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BBC man reveals pain of losing journalist father to alcoholism

David MorganThe son of a former regional newsman who died after a long battle with alcoholism three years ago has spoken of the pain of losing his father to the illness.

David Morgan, left, who worked for the Irish News and the BBC at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland died aged 56 in 2016.

Now his son Richard Morgan, who has also gone on to work for the BBC, has opened up about his father’s alcohol battle in the hope that his story will “start a conversation” about the condition.

In a documentary broadcast by Radio Ulster on Sunday, Richard set out to explore the impact that his father’s drinking had on him and his family.

In the programme, titled Under the Influence, Richard describes how his father had “always enjoyed a glass or two” when he was growing up, but that “things got worse” after his mother Tina died in 2015 following a cancer battle.

“Dad was devastated, heartbroken.  There was an emptiness about him, he was there, but he wasn’t,” recalled Richard.

“Every day his drinking seemed to increase, wine, beer, bacardi – his life and mine began to unravel.”

Since his father’s death, Richard said he has struggled with feelings of anger towards him, saying that “in my head, my dad chose alcohol over living, over me.”

“I’ve felt sad that he’s gone, but I’m angry at him for going and ashamed of the way he died,” he said.

“Some of my family won’t talk about his drinking and how it’s affected us. But this is the truth and our relationship drowned in dad’s drinking.

“Our time after mum’s death was terrible and I’ve been left with so many questions – will I always feel this way, can I forgive him for choosing drink over me and are there other people out there like me?”

“I was so intolerant of him and said things to him about being a bad dad. That was one of our last arguments before he died and I never got to resolve that.”

On a visit to his father’s grave at the end of the programme, Richard tells his dad: “I know you didn’t choose to do this to yourself.”

“I’m happy you are at peace because you obviously weren’t when you were living and drinking the way you were.”

David began his career on the Belfast-based Irish News and was also a prominent member of the National Union of Journalists in Northern Ireland.

At the time of his retirement in 2011 he was news editor at Citybeat radio.