The last time I met Philomena Lynott was when she came in to do the radio show with Niall Stokes. What struck me about Philomena was how warm, engaging and affectionate she was. She radiated warmth and love. She was also so clever and beautiful.

That last time she was on my show, she spoke about having to give up her other two children for adoption. I knew she had cancer at the time so I didn’t want to ask her any difficult questions or bring her back to tough times in her life. But she wanted to go there. It was important for her to talk about it all.

She was so open and honest, so willing to give, and to tell her story. And she was amazingly determined. She singlehandedly, through her love for Phil, kept his memory alive for younger generations now and into the future. That is such an amazing achievement.