Philomena. There have been many words in the papers over the last couple of weeks about you. I echo all of them.

Philomena really was an absolutely formidable woman. She had been my friend for 20 years, and so there’s one thing I can say without fear of contradiction: life was never dull or boring when she was around! She was amazing. And she had an amazing ability to tell a story: those of you have seen her in full flow with the ‘holy water’ will know what I mean! She loved laughing and was very good at making other people laugh. So remember her fondly. She wasn’t perfect. Nobody is. But she was a very close, and a very good, friend. She was my confidant. And I will miss her dearly. Life will not be the same without her.

I know the loss of Philomena is deeply upsetting for everyone, especially for the Lynott family. I know you have gone through so much loss – my heart is broken for you. But I would like you all to remember her by some of the funnier stories. Those of us who were privileged to know her well have a lot to pick from!

One thing that Phyllis always used to say at the end of a story was: “And that’s that.” So Philomena my friend – on behalf of myself, and on behalf of the amazing people that have made the effort to be here today, thank you for everything.

Thank you. I love you. And that’s that.