{"id":105566,"date":"2025-10-06T19:12:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T19:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/105566\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T19:12:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T19:12:11","slug":"manchan-magan-found-wonder-everywhere-mourners-hear-at-funeral-full-of-music-and-poetry-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/105566\/","title":{"rendered":"Manch\u00e1n Magan found wonder everywhere, mourners hear at funeral full of music and poetry \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manch\u00e1n Magan<\/a> was described as a \u201cfire-starter\u201d in a moving funeral ceremony at which the writer and broadcaster was fondly remembered for his \u201cspirit of abundance\u201d and joy at creation.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of mourners crowded into the chapel at Gonzaga College, Ranelagh, Dublin, hearing of the difference he made \u201cwithout fuss, rage or ego\u201d in a life lived according to his commitment to the Irish language and heritage and ecological values. <\/p>\n

Married recently to Aisling Rogerson, his partner of 11 years, Magan died aged 55 on Thursday of cancer. His mother Cr\u00f3ine, brothers R\u00edoch and Ru\u00e1n and sister L\u00edadain survive him. <\/p>\n

Aisling Rogerson said she started to fall in love with Magan after reading page 255 of his book Angels and Rabies, which he gifted her after their first meeting. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was his way or saying, \u2018I\u2019m not asking for your number but here I am this is me and take your time\u2019,\u201d she said. \u201cBy the time I finished the book I was already madly in love.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was someone who was so connected to his culture and his heritage and his Irishness, but he had such wide-open arms for the world and everything that it offered,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0In Manch\u00e1n Magan, Ireland had a writer whose words could light up the synapsesOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

President Michael D Higgins was represented by aide-de-camp Commandant Deirdre Newell. Also present were Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary, Labour leader Ivana Bacik and former minister of state Ossian Smyth. <\/p>\n

TG4 ard sti\u00farth\u00f3ir Deirdre N\u00ed Choist\u00edn attended, as did RT\u00c9 deputy director general Adrian Lynch, Editor of The Irish Times Ruadh\u00e1n Mac Cormaic, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys, film-maker and broadcaster Philip King, director Ed Guiney, actor and director Olwen Fou\u00e9r\u00e9 and musicians Steve Wall of The Stunning and JJ \u00d3 Dochartaigh of Kneecap.<\/p>\n

\"ManchánManch\u00e1n Magan in 2024. Photograph: Tom Honan <\/p>\n

As Magan\u2019s wicker casket was carried into the chapel, an ensemble played Port na bP\u00faca\u00ed, the haunting ghost tune of a spirt mourning the death of another.<\/p>\n

The musicians in the \u201cguard of honour\u201d included Cormac Breatnach, Steve Cooney, S\u00edle Denvir, Glen Hansard, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Fiachna \u00d3 Braon\u00e1in, Liam \u00d3 Maonla\u00ed, Lisa O\u2019Neill, Maiti\u00fa \u00d3 Casaide, \u00c1ine Gallagher, Caitr\u00edona Rogerson and Clare Sands.<\/p>\n

Fr Tom Casey, Gonzaga chaplain, described Magan as a \u201cgatherer of light\u201d, telling how he listened to the whisper of bees and the murmur of bog and oak. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe lived in conversation with creation \u2013 ag comhr\u00e1 leis an gcruth\u00fa f\u00e9in. He found wonder everywhere, sa teanga, sa sc\u00e9al, sa phobail,\u201d Fr Casey said. <\/p>\n

Magan opened for many people the \u201cfifth province\u201d not found in any map. \u201cIt\u2019s a province of the soul, silence and story \u2013 a realm that lies between the visible and invisible between the old language and the new world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"MournersMourners outside the church alongside the hearse on Monday. Photograph: Dan Dennison\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n

Celtic monk and priest Dara \u00d3 Maoildhia, who travelled from Inis M\u00f3r, read an ancient poem, A Wish for Manach\u00e1n, written in the 10th century for a seventh-century monk of Co Offaly. The poem started with a wish for \u201ca secret plot in the wilderness\u201d, capturing the spirit embodied by Magan. <\/p>\n

Dara \u00d3 Maoildhia said Magan lived in the knowledge that \u201ceverything that exists has a flame inside of it\u201d, adding that he was totally true to himself. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a challenge to all of us. Not to be like somebody else. Not to go with the crowd but to be true to who you really are, to listen to the voice within you and to respond to the inspirations that you feel within.\u201d <\/p>\n

Poet Dairena N\u00ed Chinn\u00e9ide read \u00c9ir\u00ed Amach an Troda\u00ed (The Warrior Rising) and poet Eithne Hand read Summer Yearn. Dancer Michael Keegan-Dolan led the congregation in a dance recalling Magan\u2019s inspiration from the elements of earth, water, fire and air. <\/p>\n

Lisa O\u2019Neill sang her song Old Note, an ethereal piece inspired by the philosopher and mystic John Moriarty. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe casket carrying the remains on Manch\u00e1n Magan outside the church. Photograph: Dan Dennison\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n

The gifts symbolising Magan\u2019s life, work and travels included a toy safari tuck, three of his dictionaries, sandals, an Irish-made backpack, honey from his bees and the computer mouse that helped connect him with the world.<\/p>\n

Ru\u00e1n Magan described his \u201clittle brother\u201d as a tree-hunter, builder, global inspiration, beautiful human, laoch Gael and druid. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn these tricky times you reminded us how to be better humans. You taught us to be proud of our culture but not in narrow form of nationalism or politics; you loathed that. That\u2019s not what he was about, just be very clear,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou taught us how to love and feel joy for our existence love for life, love for nature, joy for trees, joy for bees.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the bright light of early afternoon, Magan was taken from the chapel to a rousing tune composed for him by Steve Cooney \u201cto raise spirits\u201d. Friends gathered around a majestic copper beech tree in the college grounds, which was special to Magan during his time in the school.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Manch\u00e1n Magan was described as a \u201cfire-starter\u201d in a moving funeral ceremony at which the writer and broadcaster…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105567,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[18,117,19,17,49976],"class_list":{"0":"post-105566","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-manchan-magan"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105566\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}