Off to the great gig in the sky: the musicians, writers and cultural icons we lost in 2025From Manchán Magan to Claudia Cardinale and Brian Wilson, the world is a duller place now that so many great cultural lights have left usSome of those we have lost in 2025, clockwise from main photograph, Manchán Magan, Hugh Wallace, Linda Nolan, David Hanly, Jennifer Johnston and Seán Rocks. Photos: Paul McCarthy, Gareth Chaney, Ulf Andersen and Andres PovedaHilary White Today at 06:30We need more dancing at funerals. That was the big takeaway from one I ­attended in early October. After being handed acorns from the ­deceased’s own self-planted woodland, mourners from across the world of arts, culture, ecology and language filed into the chapel at his alma mater, Gonzaga College.

Source: Irish Independent December 28, 2025 17:33 UTC