Daithí O’Sé has opened up to VIP about the toughest experience of his life: when his father passed away in his arms and he had to tell his mum the harrowing news.
His father, Maidhc, passed away suddenly from a heart attack in August 2013, and speaking exclusively to us in this month’s magazine, Daithí said, “It definitely sticks with me.”
“I really tried to shake him, to wake him up, but he was literally drawing his last breath, and that was it.
“I remember looking at my mother’s face and telling her he’d gone. The silence was deafening, and that was the hardest thing having to tell her that.”
The Today presenter and his wife Rita welcomed their first son, Micheal, into the world just a few months after Maidhc’s death, and in a tribute to his father, he named his son after him. To this day, Daithí is still upset that the pair never got a chance to meet.
“I often think about that – it’s such a put that they never got to meet, but i do believe there was some kind of rival handshake between them, as one departed, the other fella was on his way in.
“I remember when Michael was very young and my mother was minding him, and i heard her telling him about how she met his grandfather in Chicago, and Jesus, the tears ran down my face.”
Daithí’s now passing on everything his learned from his own father – including some very important life lessons – to his son Michael.
“My father was 71 when he passed away and he worked very hard, but he enjoyed life as well.
“I’d urge my son to get that work/life balance thing correct at an early age. I’m 39 and I’m trying to get that at the moment.
“Life goes by so quickly, and Michael is 20-months-old now, and you do think, ‘Good God, where did that go?’”
Check the full interview in this month’s VIP Magazine, which is on sale tomorrow.
