Cats cried the day the music died

THE closure of our beloved Radio Kilkenny — the voice of the Cats — has left a vacuum not just in terms of the ‘broadcasting market’, but in the lives of thousands of people, especially the elderly and infirm to whom it had become a friend over the past two decades.

On New Year's Eve its last night on air I listened tearfully to a little transistor as, one by one, the faithful crew who had kept us informed, amused and entertained for so long spoke of their sadness at having to bow to the heartless decision of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI).

Their voices cracked with emotion. They would love to continue in their jobs, they explained, catering for the loyal fans of a station that the BCI's own internet website acknowledges to have delivered one of the best local radio services in Ireland. But life had dealt them, and Radio Kilkenny, a cruel blow.