Friends, colleagues and Tipp FM listeners have been paying tribute to the late Denis O’Sullivan.
The popular presenter of Solid Gold Sunday on Tipp FM and one of the founding members of the Clonmel Theatre Guild passed away this week.
Many fond and happy memories were shared on a special tribute this morning on Tipp Today.
He was the driving force behind the Tipp FM Arts Awards – a recipient of one of those awards was Derek Ryan.
“You could sit with Denis now for five minutes and you’d learn something and you could sit with him for five hours and you’d still be talking five hours later about all sorts of music and people and art and acting. He had terrific information and he was very generous with that information.
“He would just sit and help and talk and discuss. He was a wonderful person to talk to and meet.”
Speaking on Tipp Today earlier Ger Maher paid tribute to the contribution Denis made to efforts to restore the community hall in Ardfinnan in the late 80s.
The Community Council at the time decided to stage a pantomime to raise funds.
“So Denis O’Sullivan came out – we did Cinderella in 1989 and the rest is history. He stayed with us for ten years. But likewise we were very good to Denis – we showed him the local hostelries in Ardfinnan where he got to know what it was to have a nice night after a show. We had some great nights and then of course his party piece ‘King of the Road’ when we had our singsongs.”
Denis was the consummate professional which he proved at one of the Tipp FM awards nights – just before the ceremony started his sister passed away suddenly in the hotel.
Head of Production at Tipp FM Shay Searson remembers how Denis dealt with the situation.
“It was just one of the most selfless acts I’ve ever come across. He just finds that his sister has passed away – in fact he was the one that went and found her. But no, the show has to go ahead, nobody gets told. It’s just a case of the show goes on, we’ll deal with this afterwards. There’s people out there, they need to be entertained and that was just the measure of the man.
“That night anybody in the audience – all those that were there – were completely oblivious to what he was going through.”
Denis O’ will repose at Fennessy’s Funeral Home this Sunday evening from 4.30 with removal at 6.45 to Ss. Peter & Paul’s church.
He will be laid to rest on Monday in St Patrick’s Cemetery after 1 o’clock Mass.
