We were shocked and saddened last week at the news of the death of Alan Ryan at 39 years of age.
Alan ("Tom" or "Tommy" to his friends) was the band's first drummer. He was a quiet, unassuming, funny guy with a genuinely positive outlook on life. Even in his final few months, despite his illness.
He drummed with us back in the "Blue Monday" days between 1995 and 2001. We had our first rehearsal in his parents shed playing our own tunes "Wake Up" and "Obsession" and covers like "Comfortably Numb" and "Live Forever". Trying to fly before we could walk and learning our craft one mistake at a time.
Last weekend felt like stepping into a Time Machine, meeting old acquaintances and family for the first time in almost 2 decades and reliving the memories of a time when it was all to play for.
Alan recorded our first demoes with us, our first single, played on TV and radio, travelled to the UK and US to gig with us and spent many nights shivering in the back of vans on the way back from college gigs, support slots and "new band" showcases in Dublin, Galway and Limerick before going on to perform with possibly every other musician in the Laois area over the last 20 years.
The numbers attending the funeral mass on Saturday told their own story. He was universally loved by everyone who knew him.
We'll miss him terribly.
Our thoughts and love are with his wife, children, parents and family.
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