It’s been one month since we lost our beloved editor-in-chief and dear friend, Joe Drennan.
Grieving a person like Joe doesn’t get easier – that’s something we’re learning together as a team.
Although we’re returning to classes and Limerick Voice work, there is an ever-present ache prominently placed in all of our hearts. We’re working incredibly hard to keep Joe’s editorial vision at the forefront, with many different memorial plans in development.
Since October 13, we’ve been learning that grief like this doesn’t go away – and that’s comforting in some way. Speaking to more and more people who’ve lost someone at a young age and in such tragic circumstances, there is the common theme that this feeling doesn’t leave you, but you eventually grow around that grief.
Right now we’re gutted, and it feels like we always will be. There’s an intense feeling of pain, of guilt, and of incredible anger – that’s likely to linger for some time to come. But the comfort of knowing that our Joe will always be in our hearts and minds is something we can achingly rely on.
This has bonded our team in a way words cannot truly describe, but what feels like a really lovely but bittersweet turn.
It’s devastating to think about going forward without Joe, but we know we’ll move onward with his guidance. Every milestone we reach this year will be tinged with a lot of sadness – but we’ll make sure Joe’s memory is included in every one. And we aim to make sure we memorialise Joe with his family and friends – keeping him alive through stories, laughter, drinking white wine, and more than anything just talking about him.
We miss him. We miss him so so much. In every laugh we share, every story we publish, every time we sit together in class, there is a very obvious missing piece.
There is a noticeable change to the energy of our lives – the sunsets are more colourful, the clouds remind us of his beautiful curls, butterflies appear in our lives more often, and there is a feeling that he is with us, always. Our Joey will be with us forever – of that we’re 100 per cent sure.
While we await justice to be served in the investigation into Joe’s tragic death, we won’t stop updating Limerick Voice readers with stories around Joe’s many incredible achievements and the memorials we have planned to honour his legacy.
If you have some money to spare, please consider donating to Gay Community News, a media organisation very close to Joe’s heart.
“And wherever you are, I hope the skies are bluer, the colours are brighter, the hills are higher, and the world is kinder. I will love you forever.” ~ Samira Vivette
