Gay Byrne RIP

lawred2 · 05-11-2019 11:22PM

who's that lad with the glasses?

razorblunt · 05-11-2019 11:23PM

Ooh fancy new iPhone.

Kermit.de.frog · 05-11-2019 11:24PM

"He produced the future"

Ok let's not go over board now...

razorblunt · 05-11-2019 11:27PM

Joe “look at me” Duffy.

Fann Linn · 05-11-2019 11:29PM

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

"He produced the future"

Ok let's not go over board now...

That was Leonard Cohen.

10000maniacs · 05-11-2019 11:34PM

razorblunt wrote: »

“Yes”
Ryan Tubridy.

Miriam O Callaghan watching herself on camera.

Watching the Late Late tonight reminded me of yesterdays 6:00 news. Tubbs was singing Gaybo's praises and one thing he said was Gay was a master-debater. He said it very fast and it sounded like something else.:D
My ears perked and I suddenly came out of my boredom stupor.
I told people to tune into the 9:00 news to hear it, but it was unfortunately cut out.

JohnnyFlash · 06-11-2019 12:02AM

Jesus, there’s some fierce miserable people on this site. I’d hate to have such a bleak outlook on life. Can’t be good to be carrying all that around with you all the time.

10000maniacs · 06-11-2019 12:09AM

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Jesus, there’s some fierce miserable people on this site. I’d hate to have such a bleak outlook on life. Can’t be good to be carrying all that around with you all the time.

I actually think Gay as great, and probably my most watched programme ever was the Late Late. If everybody just said Gay was great, it would be a very short and boring thread. Lighten up.

briany · 06-11-2019 12:13AM

Was it just me or was the keyboard player missing notes on that rendition of the radio theme?

CFlat · 06-11-2019 12:16AM

briany wrote: »

Was it just me or was the keyboard player missing notes on that rendition of the radio theme?

They were the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order:pac:

RabbleRouser2k · 06-11-2019 12:16AM

briany wrote: »

Was it just me or was the keyboard player missing notes on that rendition of the radio theme?

Not just you-that was pretty bad.

Edgware · 06-11-2019 12:37AM

briany wrote: »

Was it just me or was the keyboard player missing notes on that rendition of the radio theme?

Maybe it was done to symbolise the missing notes that Russel Murphy had robbed

bobbyss · 06-11-2019 12:40AM

Had to leave it when Nell interjected. Did he get back to her? (Did she make any sense? )

10000maniacs · 06-11-2019 12:58AM

bobbyss wrote: »

Had to leave it when Nell interjected. Did he get back to her? (Did she make any sense? )

I think she felt snubbed and kicked her toys out of the pram when everyone in her vicinity was given airtime except her.

Pinch Flat · 06-11-2019 01:02AM

10000maniacs wrote: »

I think she felt snubbed and kicked her toys out of the pram when everyone in her vicinity was given airtime except her.

She doesn’t look well in fairness.

The Princess Bride · 06-11-2019 02:04AM

My 80 yr old mother has been a lifelong fan of Gay.
When she was growing up, her brother bought their parents a TV, the first in the area.
The neighbours used dress up and go in to see the news etc...
And Gaybo was the star for everyone.

When Gay's autobiography was published, in the late 80s, he did a book signing in Dublin. My mother went to it and was smitten when Gay shook her hand. She joked that she'd never ever wash her hand s again!
In fact, my young adult daughter told me this week, that she had felt sad for my dad, as a child. She'd thought Grandma was gonna leave Grandad and run away with Gay Byrne.:o

Last year, when Gay was very ill, my mother was asking me about him. I knew then that the prognosis wasn't good.
I suggested that she write to him.
Then, when he was well enough to read it, and for her to tell him that she was a fan etc...and how much she had enjoyed his shows.
She did, and I hope it made him smile.

Anyone can pay tribute to someone after they've died.
But it surely makes more sense to let them know when they're still with us.

