Ernest de Regge

Ernest de Regge (15 January 1901 – 15 January 1958) was a Flemish musician who made a career in Ennis, Ireland as a cathedral organist and choir master, later also establishing himself as a composer.

He was killed in mid career when an upper floor collapsed at the local hotel where he was attending a furniture auction.

Life Provenance and early years Ernest de Regge was born in Overmere, a small village in the intensively settled countryside between Ghent and Antwerp. His father, Karel De Regge, who was the sacristan-organist at the local church, supported himself as a teacher. The child's musical talent was identified while he was still at primary school, when he and his brother received organ lessons from Jules De Groote, brother to Emile De Groote, the organist at Ghent. With effect from 1923 de Regge was appointed organist and choir master at the cathedral. His appointment should be seen in the context of Bishop Fogarty's determination, in compliance with the 1903 papal initiative "Tra le sollecitudini", to restore the primacy of Gregorian chant in worship.

The composer Ernest De Regge's most enduring contribution was as a composer. He wrote roughly 300 works, mostly for the organ, piano, chamber ensemble or for mixed choirs. During the twentieth century Taoiseach de Valera had appeared on the balcony to greet crowds of supporters.