Brian Mooney-Vaya con Dios

Early in April I sent Brian Mooney Easter greetings.

His wife Gail replied to say he was seriously ill in hospital. I felt confident that Brian would pull through. He had more energy and resilience than most people.

Since he left took early retirement from Reuters at the age of 50, he had walked thousands of miles including from England to Santiago de Compostela and to Rome, following in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims. The walk to the Eternal City took 75 days. 

So, it was a shock to hear he had passed away at the age of 77.

Brian and I were Reuter correspondents in Spain and Italy at different times and we had stayed in touch over the years.

I last saw him two years ago. He invited me to lunch at the Guildhall where he worked as an elected councillor in the City of London Corporation for 27 years. From an upstairs window he proudly showed me the imposing skyline of the “Square Mile” which he had helped to plan and create.

Vaya con Dios amigo on your final pilgrimage ■