"I'll come and find you on the other side."
As tributes have poured in for legendary RTÉ broadcaster Larry Gogan, mention has been made of 'the Two Larries' - a reference to the close friendship between Gogan and U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr.
According to an RTÉ spokesperson, Mullen declined to appear on air today for fear he would become too emotional, and also believed that "it was difficult to add any words to what has already been said by so many, especially the listeners."
However, Mullen penned a heart-wrenching and beautiful tribute to his friend, sent to RTÉ and published this evening.
You can read the letter in full below.
"I woke up this morning with a knot in my stomach. Something just didn’t feel right.
"I got out of bed and followed my usual routine... cup of tea, turn on my phone to look at the RTÉ news app... and there it was - Larry Gogan 1934-2020. It took me a while to process that. I thought of his children and grandchildren and then selfishly felt sorry for myself.
"Our friendship was not traditional, as in - we didn’t spend countless hours together... we didn’t need to. Just a few interviews and the occasional long lunch.
"We connected somehow. Maybe it was our shared north side credentials or most likely the constant messages back and forth through our mutual friend Paul Russell. Just checking in on each other or trying to set up the next lunch.
"Larry’s cultural obituary will be written by someone a lot cleverer than me.
"This is personal - not professional. And so to Larry.. sadly we lost you today... but the next time I promise you Larry I’ll come and find you on the other side.
Larry."
Gogan passed away at the age of 85.
