Searching for words to do justice to Brendan McWilliams, it is perhaps appropriate that inspiration comes from those outside his family who loved him most: his readers. This week, many expressed their feelings about Brendan's daily Weather Eye column and the void his death creates for them. The common thread through most of the emails, and some letters published on this page, was that Brendan and Weather Eye were an essential part of the day.
"Not only did his column express the depth and breadth of his vast knowledge," wrote one reader, "but it showed forth the innate goodness and integrity of the man."
Here is a selection of what some others said: "What are we to do now for inspired commentary on weather aspects now that Brendan McWilliams is gone - gone beyond the phenomenal light in the sky that he loved to explain to us, his readers? Who is going to make us more aware of that duck-egg blue and greeny light that appears in the evening sky, especially at this time of year, and Nature itself all around us with 'golden lamps in a green night' so eloquently captured and quoted by Brendan McWilliams from the English poet, Andrew Marvell."
And another: "I have been reading his amusing, educating and enthralling columns now for many years and have been in awe of his ability to communicate the most intricate details of a subject in a language which could be easily read and enjoyed by the readers."
And another still: "He had the extraordinary literary gift of including in his column about the weather all interesting events that happened to be taking place in Ireland. When the Wexford Opera Festival was on, Weather Eye combined opera and the science of meteorology, likewise the Ploughing Championships, or the Theatre Festival. I marvelled at how he knew so much about everything."
"His column, unique in style and perspective, served as a bridge between science and the arts"; "On days when the headlines and news were gloomy and relentless, he provided a beacon of light and relief"; and "The winter days will be all the darker without his wonderful articles to illuminate them." "Dear Brendan's Family," began one, "I only discovered my greatest mentor on September 3rd, 2002 and lost him on October 22nd, 2007. In the intervening five years Brendan McWilliams showered me with a treasury of knowledge outshining everything I had accumulated in my previous 77 years."
It is sometimes said that life after death may be measured by the degree to which a person is remembered by the people left behind. There are so many who miss Brendan McWilliams.