Paddy Cole

From his first performance in his native Castleblayney at age twelve, billed as ‘Ireland’s youngest saxophone player’, Paddy Cole played on stages around the world for almost seventy years.

With The Capitol Showband, The Big 8 to The PaddyCole Band, he played with Irish legends such as Brendan Bowyer, Dickie Rock, Joe Dolan and Twink, and was a regular at the Cork Jazz Festival. As well as music, he did valuable charity work at home and abroad.

His life was an amazing journey, from growing up in the borderlands of County Monaghan, to hanging out with Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali, and stars of screen such as cowboy legend Roy Rogers. Paddy died in January 2025