The  Honourable Gary Somers

(Champion Of The Underdogs)

In the musical "Whistle down the Wind", recently produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, we see the story of great innocent in the face of a world of adults and cynicism. It is the story of a group of children who find a man lying injured in a barn, suffering from horrific marks on his body. The children are not frightened but you could see how injured the man is they begin  to look after him and love him. They believe that the injured man is none other than Jesus when in fact the man is a thief and a brigand. But the innocence of a child doesn't see the world of badness, but the person and nothing else. Gary I hope will forgive me if I mention a few lines from one of his not so popular pop groups "Boys Own" The hit song "No Matter What" has a line of his in it which I believe sum up Gary's life very plainly and simply ,"I can't deny what I believe, I can't be what I 'm not ". Anybody or everybody who knew Gary realized very quickly that he was a young man of great innocence and high principles. He was the true champion of the underdog  and the lowly. On occasions this caused him some criticism but yet it also gave him great courage and standing. Gary today is no longer standing on the sideline of life but has taken his full forward position continuing to strife for the lowly and the oppressed.

 He has at last taken his rightful position. Yet it is true to say Gary had so much to live for, but this cannot take away from the life, be it his young life that he already lived. In his few years he achieved much and touched the hearts of many.

To those who love Gary the most, namely his parents Christine and Brendan, his brother Stephen and of course his sister Lisa, his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and all who cherish his memory, no words of mine or indeed of anybody can take your sorrow or pain away from you. Because only those who love at a very deep level feel the amount of pain that you feel. All we can do is offer you our love and support. I have no doubt this day Gary is with God, if I didn't believe that I would take of these vestments and never return to this church again. We would prefer that he were with us here alive and as full of love as ever. Unfortunately the great mystery and complexity of life has called us all too soon to this church to bid farewell to Gary, if only for a short time. For us who knew him and experienced his love and affection our lives are the richer for that experience. To those who did not know him you missed out on a great experience and the opportunity to be touched by the life of a very special young man.

Gary's life and his love will always be kept alive in the hearts of those who loved him the most. To speak about him is to remember him. May his gentle soul rest eternally in the presence of God. I leave the last words for Gary this day to one of his favourite  cartoon characters the infamous Bart Simpson, " Yo dude, look after yourself"

Picture of Fr. Aodhain with Gary April 1999