February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Harry Keaney
An Irish flute and four whistles, worth about $4,000 and belonging to musician Peter Barnes of the Cathie Ryan Band, were stolen last weekend.
Band leader Cathie Ryan said her group had just finished a performance and was meeting fans when someone entered the group’s dressing room and made off with the instruments.
She said she did not wish to name the venue where the theft occurred.
The thief also emptied Ryan’s wallet, taking items such as her credit cards and driving licence.
What upset Ryan most, however, was the theft of the musical instruments, a seven-key Irish flute made by Patrick Olwell and four Abell ebony and silver whistles. All four whistles had a serial number 3.
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"I just hope that if people come across these instruments, they will know they were stolen and call me," Ryan said. Her telephone number is (914) 763-3269.
The Irish flute is irreplaceable because Olwell, a master flutemaker, is no longer making the instruments.
"Whoever took them waited for their moment of opportunity and walked back past us to get out. That’s what hurts so much, it’s heartbreaking," Ryan told the Echo on Monday afternoon.
She said the thief took "easily pocketed items." The flute can be dismantled into pieces; two more bulky items left nearby, a fiddle and Ryan’s bodhrán, were not taken.
The thief also made calls from Ryan’s cellphone.
The theft will not affect the Cathie Ryan Band’s planned performances. "The schedule goes on," Ryan said.
Police detectives are investigating.