My earliest memories of Ian are from the days long ago when I worked in the French Alps. We first met when Jane and I were working together in Les Arcs 1800 in the early 1980s and a few years later in Chamonix where I worked for several winter seasons.
I remember Ian as a quietly spoken person, not taken at all to talking about himself. It was through Jane that I learnt about the breadth of Ian’s talents and skills in television/directing, as a musician and superb skier and instructor. Jane was, and remains, immensely proud of Ian and his many achievements. On my visits to the family home in Dublin when Tamsen and Kirsty were young, I was always welcomed and I could see what a devoted husband and father Ian was.
Ian’s work touched another young family on the other side of the globe. My brother, Michael, a teacher, musician and, at the time, father of two young daughters, purchased a video cassette of the Gael Force live concert filmed at Dublin’s Point Theatre in 1997. My little nieces loved that concert and spent many hours watching it, dancing to the Irish music and in particular, dancing along with the Leahy family! One day I was visiting while Gael Force was playing and happened to read the cassette cover and noticed that the director of this concert was Ian McGarry. I felt proud to know Ian who had contributed to bringing so much joy to Michael and his young family and so many others around the globe through his work.
Ian did make a brief visit to Australia in the late 1990s when he was directing a touring concert from Ireland. While in Melbourne for the concert, I was delighted that he agreed to come for an overnight visit to the farm where I was living near Ballarat. Ian was good company and it was great to see him here in Australia.
In 2013 after a delightful week on the West Coast of Ireland, I visited the McGarrys in Dublin. As Jane was not back from the UK until the day after my arrival, Ian took me out to dinner in Dalkey. We managed to catch up on so much that had happened in the years since we’d last seen each other during his brief visit to Australia – a very special evening spent together.
In 2014 and again in 2017 I was fortunate to catch up with Ian and Jane in the McGarry family chalet in Châtel when Jane invited six friends who’d worked with her in Les Arcs in the early 1980s to France for week-long reunions. Ian was completely unfazed by co-hosting six of Jane’s women friends, known affectionately as the LAGs (Les Arcs Girls), and what a wonderful time we spent together! Jane and Ian were such amazing hosts providing us with memories of beautiful food, wine, stories, laughter and walks in that crystal, clear mountain air that we all loved.
We enjoyed, as always, your quiet presence and company Ian on those special occasions in Châtel – thank you!
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- Margaret Stewart
