Haughey recalls ‘irreverent’ school mag
Mr Haughey, his wife Orla, and sons, Ronan, 10, and Niall, 6, were among the many people who queued outside the Mansion House in Dublin yesterday to sign a book of condolence for the ‘shock jock’, who died suddenly on Friday.
The Haughey and Ryan brothers had palled around when they were students at St Paul’s College in Raheny and Mr Ryan had been in the Haughey’s family home in Kinsealy on several occasions.
“He once edited a school magazine in St Paul’s College but it was not a conventional magazine – it was his idea and it was very unconventional and was almost revolutionary,” said Mr Haughey.
“The actual magazine was typed out in our family home in Kinsealy – on a typewriter, as it was then in the ’70s and photocopied. It was all sex, drugs and rock and roll – very irreverent.
“It was sold to all the pupils in the school, who brought it home to their parents and there was pandemonium. Parents were outraged so we all had to bring the magazines back and get our money returned. That’s just typical Gerry Ryan.”
Mr Haughey’s wife, Orla, said that, like a lot of people, she had never met Mr Ryan, but felt she knew him. She always listened to his radio show that had her either crying or laughing.
Mat O’Shea, a haulier from Waterford, travelled to Dublin with his wife, Fionnuala, to sign the book of condolence and pointed out that the broadcaster would be sadly missed by truck drivers in Ireland.
“He (Mr Ryan) meant so much to the truck drivers of Ireland. There was never a day that went by when they did not have a story about his show,” he said.
Mr O’Shea said Mr Ryan also got truck drivers to open up, which was no easy feat.
Ms O’Shea said each of her three grown-up children called on Friday to say the broadcaster had died suddenly.
“They were reared with him on the radio when I was at home. I never rang the programme myself but my son did one time when he knew I was out of the country to talk about body piercings,” she said.
Comedian Brendan Carroll, who is known for his wicked sense of humour, took time out from his British tour yesterday just to sign the book of condolence.
“He was an amazing help to me at the start of my career when what I was doing was deemed absolutely outrageous,” he said.
“I wrote ‘thanks for the leg-up’ when I signed the book because that’s what he gave me.”
The city’s lord mayor, Emer Costello, received special permission from the Ryan family to open a book of condolence at the Mansion House.
“Gerry Ryan was the ultimate Dub and I just thought it appropriate that we would allow Dubliners to pay tribute to someone who connected with the heart and soul of the nation.”
The book of condolence opened at 12 midday yesterday and will be open today and Wednesday from 10am to 4pm.
More than 2,500 people signed the book of condolence yesterday and at least 4,000 signed a book of condolence in the RTÉ Radio Centre in Donnybrook, Dublin, over the weekend.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
