Books of condolence for Gay Byrne signed in Cork and Dublin
Politicians, broadcasters and members of the public have been visiting the Mansion House in Dublin while people queued in Cork's City Hall to sign books of condolence for Gay Byrne.
The Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Fergal Dennehy, who was first to sign the book in Cork, recalled how as a child he sat with his parents and watched the first Late Late Toy Show, and how in later years, as a father himself, he watched with his own children Gay Byrne present the same show with the same excitement.
"Ireland has lost a legend," he said.
Among the first in the queue were Mathew O'Mahony and John Feighrey.
"He was a great man. I couldn't wait until tonight's tribute show to pay my respects," Mr O'Mahony said.
Mr Feighrey said: "I grew up with that era of TV and radio. Once 9pm came, you had to sit down to hear Gay's voice. He was a legend and a gentleman. He educated people in our time about the facts of life, and other aspects of life, about helping people, about how to love each other more," he said.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Paul McAuliffe opened the book there to allow the people of the capital to express their sympathies to Mr Byrne's family.
Ryan Tubridy said he left the RTÉ studio in Donnybrook to go into the city to sign the book of condolence.
"It is a difficult day and we in RTÉ are down a man and a good guy. I'm without a friend today but I'm not on my own. The whole country is mourning," he said.
"I could have signed the book of condolence in RTÉ but I came into the city to sign it instead, he had the freedom of the city and his fans are here today too. I was a fan too and that is what fans do.
"We became friends afterwards and he taught me a lot. He was a family man. He wrote the rule book - we were all his students. So I'm just a student coming to say thanks."
Sharon Lee from Dublin said she was there to pay her respects "to the king of Irish radio".
"I think it's lovely that we can come here and sign a book of condolence and pay our respects to him in some way and to his wife Kathleen and their children," she said.
"I was so shocked when I heard he died. I was sitting on the couch listening to the news and I actually burst into tears. I couldn't believe it. It was like he was the father to us all.
"It was sad that he passed but we will always have fantastic memories of a wonderful man."
Sean Latten from Dublin said he had listened to Byrne since he began his career and was saddened by his death.
"My particular memory of Gay Byrne is that every year, on the first of May, he always played for our Blessed Lady, Bring Flowers of Our Rarest, an old-fashioned Catholic song and that always struck a chord with me.
"I met him on one occasion after his show back in the early 1980s on Duke Street on Christmas Eve, and he said hello and wished me happy Christmas."
