When news broke of the passing of Gay Byrne, legendary Irish broadcaster and 37- year host of The Late Late Show, we created a tribute across radio and print within 24 hours, re-recording the programme’s iconic opening theme as a stripped-back, sombre piano piece, closing with: “Goodnight and God bless Gay, and thank you, from Ireland’s independent radio stations.”

 

At midday on the day of his funeral, IBI member stations nationwide aired the tribute simultaneously, creating a collective farewell from Ireland’s airwaves and earning widespread acclaim. To accompany the tribute across social and print, we created a visual of a vintage radio with a small Irish flag at half-mast on its antenna, a simple symbol of national mourning.