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RT\u00c9 broadcaster Larry Gogan has been remembered as an extraordinary man who was very ordinary at his funeral mass.<\/p>\nRT\u00c9 broadcaster Larry Gogan has been remembered as an extraordinary man who was very ordinary at his funeral mass.<\/p>\n
Mr Gogan, who was known as the man with the golden voice and had worked at RT\u00c9 for more than 50 years, died in Dublin on Tuesday aged 85.<\/p>\n
The funeral service in the city heard he has now been reunited with his childhood sweetheart and wife Florrie, who died in 2002.<\/p>\n
A copy of the Star Newspaper, a packet of wine gums, photographs of his wife and grandchildren and his well-worn set of headphones were among the items brought to the altar.<\/p>\n
In his homily, Fr Brian D\u2019Arcy said: \u201cHow would you sum up Larry? You can\u2019t. But the best I can do is this. Larry was always an extraordinary man who was very ordinary.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis gift was the extraordinary things he could do. For he himself remained rooted in the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was very honest, obliging, happy and easy to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Gogan had been in broadcasting for almost six decades and was best known for his Just A Minute quiz and his radio show The Golden Hour.<\/p>\n
Fr D\u2019Arcy added: \u201cHe loved fun. He was adored by everyone. We all knew that he was without doubt the greatest disc jockey we were ever likely to hear or see. He was a hero to everybody. He helped us all on our way.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was so sure of his own greatness, of his own ability that nobody was a threat to Larry, and nobody ever was. And Larry knew that too. Which is why he could help anybody. Because he knew that by helping others, he was sharing the gift that God had given him. And that\u2019s why he did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said Irish bands and musicians owe a great deal to Mr Gogan for giving them their first play on the radio.<\/p>\n
Fr D\u2019Arcy added: \u201cThe last thing I\u2019ll say is this. There\u2019s only one person in the world that can think of that I never heard anyone say a bad word about. Never in my life did anyone ever say a bad word about Larry Gogan to me, and that is over a period of well over 50 years. I think that\u2019s a great legacy of Larry Gogan.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar were represented by their aide-de-camps.<\/p>\n
RT\u00c9 director General Dee Forbes, RT\u00c9 colleagues and friends from the music industry, including U2\u2019s Larry Mullen, also attended.<\/p>\n
The members of U2 left a floral wreath with a message that read: \u201cThere is no end to grief, that is how we know there is no end to love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Gogan was the third high-profile RT\u00c9 broadcaster to pass away recently, following the death of Gay Byrne in November and Marian Finucane last week.<\/p>\n
The Late Late Show will pay tribute to Mr Gogan in a special program on Friday night.<\/p>\n
Radio stations across the country honored him by playing Friends In Time by Irish band the Golden Horde just after midday, when his funeral mass took place.<\/p>\n
Mr Gogan featured in the original music video for the song.<\/p>\n
In a joint statement, the radio stations said Friends In Time was \u201cpoignantly chosen as a nod to two of Larry\u2019s well-known music passions \u2013 championing Irish music and his infamous music show feature\u201d.<\/p>\n
They added: \u201cThis bittersweet nostalgic track, in which Larry himself also featured in the original video, would not have been out of place on the playlist for Larry\u2019s famous Golden Hour.\u201d<\/p>\n
They also said Mr Gogan was \u201cthe epitome of music radio in Ireland and paved the way for so many others\u201d.<\/p>\n