LAST UPDATE | 10 Jan 2020
HUNDREDS OF MOURNERS gathered today for the funeral mass of broadcaster Larry Gogan at the Church of St Pius X in Templeogue, Dublin.
The 85-year-old, who had worked in broadcasting for nearly 60 years, passed away on Tuesday following a short illness.
Celebrating today’s mass, Father Brian D’Arcy paid tribute to Larry who was “incredibly popular and incredibly humble at the same time”.
“We are sad, but glad Larry is no longer suffering. He is together again with his wife Florrie.”
“The heart and soul of his life wasn’t music or RTÉ. It was Florrie and the family,” D’Arcy said.
The pair met when they were 15 and married at 21. They were married for 39 years and are survived by five children. Florrie passed away in 2002.
“They loved the children and the children loved them. Nothing was good enough for the children,” said D’Arcy.
Larry’s grandchildren, Poppi, Seb, Ben, Zoë, Jamie and Jodie presented symbols of his life to the altar. Among them was his “battered headphones” and a copy of the Irish Daily Star representing his love of pop culture.
D’Arcy said Larry’s gift was the extraordinary things he could do” but he himself remained rooted in the ground, very honest, obliging, happy, easy to work with, professional”.
“He loved fun. He was adored by everyone. We all knew that he was, without doubt, the greatest disc jockey we were ever likely to hear or see.”
He was a hero to everybody. He helped us all on our way. He was so assured of his own ability, his own greatness, that no one was a threat to Larry. And Larry knew that too, which is why he could help everybody.
In a career that has spanned almost 60 years, Larry will be best remembered for his RTÉ 2FM programme The Golden Hour and his Just a Minute Quiz.
“He was a habit of our lives since 1961. I don’t remember a life without Larry Gogan,” D’Arcy said.
“Irish music owes an incredible amount to Larry Gogan. Larry played everybody, he saw good in everybody, they didn’t have to be a big star. Larry Played them and made them a big star.
He was voted Ireland’s favourite DJ in 1964… Talk about becoming a habit.
Acknowledging the recent passing other RTÉ broadcasters - such as Marian Finucan and Gay Byrne – D’Arcy asked the congregation: “Weren’t we very lucky to have lived with such greats?”
“And with a great friend like Larry who could begrudge him with his age, which was always a secret until he died,” D’Arcy joked.
“Never in my life did anyone say a bad word about him to me. I think that’s the legacy of Larry Gogan.”
‘The king of our family’
Larry’s daughter Orla said the family were overwhelmed by the kindness and tributes paid to their dad this week.
“We’ve lost the king of our family. We were truly blessed to have had the coolest and most-with-it Dad and Grandad, better known to you and his grandchildren as Larry but as Lorcan to us, his children.
“Florrie was the love of his life, they never ever fought. We had the most fabulous fun-loving childhood,” Orla said, “after the passing of us his beloved wife he lived for his holidays with all the grandchildren”.
The memories we have are so cherished. We loved him so so much. Not only as a father but as a great pal. He was always there for us. He was never negative. His motto was: ‘there’s always a solution’.
Orla went on to pay tribute to her sister Gráinne who “devoted the last 18 months” to care for their father.
“The care and kindness shown by you to Lorcan was so appreciated and loved by Lorcan, and he loved and appreciated you so so much.
“It made the last 18 months easier knowing you were there for him. Florrie asked you to do one final thing for her, and that was to look after Lorcan. Which you did ’til the very end, you never left his side,” Orla said.
Gogan’s family earlier this week extended their gratitude to Blackrock Clinic, Beacon Renal and the staff at Kiltipper Woods Care Centre for “the wonderful care that he received during his final illness”.
The family added that people, if they wished to do so, could make donations in his memory to the Irish Kidney Association.
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