RIP
by Tommy
As I left my last class on Friday, I turned on my phone. I’d just set up Twitter SMS the day before so a handful of texts came in. The top one flashed across my screen first and elicited a puzzled expression from yours truly.
…Jokes about Gerry Ryan aren’t funny, at all. He was a respectful man whether you enjoyed his show or not…
Uh oh.
I wondered what it could all be about. As I sat into the Dad’s car a few minutes later, I asked him if he’d heard anything about the presenter. His answer was in the negative so I turned on the radio. Practically every station was talking about Ryan and that terrible prefix had attached itself like some grotesque parasite to his name.
…Today, the Taoiseach paid tribute to the late presenter…
In other blogposts and tweets I’ve read that go just like this one – where were you when you found out? – this is the part where I talk about how much I enjoyed his show and how witty he was and such.
The truth is, I didn’t listen to him – I don’t listen to radio in general. The only times I’ll do so is when I’m going to the physio in Dublin. Mum would be driving up and Marian Finucane or Drivetime would be sharing the front seat with us.
That said; not knowing someone is a crummy reason for not mourning their death.
The saddest part of someone dying is the fact that they’re gone. Obviously. It’s not just the conversations that you now can’t have – what about the conversations you’ve had? Their essence is gone – their thoughts, opinions, tendencies, eccentricities, habits, quirks and memories are all irreplaceably gone. That’s what it means to really lose someone.
According to David O’Keeffe, journalist, Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol was Gerry Ryan’s favourite song.
RIP Gerry Ryan – June 4, 1956 – April 30, 2010