Requiescat In Pace, Mr Byrne.

fatknacker · 06-11-2019 03:27AM

Edgware wrote: »

Maybe it was done to symbolise the missing notes that Russel Murphy had robbed

Unappreciated comment.

pgj2015 · 06-11-2019 03:36AM

i heard some woman say on the radio this evening that it was very sad that her kids and grand kids will never get to see gay on tv, get a life missus he was just a tv presenter not some genius on the same level as da vinci.

zcorpian88 · 06-11-2019 03:51AM

Was watching the tribute show at home, the last minutes of the program, during the flickering moments of Gay's career with the sombre music, my mother started crying, I felt pretty sad myself, it is the end of an era for this country. I enjoyed the show, I thought they should have left it go another hour and get everyone's stories on Gay, make a night of it, be it a once off. Had nothing to lose.

What the f**k was with Nell Mcafferty though? Bloody aul bag, never liked her.

population · 06-11-2019 03:58AM

He was one of a kind. RIP

bobwilliams · 06-11-2019 04:10AM

pgj2015 wrote: »

i heard some woman say on the radio this evening that it was very sad that her kids and grand kids will never get to see gay on tv, get a life missus he was just a tv presenter not some genius on the same level as da vinci.

Agree, never liked him myself.

grenache · 06-11-2019 05:04AM

zcorpian88 wrote: »

Was watching the tribute show at home, the last minutes of the program, during the flickering moments of Gay's career with the sombre music, my mother started crying, I felt pretty sad myself, it is the end of an era for this country. I enjoyed the show, I thought they should have left it go another hour and get everyone's stories on Gay, make a night of it, be it a once off. Had nothing to lose.

What the f**k was with Nell Mcafferty though? Bloody aul bag, never liked her.

Agreed they should have let it go on for another half hour at least.

As for Nell, she was the original Derry Girl!

Tell me how · 06-11-2019 05:24AM

pgj2015 wrote: »

i heard some woman say on the radio this evening that it was very sad that her kids and grand kids will never get to see gay on tv, get a life missus he was just a tv presenter not some genius on the same level as da vinci.

For a lot of people, he was the soundtrack to their generation, anyone who may have been in their 20's in the 60's and raised a family effectively had them as their companion until their grandkids were on the scene. At a time when there was often limited radio and television stations and zero podcasts, digital offering Gay's shows was their window to the a national conversation. Topics which were relevant to them were discussed on a daily basis and for many, they learnt and felt that they weren't the only ones struggling with a particular issue.

My mother was only telling me a story recently how she heard them discussing the cost of childcare in the 80's and how much many people were struggling and it really helped her because she thought she was doing something wrong to be finding it so hard to make ends meet while having a job. And bear in mind how much Ireland changed from when he started to when he finished, the hold of the church, the stigma associated with sex, the birth of the Celtic tiger all happened and was commented on by Gay and his guests.

Many of the people genuinely grieving today aren't doing so solely because of Gay, they are doing so because of the definitive realisation that a large chunk of their life is gone forever.
In a world of fleeting attention spans and dependence on ratings and viewing figures, the longevity of broadcasters such as Gay could well be behind us for good. H/is passing does signal the end of a particular era.

RabbleRouser2k · 06-11-2019 08:06AM

zcorpian88 wrote: »

Was watching the tribute show at home, the last minutes of the program, during the flickering moments of Gay's career with the sombre music, my mother started crying, I felt pretty sad myself, it is the end of an era for this country. I enjoyed the show, I thought they should have left it go another hour and get everyone's stories on Gay, make a night of it, be it a once off. Had nothing to lose.

What the f**k was with Nell Mcafferty though? Bloody aul bag, never liked her.

I think it's because many people have their own memories tied in with Gay Byrne. Like, I don't wanna be dramatic, there were moments tonight when I was genuinely on the brink of crying.
You sort of remember moments with family watching the Late Late Show, and then reminisce about the moments. And remember where you were, or what your family had to say about an episode.
And then you remember the family members you've lost (I'm not gonna watch that clip of the woman who lost her daughter-it resonates. IT genuinely hits too hard. I think even as a child, you felt that.).

