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Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh – “Voice of Gaelic Games” (3 videos)

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh – born 20 August 1930 in Dún Síon, Dingle, County Kerry, (Irish Free State) is an Irish Gaelic games commentator for Raidió Teilifís Éireann. In a career that has spanned six decades he has come to be regarded as the natural successor of Michael O’Hehir as the “voice of Gaelic games.”

In early March 1949 Ó Muircheartaigh, along with ten other students from the college, and several from other colleges, did a test commentary on a hurling game at Croke Park. Each student had to commentate for five minutes in Irish and the most successful would be selected for further commentary work. Ó Muircheartaigh had never seen a game of hurling before in his life. But he knew that those adjudicators judging his commentary were not able to see the game:

‘Twas a new game to me. But I knew one person. He was in goal for UCD and his name was Tadhg Hurley. He went to school in Dingle and he had hurling because his father was a bank manager and had spent time in Tipperary or Cork. The moment my minute started, he was saving a fantastic shot. And he cleared it away out, I can still see it, out over the sideline, Cusack Stand side of the field, eighty yards out. But it was deflected out by a member of the opposition. The adjudicators couldn’t see that that didn’t happen. Who was called out to take the line-ball? The only person I knew, Tadhg Hurley. And he took a beautiful line-ball – Christy Ring  never took better. He landed it down in front of the Railway goal, there was a dreadful foul on the full-forward, and there was a penalty. And who was called up to take the penalty? Tadhg Hurley. ‘Twas the best individual display ever seen in Croke Park. It took him at least a minute to come from the Canal goal up. And while he was coming up I spoke about his brother Bob, who was in Donal’s class, and his sister who used to come out to Dún Síon strand during the summer. So eventually he took the penalty. I’ve seen DJ Carey, I’ve seen Nicky Rackard, I’ve seen Christy Ring. None of them could ever equal the display he gave that day… Sin mar a thosaigh sé!”

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh – Part 1

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh – Part 2

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh – Part 3