Ryan Tubridy has admitted he’s glad Gay Byrne didn’t witness the “madness” of the coronavirus pandemic.
The legendary broadcaster passed away on November 4, 2019 at the age of 85 – following a battle with cancer.
Speaking on the first anniversary of his death, Ryan told the Irish Sun: “It’s hard to believe it’s a year since we said goodbye to our friend, our colleague, and my mentor.”
“I think there’s a strange sense of reflection about it all, having talked to Kathleen [Gay’s wife] on The Late Late Show recently, particularly in how Gay wasn’t around to see the pandemic.”
“I think that, as much as the newshound in him, the cultural aficionado would have been curious about it, I think it was kinder that he didn’t see all of this madness, and that we were all able to gather in the Pro-Cathedral that day to say goodbye together.”
“There was something poetic about that, given what we are all going through now,” he continued.
“His picture still hangs above us on the studio floor, we think about him, we pass him by every single day, and he continues to be sorely, sorely missed.”
“This is, and will forever be, the time of year we think about Kathleen and Crona and Suzy and his beautiful grandchildren, and of course, the man himself.”
Joe Duffy also paid tribute to his late friend, and pointed out how we’re all living in a different world since Gay passed.
“If the past is another country, last November seems like another planet to the Covid world we now live in, and we will never become used to it,” he said.
“All the things that Gay loved — from his daily walks across Howth Head, his morning dosage of vitamin C and his distrust and disdain of ‘anti-vaxxers’, like the now totally discredited Andrew Wakefield — come into sharper focus in the past 12 months.”
“I remember the night of Gerry Ryan’s sudden death on April 30 ten years ago, as a group of his shocked friends were about to go on The Late Late Show.”
“Gay gathered us into a corner in the green room and reminded us that this was about Gerry’s family and his memory. I think Gay would say the same about the Âpandemic.”
“Gay would have reminded us of our role as broadcasters to get the message across and facilitate those who wanted to share their stories — but that we must not become the story,” he said.
“This would come from a man who was deeply conscious of being blessed with good health and never missed a day in work through illness, but had enormous empathy for others who were not so fortunate.
“Every day since last November I am reminded of how lucky I was to know such a unique human being. It’s hard to believe that it’s a year now since Gay died,” Joe added.
