Gerry Ryan found dead.

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Yes, it seems to be going the Diana/Stephen Gateley/Jane Goody way. Totally over the top. The audience do not know these people although they think they do. The ordinary person that goes through life without any of the padding of wealth, fame and gofors is the real hero and should be lauded. Anybody out there with a knowledge of psychology to explain this phenomen?
 
I agree with you Yorkie.
Am I one of the few people that never met him? Everyone else seems to have! I must say that I found his programmes and interviews 'borderline' and 'turnoffable'. Judging by all the epitaphs broadcasted by RTE and the Daily Mail, he was a lovely fellow. Maybe he was, but then most women would say that.
The comment today in the Daily Mail about the way RTE management treated him seemed a bit harsh, but then if he chose to contract his services to them rather than being an employee, they had every right to deal with him at arms length. After all, if a plumber or painter did not show up to do the job because he was sick, you wouldn't give him sickpay.
Still he was a father and husband who will be sorely missed.
 
My condolences to his children, his estranged wife, his family, partner and friends.

I didn't think much of him when he was alive and I don't think less (or more) of him now that he's died so young.

Like others I find the whole orgy of grief thing strange and get a sense that it's all been manufactured to relegate some really significant news to the back pages (e.g. we're borrowing €1.3bn at 3% to loan to Greece because the Greek government lied their way into the EU).

Two books of condolence and pages of waffle for some mickey-mouse wannabe shock-jock whose only real claim to fame was publicly lying about killing and eating a lamb in Connemara twenty odd years ago; methinks our sense of proportion has gone a mite askew.
 
I wasnt a fan, hadnt listened to him since I was a kid, thought he was a bit bloated in many ways (remember the cringeworthy autobiography), but having said all that I dont deny the affection so many had for him and I think the reaction is fairly understandable given the shock nature of his death.

Isnt it a news break for a week from the grind of economic doom & gloom.
 
Good to see the Irish way of kicking someone when they are down (literally) is alive and well. I think Mathepac's comments in particular are inappropriate. Maybe on reflection you might retract them?
 
Betsy Og said:
, but having said all that I dont deny the affection so many had for him and I think the reaction is fairly understandable given the shock nature of his death.

Isnt it a news break for a week from the grind of economic doom & gloom.
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I would agree with the above sentiments, although I would say that I was a fan I listened to him every morning and although he frequently annoyed me I did always tune in to the show. I don't think his death is comparable to that of Jade Goody - a reality TV star for a couple of years. Gerry made a genuine contribution for over 25 years -like him or loathe him he really appears to have connected with a large number of people and there is genuine sadness at his death. People including myself will really miss his voice in the mornings - I have listened to it every morning for the duration of my working life and he also played pretty decent music.

I am pretty damn sad this morning!
 
Betsy Og said:
I wasnt a fan, hadnt listened to him since I was a kid, thought he was a bit bloated in many ways (remember the cringeworthy autobiography), but having said all that I dont deny the affection so many had for him and I think the reaction is fairly understandable given the shock nature of his death.

Isnt it a news break for a week from the grind of economic doom & gloom.
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+1 Betsy Og. Remember he had 200K listeners every morning, that is a lot of people who had a lot of affection for him so I think the reaction is perfectly understandable and appropriate. As with Betsy I wasn't a huge fan but I certainly have a lot of respect for him. He was a force in broadcasting and a talent, of that there can be no doubt (despite whatever mathepac might think).
 
Books of condolence etc are there for those who want to wish the family well, celbrate a life etc, if you didn't like the man thats fine too, but your comment isn't neccessary and does not add anything positive to anyones life. We don't have to change perceptions when someone dies, but a bit of respect for those that do feel a sense of loss shouldn't be difficult to muster.
 
MrMan said:
Books of condolence etc are there for those who want to wish the family well, celbrate a life etc, if you didn't like the man thats fine too, but your comment isn't neccessary and does not add anything positive to anyones life. We don't have to change perceptions when someone dies, but a bit of respect for those that do feel a sense of loss shouldn't be difficult to muster.
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+1

Nobody is forcing anyone here to sign a book of condolence or read the various tribute articles. If nobody or very few had bothered to turn up to sign one of the books, then it could be said that it was inappropriate to have them. The fact that thousands did queue to sign them implies to me that it was the right thing to do, as the public demand was there.

Like him or not, Gerry Ryan was one of the most famous men in Ireland. What Irish person can honestly say that they simply did not know who he was or what he did for a living? Given this level of fame and the fact that he spent over 30 years working in the Irish broadcast media, I think the level of media coverage is appropriate.
 
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