Two good men who marked our times

Sir — Two different but good men have died. They probably would not have agreed on some topics. Each contributed to the times they lived in. The first is of course Gay Byrne for whom a book of condolence was opened in Dublin, Cork and other cities as a mark of respect for how he helped Ireland to mature as a society. He had many showbiz icons on the show, Audrey Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, Peter Sellers, Peter Ustinov, David Niven and a special interview with Jane Fonda in London. We rarely knew the guests in advance which increased our anticipation. He gave clues in his introductions. The fun was in guessing correctly.

On his show on RTE Radio One from 1973 to 1998, time was given for sensitive topics. It had a fund to which listeners donated to help those in serious need. The death of teenager Ann Lovett and her baby in January 1984 alone outdoors led to thousands of women writing to him on their experiences. He read a sample on his radio show entirely dedicated to them. They trusted him to be their representative.

The second is Fr Des Wilson who died last week aged 94. He is well known in Belfast where he grew up in the Ormeau Road area. He was a community and human rights activist all his adult life until he retired. He believed in the importance of social justice in Northern Ireland and of education for people and communities to be independent and resilient. He sometimes did not see eye to eye with the Church hierarchy. He believed in equality and human dignity.

Gay and Fr Des made an impact and will be remembered by many who appreciate it.

Mary Sullivan,

College Road, Cork