This is wonderful.
The Irish radio broadcasting world has been stunned by the sudden death of the larger-than-life 98FM sports man, Johnny Lyons.
Tributes have been pouring in from everywhere for the man described as having one of the most distinctive voices in radio.
Ross O’Carroll Kelly has taken to Twitter to describe his exeperiences of big Johnny and it perfectly encapsulates who he was and what he was about.
It’s hard to pick a favourite Johnny Lyons moment. Although it would hard to beat the time he turned up to the press conference…
— Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
before Ireland played Holland wearing a Dutch jersey [Dutch football was his passion]. Mick McCarthy refused to take questions from him… — Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
until he took it off.
— Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
I remember being in Tehran with him not long after 9/11 and the locals mistook him for a rock star and mobbed him… — Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
A huge heavy metal fan, he arrived at Tehran airport wearing dark glasses and a t-shirt with “Anthrax” on it…
— Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
And I remember being in Tblisi with him in 2003 in a bar he found that had an AC/DC tribute band. I think that’s how I’ll remember Johnny… — Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
Middle of the dance floor, down on his knees, head-banging. — Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
He was one of those people who changed the energy of a room by simply stepping into it. I always felt about 50% happier for having met him. — Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
He once turned up to interview Ian Botham in the Shelbourne Hotel with a ghetto blaster. He left Botham minding it while he went off to get
— Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
batteries. Not surprisingly, Botham thought he was fantastic. — Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
One last memory. Back in the early 1990s, Johnny did a Saturday night shift in the Tribune, collecting basketball results…
— Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
It meant phoning around the club PROs between 9pm and 10pm, collecting the results. Johnny’s personality turned it into a performance. — Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
One day, Elaine Geraghty of 98fm was in the building and she said, “Who’s that on the radio?” She was told, “That’s not the radio.”
— Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
Elaine said, “He needs to be on the radio.” Anyway, the following week, he was on 98fm. — Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (@RossOCK) August 19, 2015
Irish radio has lost a great character and he will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace.
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