Goodbye Gerry, R.I.P

I don't think I could let today pass without saying goodbye to one of the greats of radio, broadcasting legend, Gerry Ryan.

Now I will admit I wasn't a daily listener, but you can hide from how big of a void he will leave in the broadcasting world.

Watch a webcast of the funeral service of Gerry Ryan from St John the Baptist Church, Clontarf in Dublin from 11:30am this morning here.

From the 2FM website:


From everyone at 2fm to every one of our listeners.


We in the RTE radio centre have been immensely moved by the depth, warmth and volume of the tributes that have been paid by you, our loyal listeners in the hours and days since we all learnt of Gerry's death on Friday afternoon.


While we are coming to terms with losing a friend and colleague, we know too that the hundreds of thousands of people for whom The Gerry Ryan Show was a daily fixture, are themselves grieving over the loss of their friend.


The great gift that Gerry Ryan shared with us all was his unique bold style and his unequalled ability to communicate. For more than 22 years you told him and he told them. You took him to your hearts and he repaid that love with some of the funniest, sharpest and warmest radio programmes ever to be broadcast. Anywhere.


He would no doubt have been greatly honoured by the many famous and influential people who have paid tribute to him in recent days, but I believe he would have been even more impressed by the magnitude of the response of his listeners. I know everyone in 2fm has been.


The Ryan Line may now be closed, but be assured that every text to 51552 and every email to grs@rte.ie  will be read by his team and passed on to his family. The tributes received so far have been hugely comforting to all of us in 2fm and I know they will be just as important to his family.


For those of us who worked on it, the Gerry Ryan tribute programme on Saturday morning was one of the hardest things we've ever done and also one of the greatest privileges we could have had.


We cannot replace Gerry Ryan. Nor will we try to. But the show must go on. Where it will go and how it will go is a question and answer for another day.


For now we must simply say thank you to Gerry for all the memories. From the Ryan Show team and from everyone in 2fm, thank you for your support. It means more than you know.


From me and them, until then... whenever that may be. Thank you


John McMahon
Head of 2fm
2nd May 2010