The Irish entertainment industry was united in its grief this morning as Gerry Ryan’s funeral took place in Clontarf’s St. John The Baptist Church.
It was the same church where Gerry was baptised, got married to his wife Morah and returned to have their five children christened.
Among those attending were the President Mary McAleese, Director General of RTÉ Cathal Goan, his predecessor and current head of the BAI Bob Collins, Boyzone’s Keith Duffy, Louis Walsh, developer Sean Dunne, Gerry’s agent Noel Kelly, Peter Aiken and his wife Mary, John Reynolds, MCD’s Denis Desmond, Caroline Downey and Justin Green, Corrs manager John Hughes and Sharon Corr, Linda Martin, Twink, Brendan Grace, Dave Fanning and his wife Ursula, Pat Kenny and his wife Cathy, Joe Duffy, Dave Heffernan, John Clarke, Simon Young, Declan Meehan, Bob Conway, EMI Ireland’s Willie Kavanagh, Dave Pennefather, Freddie Middleton, Robbie Wooton, John McColgan, Lisa Cannon, Moya Doherty and Gráinne Seoige.
Broadcast live on 2fm and online, the service featured poignant addresses from Father Brian Darcy, a friend of Gerry’s for over 30 years, his brother Manno, his two eldest children Lottie and Rex, and his wife Morah who extended her condolences to Gerry’s partner Melanie.
Musical tributes were delivered by Westlife who performed ‘You Raise Me Up’, and U2 who sung ‘With Or Without You’ via-satellite link from New York.
Gerry would also have been delighted by the huge number of listeners who turned up to pay their respects, many of them swapping stories about meeting him or contributing to his show.
Hot Press pays its own fulsome tribute to one of Ireland's broadcasting greats in our new issue.