Tommy Tiernan's words resonated profoundly. They were measured. The words of someone who'd who'd thought them thru carefully. Not just saying a load of nonsense for the sake of saying something.

The Parting Glass... I've got nothing to say, other than it was fitting. Mournful, but grateful for having Gay Byrne in the pantheon of Irish life.

FrancieBrady · 06-11-2019 08:11AM

pgj2015 wrote: »

i heard some woman say on the radio this evening that it was very sad that her kids and grand kids will never get to see gay on tv, get a life missus he was just a tv presenter not some genius on the same level as da vinci.

For me, it is my kids not being able to understand what Tommy Tiernan was getting at (and I think he was spot on) 'The nation listening/viewing as a tribe'.

In that sense it is a massive end to an era, when literally everyone who was engaged with the country listened to and watched the same thing. The result being that the whole country was talking about the one thing.
That was the phenomenal influence the show had and the sphere it operated in.

We will never see those times again nor see a broadcaster that more or less dominated that tribe, like him or loathe him.
And as a professional, he was tailor made for it tbh.

razorblunt · 06-11-2019 10:59AM

zcorpian88 wrote: »

Was watching the tribute show at home, the last minutes of the program, during the flickering moments of Gay's career with the sombre music, my mother started crying, I felt pretty sad myself, it is the end of an era for this country. I enjoyed the show, I thought they should have left it go another hour and get everyone's stories on Gay, make a night of it, be it a once off. Had nothing to lose.

What the f**k was with Nell Mcafferty though? Bloody aul bag, never liked her.

It's a tough one, I guess they had to do something quickly for him.
But it felt very rushed, not helped by the psycophantic crowd all watching themselves on the monitors trying to over emphasize responses. Miriam being the worst for it, followed by Joe Duffy. What even was the poem? A Leaving Cert syllabus poem.

I think if they take a few weeks to commission an Xmas special and go down the talking heads format with individuals sharing stories/experiences etc it would work better.
They could better break it up too.

BrianD3 · 06-11-2019 11:17AM

Tell me how wrote: »

Many of the people genuinely grieving today aren't doing so solely because of Gay, they are doing so because of the definitive realisation that a large chunk of their life is gone forever.

I agree with this. Also, I'm in my 40s and have become very conscious of the passing of time and how precarious and precious life is. Having witnessed what cancer, and in particular, metastatic prostate cancer does to people, I suspect that the last couple of years of Gay Byrne's life were very tough and that this was downplayed by him when interviewed.

Also, watching last night's programme I kept thinking about all of those in the archive footage that are no longer around. E.g. Ronnie Drew and the deceased members of the Dubliners, Dermot Morgan, Terry Wogan.

Many of those that are still around are coming towards the end of their lives - Finbar Furey and Eamon Dunphy are well into their seventies, Mike Murphy is nearly 80, Geldof is nearly 70.

fryup · 06-11-2019 12:50PM

zcorpian88 wrote: »

What the f**k was with Nell Mcafferty though? Bloody aul bag, never liked her.

never liked her either, man hating provo cheerleader.....thats the odd thing about Gaybo he had some strange bedfellows over the years another was Ulick O'Connor alcoholic ignoramus

06-11-2019 01:08PM

sondagefaux wrote: »

Lyric FM is an RTÉ radio station.

https://www.rte.ie/lyricfm/

Mea culpa, you are correct. :rolleyes:

In my defence I had (mistakenly) assumed that readers of my post would understand the difference between mainstream RTE TV and Radio (from which Gaybo retired in 1999) and a niche station like Lyric FM.

Edgware · 06-11-2019 01:15PM

fatknacker wrote: »

Unappreciated comment.

By you. Another one brainwashed by the Montrose bull****ery

Gay Byrne RIP

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