Ian Paisley: My sister put my dad on the phone and he said ‘bye bye son’

Mr Paisley said he rushed from Ballymena to Belfast to be at his father’s bedside but just missed his passing by minutes.

He told Mr Edwards: “I can see the different cycles of relationship that I had with my dad, so there was father-son, growing up and all of that, and then I started to work for him so it’s was kind of the employee and employer relationship as well.

“But then we became really good mates, which was a lovely relationship.

“Dad was 40 years older than me, but we became – certainly for about the last 20 years of his life – really, really close companions and mates and confidantes.”

Reflecting on his last moments with his father, Mr Paisley said: “Dad had been growing weaker and was quite sick.

“Just he was growing old, and I’d come back from London and I actually decided I’ll stay in the house (in Belfast), because at this point dad was in a wee private room downstairs.

“And I actually was chatting to him that night and just holding his hand and stuff, and he would have wee conversations and then go over to sleep, but I just decided I would stay in the house that night.

“I remember I just slept on the floor of the room that he was in, and next morning said bye bye to him and he was fine, he was in good spirit and I went up the road to Ballymena to my advice centre.

“And I’ll never forget it, I got a call around about probably 10-10.15 in the morning, my sister Rhonda rang me and she said ‘Ian, dad’s definitely going here, he’s slipping away’ and, she put the phone to my dad and he said ‘bye bye son’.

“There was a guy in front of me at my desk seeking advice and I just said ‘look, I’m sorry mate, I have to go here, my father’s passing away’, and I think it was more of a shock to him, you know.

“And I just left the office immediately and I wouldn’t like to say, but I don’t know how I got to Belfast so quickly, but I got from Ballymena to Belfast into the house, into the manse where he was and he’d literally just passed away.

“My mum and two of my sisters and my brother were there, then my other sister and myself who kind of arrived together, and our really good friend David McIlveen had just arrived, a really close family friend, and I just remember hugging David.”

He recalled: “Mum said it was the most peaceful moment, he was never in pain, never any anguish ... I think that makes us happy.

“I lost my brother-in-law the year before dad died, and he had a terrible fight with cancer, and to see someone in their mid to late 50s battling with cancer, the trouble and perplex that puts on the rest of the family, that was really harsh.

“But dad had a really full life, and he passed very, very easily.

“He lived six lives – he did more in one life than other people have done over several lives. So, you know, there was no regret there as such.”

You can hear the full interview on the Human Nature podcast written and presented by Rodney Edwards and available on Apple, Spotify and Google Podcasts.