A funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 11 2023 in First Church in Cambridge, Congregational,on Garden Street near Harvard Square. The service will be livestream here . Brian O'Donovan leaves his wife; their children, Aoife of Orlando, Ciaran of Brooklyn, N.Y., Aidan of Denver, and Nuala of Cambridge; his eight siblings, Aileen Murphy, Millie Potter, Michael, Carmel O’Brien, James, Meg Hickey, Ann O’Brien, and Ray; and three grandchildren.

“So much of his professional identity and his familial identity is his Irish heritage, but he raised four American kids and he loved it here,” Nuala said. “He loved Boston. He believed in the immigrant story and his dream. He was so dedicated to us, and to that.”

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Brian O’Donovan, the longtime host of GBH’s radio show A Celtic Sojourn and the creative force and host of “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” which has been a holiday tradition for New Englanders for over 20 years, died on Friday at his home after a long battle with cancer. He was 66 years old.

The cause of death was complications from glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer.

“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,” Susan Goldberg, GBH’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “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.”