OVER the years I’ve paid tribute and acknowledged many people who passed away, but this one has been the most difficult and it’s taken me a while to reflect.

Just six weeks ago my father’s journey in this life came to an end. When we lost Philip Brogan, we lost a guiding light.

It has obviously been a challenging and difficult time for us as a family to come to terms with our huge loss, thinking so much of all the memories we had together down through the years.

We feel so privileged that we had some great times and special moments that we will now cherish forever, from our earliest memories of cutting sticks, gathering potatoes, and wiring houses, to underage football with Illistrin both soccer and Gaelic, St Eunan’s and Donegal games and of course Donegal rallying.

My dad was always trying to improve life for anyone he met in whatever way he could.

He would always see the good in everyone in a very special way.

Throughout his working life with the ESB he had a huge knowledge of Donegal and its people. He was shaped in many ways by the people he met and the changes he observed in the townlands, villages and islands where he spent many hard but happy days bringing electricity to family homes around the county.

He observed many changes through the years and he was always willing to embrace change and the latest technology.

It’s no secret to most that my father’s involvement in politics inspired me from an early age to be so interested in the cut and thrust of elections.

There are so many memories, the paste and posters, the ladder and the paint brush, and of course the car-speakers campaigning for votes around the chapel gates.

I’m now so grateful that Daddy was able to be part of all my successful election campaigns because it meant so much to him. He loved his politics, and as someone said to me recently, politics was good for him and he was good at it too. He could always bring a bit of spirit to a meeting if it was needed, his intellect and attention to detail in anything he did was second to none.

He knew his duties to his people and he always carried them out in his own quiet way.

We had so many political journeys together, going to election counts, council offices Letterkenny, County House in Lifford, visiting Dáil Éireann, joining me as Mayor of Letterkenny in 2002, himself and Mammy at the St Patrick’s Day trip to Philadelphia, New York and Washington.

But family always came first. One very obvious thing from our family Whatsapp group over the years was his love of family. He loved nothing more than the ‘exclusive’ photos he’d post of all the latest editions to the Brogan family, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren .

We have so many cherished memories, and I know he will still be guiding us all as we continue this journey without him at our side.

Asked how he was feeling, as his journey in this life drew to a close, his response was “the old man from the mountain is going home” – a reference to a song he requested for his funeral.

The old man has gone home now, in his own quiet and dignified way, but his fair, honest and respectful spirit will stay with us until we all meet again.

Mass will be offered for Philip on Saturday, November 15 at 10am in St Eunan’s Cathedral, Letterkenny.

We are so grateful in so many ways for the condolences and sympathy shown to us by everyone during the wake and funeral, along with Mass and sympathy cards. It has been so comforting and greatly appreciated by all of our families.

– Ciaran Brogan.