Friends and fans continue to pay tribute on radio and websites

THE late broadcaster continued to dominate the airwaves yesterday, four days after his death.

The presenter was remembered in on-air tributes on both RTÉ1 and 2FM as normal programming was suspended once again to reflect the feelings of listeners keen to pay their respects.

The Gerry Ryan Show’s roving reporter, Evelyn O’Rourke, presented a special tribute programme during which fans and friends called and texted in with their memories of Gerry.

Among the callers was outspoken cleric and newspaper columnist, Fr Brian D’Arcy, who said he has spent much of the weekend crying at the loss of a true friend.

Fr D’Arcy recalled the serious side of Gerry and the broadcaster’s sometimes under-appreciated interviewing skills. “He asked the questions you hoped he wouldn’t,” he said.

It was on the Gerry Ryan Confidential show that the priest revealed for the first time that he had been abused by a priest as a child, an ordeal he had kept secret all his life. “If there’s a heaven, Gerry’s in it and if he isn’t, I don’t want to be there,” he said.

Joe Duffy also dedicated his Liveline show to Gerry’s memory, with callers queuing at the Mansion House in Dublin to sign a book of condolence ringing in to express their sorrow.

They included former Republic of Ireland international soccer star, Ronnie Whelan, who finished a six-day marathon charity fundraising trek by walking into the Mansion House to sign the book.

The book, already signed by thousands of fans, will be open again between 10am and 4pm today. RTÉ also collected thousands of signatures in a book of condolence opened at the station’s Dublin headquarters over the weekend as well as several thousand text messages.

Meanwhile, some 100,000 people signed up to pay their respects on Facebook tribute sites created by fans.

Fans also created several tribute videos on YouTube. Combined viewer numbers have run to almost 100,000.

Early-evening DJ Ruth Scott will take over the Gerry Ryan Show slot on 2FM today but a station spokesman said the programme would be largely music-based rather than a chat-show or magazine format.

No longer term arrangements for filling the prime-time three-hour slot have yet been made.