- Music
- 11 Dec 06
A huge crowd turned out on Friday, Deceember 8, to pay their respects at the funeral of Suriya Moodliar, who died on Tuesday following an 18 month battle with cancer. Suriya was at the heart of operations with Interactive Music, a licensing and marketing company she set up with her husband Oliver Walsh.
RMG, in whose Dublin offices Interactive had been based, were strongly represented at the funeral, with MD Peter Kenny and Business Development Director Janine Nallen, among others, there to pay their respects. The heads of the major record companies' Irish operations, Annette Donnelly of SonyBMG, Dave Pennefather of Universal Music, Willie Kavanagh of EMI and Pat Creed of Warners were all there, as were Freddie Middleton of Universal, Darren Reinhardt of Warners, and former Warners chief Denis Woods – as well as a host of independents, including Shane O'Neill of Gael Linn, Elvira Butler of Reekus, Brian Mooney of Trust Me I'm A Thief, PR operators Stevo Berube, Dan Oggly, Lisa Geddes, Catherine Greenhalgh, Kevin Fennell and Aiken Promotions' Sorcha O'Flanagan, producer Ian Wilson of 2FM, FM104 programming director Dave Kelly, TV3 weather man Martin King,
promoter Denis Desmond of MCD and many more.
The funeral service was held at Zion Parish Church on Bushy Park Road in Terenure. Oliver made a moving oration, highlighting the extraordinary ability that Suriya had shown in managing both family and business – and the dignity with which she faced the illness that took her life. "She was a role model for women in the industry," he said.
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There was a particularly touching moment, when a recording of Oliver and Suriya's son Oisin was played, singing the first song that he had written. Cathy Davey also sang at the funeral, and an Anthony and the Johnsons' song played at the end of what had been a sad but fitting tribute to one of the most widely liked and respected people in the industry.