EDGAR Deale was truly one of nature's gentlemen, a kind and compassionate man with an interest in everything. Talking to him over one of the leisurely lunches which he favoured was an education. He could never understand that one might have a job to get back to -- 'They work you too hard', he'd cry - and indeed there was little temptation to rush off, because to hear him describe Dublin at the time of the Easter Rising or during the War was like being an eye-witness to history. He knew everyone and, down the years, was mixed up in all sorts of battles for the arts and heritage, most notably the campaign to build a concert hall for Dublin and the long-running dog-fight to save Georgian Dublin from the depredations of developers. He had trenchant views on politicians too, and was particularly interesting talking about the early years of the newly-formed independent Irish state.

He was always self-deprecating about his composition. 'I have a small talent', he'd say, but he loved music and singing and it was probably his business instincts that made him want to see his compositions put to work rather than languishing on the shelf. As a result, many of his choral works were published by Oxford University Press and others and until just before his death he was preparing a new carol for publication.