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Kathleen Watkins has shared how her podcast series and new book of poetry have made her forget the loss of her loving husband Gay Byrne.
The projects provided a much-needed distraction for the 86-year-old writer who topped the podcast charts with her Senior Times poetry skills.
And with her new children’s book Pigin, Crona and Suzy’s grandmother and beloved mother is proving that age is just a number.
Kathleen’s wide range of interests, from watching ballet to reading poetry, also means that she is filling her days to the brim.
She revealed to the Irish Sunday Mirror: “When Mike Murphy said, ‘Would you do a podcast?’ I mean a few years ago none of us knew what a podcast was.
“We did the Yeats poems by Maude Gonne MacBride. We also had a general talk and we did it in a room converted into a study at the Jurys Hotel.
“I don’t pretend to be an expert on Yeats, but I’m intrigued by the way they worked – the whole family was artistic.”
At Gay’s launch of the book The Meaning of Life, Kathleen was asked to write a series of children’s books that she said “happened by accident.”
(Image: Damien Eagers / PA Wire)
She explained: “This is Pigin’s third book. This time, the pig is leaving on Aer Lingus. How you get on the plane is a bit unusual, but blame the fairies!
“I couldn’t believe it when Gill’s Nicky Howard asked me again to write a second book of poetry.”
Revealing how these projects helped her cope with the loss of her husband last year, she said: “It was a great reason to jump out of bed every day.
“I chose three pieces about Gay, the first piece was written for the latest Gay Byrne radio show by Brendan Kennelly.
“Then dear Rita Anne Higgins wrote an article and Gay Sunday Lyric FM producer Eithne Hand wrote a beautiful short article in November, when he was dying at the time.
“I ended up with Derek Mahon’s wonderful piece Everything Is Going To Be Alright, which I recently recited on the Late Late Show.
“The interesting thing is that it was a difficult moment across the country when they asked me to write the book, there was a mention of poetry all the time, everyone mentioned poetry during the first confinement. I think books provide occupation and distraction, if you can read something and get hooked.
(Image: WENN)
“It seemed like a total distraction to me. Suddenly I was isolating myself here. The day Nicky called me, I was thinking that I really should structure my day now.
“My family would leave food baskets for me at a distance, so I didn’t have to cook.”
When asked if she discovered that time helped heal her pain, Kathleen said, “I have my moments, the first anniversary was a very special day and we all went to the grave and prayed.
“We had a beautiful family day. We are comforting each other and doing our best, let’s put it that way. “
Gay and Kathleen were like peas in a pod, so what was their secret to happiness? She revealed, “Some people don’t get married, but they still have a full life. Many people I know did not get married, but they have had great careers. So I think it’s up to people to get on with their own lives, no matter what kind of life you have.
“It is up to you to make the most of your life, it is very important in life to be aware of other people and to have time for them. The most precious and valuable thing in the world is time, there is always someone who needs your attention. “
Fame was part of her existence, explained the former host and first host of Rose of Tralee:
it was just part of our life, wherever we went, people knew us, they knew Gay particularly well.
“We were great theater goers, we loved the Puerta, we loved the Abbey. We really enjoyed our own shows, we did over 40 shows across the country.
“With Gay’s One Man Show, we did the Pavillion in Dun Laoghaire several times… about 46 theaters in all.
“I only had a small part, I gave Gay a break in the second half. He loved knowing that he would do 10 or 12 minutes and did the run-up to the grand final.
“What did you call it? … One Man with Woman show.
“It was right before he got sick, about four years ago, he was sick for three years, so it was really nice.
“Gay had the whole show in tow,
He didn’t sit for any of that, he just entertained people. He was really the narrator, speaking of past parts of the show, stories, snippets, and pieces.
“It was wonderful to see the crowds coming from everywhere.”
When asked why Gay is considered the best station this country has seen, he replied: “The act is talking less and listening more. He listened very, very well. He was very crafty but he put in a lot of homework: preparation, preparation, and more preparation.
“I remember that a group of us went to the Andre Rieu show and went backstage to see him, he had been interviewed by people from all over the world.
“He told me that he had never revealed to anyone things that he would have revealed to Gay.
“Lady Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, wrote me a beautiful letter, saying that he felt the same way.
He said something similar, he was very complimentary.
“But Gay was just doing his job, whether it was Andre Rieu or Bertie Ahern or any of our wonderful local people here, the preparation was the same. As he himself would say, ‘it was about dedicating hours of flight’ “.
As for whether Ryan Tubridy is on the same level, he said: “I think Ryan is very much his own man. He is a great performer himself, but
I know he was a huge fan of Gay’s return. ”
Kathleen says the highlight of her brilliant career was filming Faces and Places across the country for six years. She explained: “I think it’s one of the most beautiful jobs on television, walking around the country filming. We went to the United Kingdom and also to the United States, to New Orleans. “
And as for her children, she added: “My words of wisdom… I just hope that by example you are giving them strength of character and they will know right from wrong in all areas. You do your best, you do the best you can. That is what you must do. There were so many special moments throughout the years. “
- To listen to Kathleen’s Senior Times podcast, visit www. seniortimes.ie
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