Thanks Terry - Country in Wogan’s debt

DESPITE the fact that he left Limerick when he was 15, and Dublin when he was 30, to live permanently in England, very few Irishmen did as much for Ireland as the broadcaster Terry Wogan, who died aged 77, yesterday. There is nothing starstruck or dazzled about this statement but it may need explaining to anyone under the age of, say, 50.

When the Provisonal IRA murderers were killing innocent people in Birmingham and Coventry, in Warrington and Hyde Park, Wogan had a daily radio audience of eight million. Though the terrorists believed they carried out these atrocities in our name, and still labour under that delusion, Wogan’s humanity and an integrity that was, even across the airwaves, palpable, told the truth and convinced Britain that the vast majority of Irish people abhorred these attacks. By doing this he sustained strained relationships, kept doors open and reassured the naturally moderate British public that the Mayo or Kerry family next door were not a threat.

Even if he was one of the great entertainers of his time this may be his finest achievement. We are indeed in his debt.