Colm

I heard today that Colm O'Rourke, one of the longest serving sound engineers (and later recording studio manager) at the University of Westminster, has died.
This is terrible upsetting news. I remember when he first started his job; he had moved from being a virologist to being a sound engineer, and his team were affectionately known as 'Colm's Ladyboys'. Later, two students from the same cohort, Danny and Vince, died within a very short space of time; a couple of years further on we held a wake, and Colm's contribution was a moving performance of a song he had written, and words of such perception and affection that he managed to sum up with huge sensitivity the feelings of the 40 or so graduates who had come along.
It is so very upsetting to hear the news that he has gone too.
I saw that he has had a family and although they must be distraught,  I do feel glad that he had the good fortune to become a father. He had dreams of Ireland and he shared farmland with his brothers; he talked about it with such excitement and enthusiasm!
I can't describe how important Colm was. Life in academia can be stressful and maddening as well as extremely rewarding. I used to go down to the music basement every working day, just to say hello to Colm because he was always so nice to talk to.
He mastered The Chefs CD that we released on Damaged Goods because he had bloody good ears on him.
He's just one of those people that you can't believe isn't there any more. Oh, how terribly sad.