TV star Sharon Horgan is in mourning after the sad loss of her beloved father.
John Horgan passed away this week surrounded by loved ones following a brave battle with cancer.
The proud father-of-five - including former Ireland rugby star Shane - was originally from New Zealand but relocated to Bellewstown, County Meath when Sharon was a child, running a pub before becoming a turkey farmer.
His heartbroken family announced this week: “The death has occurred of John (Donald) Horgan of Strand Rd, Termonfeckin, Co. Louth, formerly of Bellewstown, London and Christchurch, New Zealand.
“He was a hugely loved husband of Ursula, father to Maria, Sharon, Lorraine, Shane and Mark and grandfather to Sadhbhy, Amer, Marianne, Charlie, Sadie, Neala, Joni and Aoibh.
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“The funeral to celebrate the life of a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and good friend will be held at The Church of The Immaculate Conception, Termonfeckin, on Tuesday, 2nd January, 2024 at 1pm.”
A source close to the family told how John had been ill for some time before his passing, explaining: “He had been ill for the past couple of years, he had cancer.
“All the family were with him when he died. He was a very proud dad, they are a very tight unit as families go.
“He loved that none of his children let their fame go to their heads and are all very level headed.
“He was firm but fair and they all loved him.
“They are a very private family and not sure how they will cope with his passing.”
Writer and actress Sharon previously opened up about her father’s unusual career change when she was a youngster having moved home from the UK.
Discussing her upbringing, she recalled: “I was born in London and when I was very small my family owned a pub in the East End — the deep East End where the Kray brothers worked.
“One day someone came to my father and asked him to give an alibi for something very serious.
"That’s when my parents decided to move my sister and me to Ireland.”
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Horgan continued: “I don’t know how you make that jump into turkey farming.
“But I guess he was trying to find something that would work for us as a family.”
Sharon later made a short comedy film, The Week Before Christmas, about the busiest time of the year in the Horgan household.
The star quipped: “We all have post-traumatic stress from the turkey farm.”
She has also joked that her own achievements on TV failed to match Shane’s glory days in the green shirt in the eyes of her rugby-mad dad.
She laughed: “As for Shane, well our dad’s a New Zealander, so can you imagine how proud he is of a rugby player son?
“They’re proud of me, too, of course. But it’s only the telly, you know, it’s not like I’m doing something important, like saving the world! Or playing rugby!”
