‘There wasn’t a dry eye in the room’ – Family disappointment at C103 decision

Many thousands of people across The Avondhu region tuned in to hear Sean Donnellan’s final weeknight show on C103 at the end of June, before he made the move to a four-hour weekly slot on Sundays.

Many members of Sean’s family made the trip to the studio to be with him and to clap him out once he had signed off for the final time.

“It was very sad and emotional seeing my dad do his last weekday show,” his son Michael told The Avondhu. Michael was a leading voice against the decision to move his father from his long-running Monday to Friday show to a weekend slot. He recently spoke about the emotional scenes that accompanied Sean’s final show on Friday, June 30^th.

“His two daughters who were on holidays in Portugal tuned in and were his final request. His last song was one his sons and daughters recorded with Dad nearly 20 years ago, called ‘Leaving Nancy’ in Brian O’Reilly’s Studio Fiona in Fermoy. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” said Michael.

DISAPPOINTMENT

Sean, along with family and friends, moved on to The Castle Arms in Castletownroche for refreshments where the music and song continued into the night. Michael said he believes the decision to axe Sean’s long-running weeknight show is one that C103, and in particular CEO Kieran McGeary, will come to regret.

“What started as a community radio station, set up by the people for the people is now a faceless, nameless, blinkered, unapproachable, detached, cold, heartless, deaf, tunnel-visioned machine devoid of feelings and values that used to be the bedrock that the original North Cork Community Radio was based upon.

“My Dad put 28 years of his heart and soul into each and every show, sacrificing family events along the way to be with his other family – the near 30,000 people that tuned in to him every evening.”

Michael expressed his disappointment that C103 had not listened to the ‘outpouring of frustration and anger at this unbelievable decision’ and that now people from right across Cork, and other neighbouring counties, would be unable to tune in to hear Sean Donnellan each weeknight.