sad story.
GeorgeDillon | Oct 07, 2010, 03:24 PM EDT
CitizenWhy: " I wonder if he would have composed a song as a companion piece to Mulligan Kyle." What nonsense are you writing? What is "Mulligan Kyle"?
marlows | Oct 07, 2010, 11:20 AM EDT
John was a true friend of Ireland. He wrote "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" & "Luck of the Irish" when it was neither popular nor profitable. Look them up on youtube.
elektros | Oct 06, 2010, 08:49 PM EDT
He was a great man. Not a saint, but someone who will always be remembered with affection, probably long after all of us writing our comments here have been forgotten. All four Beatles were of Irish extraction, of course, along with most Liverpudlians, I suppose.
catcom147 | Oct 06, 2010, 07:10 PM EDT
It's sad that he died.
maloney | Oct 06, 2010, 05:19 PM EDT
yoko ono living in Ireland. Now that's a hoot.
CitizenWhy | Oct 06, 2010, 04:03 PM EDT
If only. I wonder if he would have composed a song as a companion piece to Mulligan Kyle. Imagine a tune called Dorinish Isle, bagpipes and all.
mayoman | Oct 06, 2010, 12:44 PM EDT
Imagine.
lookbackkid | Oct 06, 2010, 11:47 AM EDT
that was a nice story also timely for her step sons show.
Searlit | Oct 06, 2010, 11:20 AM EDT
Sweet, sweet John - lover of peace.
HughesDohmann | Oct 06, 2010, 10:28 AM EDT
Dolores O'Riordan might have had a visit there with him and Yoko. He was her favorite singer and person when she was going up she says. She was 11 when he was killed.