John Donnelly , Laid to Rest !

The inimitable Mr. D.

                                                                              I've been , by my standards , rather quiet for the last three weeks . What with being on holiday , trying to organize this and trying to organize that , I really had no inclination to put words and ideas around that probably didn't mean too much anyway . So I consciously avoided anything to do with social media , at least that was the plan . That plan went straight out the window as soon as I learned of the passing of one of Ireland's true musical lovers and directors .
                                                                              As I explained in two previous blogs , circumstances were not important . The only thing that mattered was the loss of someone so special , that it stopped me dead in my tracks .It made me so aware of my own mortality . It made me also so aware , that three weeks previous to John's passing , that I was still planning to meet him in Bitez where we religiously argued the toss over nothing very important . Until all flights to Bodrum were cancelled due to lack of interest and ultimately lack of numbers .Not wanting to go back over twenty years , to when we used to fly to Izmir , and coach it down to Bitez . We decided this year we would not be coming to Bitez .
                                                                             My mind right now is filled with so many what if's . I am happy I didn't go in one sense because I wasn't there to experience the utter shock and disbelief that all of his other friends who were there , had experienced as a result of something so tragic . But on the other hand what if Catherine and I were there ? How would we have dealt with it ? Its something I have thought over and over about , and nothing .

                                                                             Today Mr.John Donnelly was laid to rest . I was not present due to private reasons . I will remember him for all of his , as John Legend would say , Perfect Imperfections . I will think of him often , and remind myself of just how talented in life he actually was . Notwithstanding his musical talents .
                                                                             I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his prudence as well as his uncanny ability to deal fairly with people of a lesser understanding . I would like to thank him for his confidence , and his unrelenting desire to achieve in his life in everything , nothing but the best .
                                                                             Gavin my friend , you have been left to pick up the pieces . You have been left to deal with a sadness that no one can advise you on . You have both Catherine's and my own deepest sympathy at this time . You will be strong , you must .