Remembering Brian O’Donovan

• Brian O’Donovan, who has hosted A Celtic Sojourn on WGBH/Boston since 1986 and is the creative force and host of A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, a holiday tradition for New Englanders for over 20 years, died Friday, Oct. 6 at his home after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 66 years old.

Born in 1957 in West Cork, Ireland, O’Donovan traveled to Boston in 1980 for what was to be a three-week vacation… and he never left. He met singer Lindsay Henes at a live Irish music session at The Village Coach House in Brookline, and, as of this August, they had been married for 42 years.

In 1982 O’Donovan earned a master’s in mass communication from Emerson College, while working at the college radio station WERS, producing music festivals and fundraisers.

GBH President & CEO Susan Goldberg said of O’Donovan, “His passion for music and his sheer joy in sharing it was abundantly clear to GBH listeners, whether of his weekly show or of his spirited live events. In more than 35 years with our organization, Brian never met a stranger. His warmth to his colleagues, and his deep commitment to the mission of GBH, will be greatly missed.”

O’Donovan is survived by his wife, Lindsay O’Donovan, his four grown children: Aoife, Ciaran, Aidan, and Nuala and two grandchildren, Ivy Jo Jacobsen and Nomi Francis O’Donovan.

A much more in-depth look at the remarkable life and career of Brian O’Donovan is posted at WGBH.org. [Photo courtesy of GBH]