GAA commentator whose voice was central to the All-Ireland Championship – The Irish Times

Born: 20 August 1930

Died: July 25, 2024

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh was a Gaelic sports commentator whose voice was as much a part of the All-Ireland Championship as that of the teams that competed in it. His radio commentaries in Irish and English chronicled the successes of the hurling and football teams of the four provinces for over 50 years and were as rich in language as they were astute in observation.

His first All-Ireland final came in 1948, when Cavan’s footballers beat Mayo. The following year he attended a trial at Croke Park for a commentator who would occasionally broadcast matches in Irish. He was successful and was offered the job of broadcasting the Railway Cup final on St Patrick’s Day. In preparation, he sat in the commentary box with Michael O’Hehir at a National League match. O’Hehir, in his opinion, “has done more to promote Gaelic games than anyone else and has jumped its fences without the weight of his ego on his back”.

( GAA commentator Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh dies at the age of 93 )

His debut as a commentator was deemed a success and he was delighted to receive a fee of £6. His next commentary was the Oireachtas hurling final, when Tipperary fended off the challenge of Laois.

Born on 20 August 1930 in Dún Síon, Dingle, Co Kerry, he was one of eight children of Timothy Moriarity and his wife Catherine (née Quinn). He was educated in Dingle, first at the Presentation Convent and later with the Christian Brothers, and completed his secondary education at Coláiste Íosagáin, Baile Bhúirne, Co Cork. In September 1948 he began teacher training at St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, graduating from St. Patrick’s in 1950. After a brief period as a supply teacher, he obtained a temporary post as a teacher at St. Laurence O’Toole’s CBS, Seville Place, Dublin. Among his pupils was the young Luke Kelly, who was “football mad”.

As a young man in Dublin, Ó Muircheartaigh played football for the Geraldines Club. He enjoyed greyhound racing at Shelbourne Park and Harold’s Cross. And, in defiance of Rule 27 of the GAA, he attended international rugby matches and saw the likes of Jack Kyle and Karl Mullen in their prime. Despite the ban, he also enjoyed the delights of forbidden ‘foreign’ dances. ‘It was a good day for the GAA when the ban was lifted,’ he said years later.

After evening classes at University College Dublin, he graduated in July 1952. In 1953 he received an HDip Ed. In that year
also gained a permanent position at O’Connell’s CBS in North Richmond Street, moving into secondary school teaching in the mid-1960s. His first commentary in English was broadcast from Killarney in 1956, when Cork beat Kerry by one point in the Munster football championship. He was particularly impressed by the performance of 19-year-old Mick O’Connell, who was then beginning a long and successful playing career with Kerry.

He was also impressed by the Wexford hurling team that emerged in the 1950s and remained his “favourite hurling team of all time”. However, he considered the Tipperary team of the late 1950s and early 1960s to be the best hurling team he had ever seen, just ahead of the Kilkenny team of the 1970s. He rated Kerry’s team of 1975-1986 to be the best football team he had ever seen, ahead of the Down team of the 1960s, Dublin of the 1970s and Galway’s three-in-a-row team of the mid-1960s.

In 1962, the GAA agreed to allow live television coverage of championship matches on the condition that 50 percent of the commentary was in Irish. Ó Muircheartaigh was appointed Irish commentator, sharing the broadcast with Seán Óg Ó Ceallacháin. However, the shared commentary was not popular with listeners, and it was decided that from then on commentary on minor matches would be entirely in Irish, with Ó Muircheartaigh on the microphone.

This arrangement lasted until the mid-1980s, after which Ó Muircheartaigh broadcast many commentaries in English. One of the most memorable of these was the replay of the 1998 All-Ireland hurling semi-final. Clare were leading by three points against Offaly when the referee blew the final whistle with 2½ minutes to go. The match had to be replayed and Offaly won convincingly.

Golf and dog racing were his other great sporting passions. As a member of the Grange Golf Club, he played on most courses in Ireland and also on many others abroad. He was a member of the Barton Club team that was successful in competition. “Our greatest advantage was our exceptional ability to win matches with bad golf.”

He had been interested in greyhounds since childhood and later owned them himself. He had some success as co-owner of Unique Reward, winner of several high-profile races, and, to mix business with pleasure, presented Night at the Dogs for RTÉ radio. He interviewed Prince Edward, a co-owner, for the programme at Wimbledon greyhound track in 1990 for the semi-final of the English Derby.

A lover of the Irish language, he helped found Scoil Oilibhéir in Blanchardstown and was later elected national president of the Gaelscoileanna movement. He was appointed to Bord na Gaeilge, becoming chairman in 1992 and re-elected in 1996. His approach to the use of Irish was simple: “Use whatever you can get out of it, rather than talking about it.” He also recognised the uses of English, a “particularly useful” language.

In 1981 he gave up teaching and became Clár Reachtaire, Raidió na Gaeltachta, responsible for current affairs and sport. He was a director of the National Lottery and also chairman of Guaranteed Irish. NUI Galway awarded him an honorary doctorate and in 2004 his autobiography, From Dún Síon to Croke Park, was published.

He leaves behind his wife Helena (née McDowell), his sons Aonghus, Cormac and Éamonn, and his daughters Doireann, Éadaoin, Neasa, Niamh and Nuala.