The late writer and philosopher John O'Donohue was "a meeting place, a big loving space for gathering people and thoughts", according to his close friend, Lelia Doolan, who paid one of many moving tributes to him at a memorial service in Galway Cathedral at the weekend.
The Clare-born author, who died suddenly on January 3rd in France at the age of 52, "created a legacy that will pass on to future generations", Labour Party president Michael D Higgins said.
Addressing a congregation of 2,000 people, many of whom had travelled from abroad, Mr Higgins said Dr O'Donohue's books "moistened the spiritual ground that had dried for so many" in Ireland, Europe and North America.
He was a "prophet", who "has lodged in us in a way that can never be erased", and a man who bore an "infectious excitement at the possibility of new answers to old questions", Mr Higgins concluded.
The chief celebrant was Dr O'Donohue's close friend, Fr Martin Downey, who recalled the personal friendship and support during his own illness of a "poet, priest, artist of the imagination, a holy man".
Memories were also shared by former Fine Gael MEP Mary Banotti, who recalled her first meeting with a "large bearded man with a mellifluous Clare accent" when he travelled with the Burren Action Group to Strasbourg in 1992 - and how he had enlisted the support of civil servants with his description of the beauty, importance and loneliness of the landscape.
Broadcaster John Quinn described his experiences of recording the writer for radio - never in the studio, for "John was a man for the open air, open road and, dare I say it, the open mind".
Poet Rita Ann Higgins read a piece from her work, The Power of Prayer,
and Marion Nic Con Iomaire recalled the "duine uasal" who came as a young
priest to Rossaveal, Co Galway, in
1982.
Gareth Higgins recalled his first conversation with him after he had asked him to participate in a peacebuilding project in Belfast - and how he could manage to transform a "car-park outside McDonald's" into a "spiritual place" with his very presence.
PJ Curtis, also a member of the
Burren Action Group, recalled his "explosive, raucous laugh", which lightened the atmosphere in the Four Courts during many difficult days of
legal action by the environmental campaign.
Jane O'Malley recalled the "most reassuring bearhug ever" that he gave her on the first anniversary of the death of her husband, artist Tony O'Malley.
Other contributors included Caroline Welch, Martin Wroe, Dominic Crawford Collins, Mary O'Reilly Murray and Máire Áine Ní Mhainnín.
Family members present included Dr O'Donohue's mother Josie, sister Mary, brothers PJ and Pat, and his partner, Kristine Fleck. Music was by Dr O'Donohue's nephew and niece, Katie and Peter O'Donohue, Regina Nathan, the Lismorahaun Singers, the Corcomroe dawn Mass players, Chris Droney, Charlie Piggot, Davy Spillane and Seán Tyrrell.
Readings were by Geraldine Byrne Nason and Jacki Lyden, and Breda O'Farrell and Patricia Burke-Brogan presented offertory gifts.
After Communion, The Vale of Fermoyle was sung by a neighbour, Patsy Carrucan.
Among the concelebrants with Fr Downey were Msgr Seán O'Flaherty, parish priest of Galway Cathedral, and Fr Des Forde, parish priest of Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, who sang Alleluia, written by Fr Liam Lawton.
