Pamela Polston put together an obituary for Peter in this week's Seven Days. It includes excerpts from some of the comments left here on the blog.

It also includes a link to "Portrait of an Assassin," a first-person essay that Peter wrote in 1996 to mark the release of the film Michael Collins. It's about his father's past as an Irish revolutionary. We had our hard-working intern, Mariah Pittman, type it up for us last week so we could post it online. It's definitely worth a read.

My father rarely spoke of his early years carrying out the orders of Michael Collins, and when he did it was in hushed tones that invariably caused his eyes to glisten. Never once, despite my childish nagging, did he reveal the secret oath he took at his IRA initiation. He went on to earn a reputation for his work with a .45 — a reputation that survives to this day in his native County Kilkenny. One local farmer told me a few years back, "Your father is a fecking folk hero around here." That man, the same age as myself said he'd been raised on tales of the daring deeds of James Francis Freyne and the "jobs" he did for Michael Collins in the War of Independence and in the Civil War that followed. His telling gave me shivers.

It's no stretch to say that Peter himself is "a fecking folk hero" around here.

A memorial celebration of Peter Freyne’s life will be held on Thursday, January 29, at Burlington’s Union Station, at 6 p.m. Space will be limited. Parking will be available in the lot at the north end of the building. Attendees will have a chance to share their memories of Peter at the event. See you there.