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WARM TRIBUTES WERE being paid to broadcaster Bill O’Herlihy this afternoon – in the wake of his death, at the age of 76.
Eamon Dunphy, speaking on the News at One, described his former colleague as ”a fantastic broadcaster and a very very nice man”.
Before switching to sport, Bill had been a great current affairs broadcaster, with a real interest and a grasp of his subject, the veteran journalist and football pundit said.
He was, Dunphy observed, “a catalyst for all that was good” about the RTÉ football panel.
That is the essence of good journalism, that you make people want to engage with the subject. You don’t make it obtuse, you don’t make it something technical … you render it human but to do that requires great skill.
Ending his tribute, with the emotion apparent in his voice, Dunphy described his friend as “a fabulous man, husband, father and broadcaster”.
Other friends of the late journalist, broadcaster and PR man described their deep shock at the news of his death.
Also speaking to RTÉ radio, Frank Flannery, the former Fine Gael strategist, said he had known O’Herlihy for more than three decades.
He was one of the true loves of my life. I really loved that man, and he is an enormous loss.
“Bill had a vastly youthful and enquiring mind,” Flannery added.
“I never saw him defeated. We shared disappointments along the way and plenty of them – but Bill would always be the first person to be charting the next way forward, even up until the moment of his death. He was embarking on a whole new phase of his life.
The fact that he was 76 was not a factor of any significance in his psyche at all. He was still the same youthful, enthusiastic, dynamic ambitious, optimistic, forward-looking person.
President Michael D Higgins described him as the “face of Irish sports broadcasting for several decades”, adding that his rapport with fans was “legendary”.
“Beginning his career in journalism at the age of sixteen, over sixty years he made a remarkable contribution to journalism, politics, public relations, broadcasting and our enjoyment of major sports events,” a statement from the Áras said. “Extremely professional in every detail of his work and knowledgeable in his endeavours; however, it was his unique capacity for humour which he used to connect with diverse audiences, which made him so special.”
Taoiseach Enda Kenny also added his tribute this afternoon, saying he was “deeply saddened at the news” of the death of a man who had become a “national treasure”.
“He loved his work and his family, and never forgot his Cork roots, or lost his Cork accent,” he said.
On a personal level, Bill and I have been good friends for many years and I will miss his friendship and support. He was the quintessential decent, kind and generous Irish man.
O’Herlihy had a long association with Fine Gael, and was a former media handler for Garret FitzGerald.
Other figures from the party have also been paying tribute.
“I got to know Bill well on a personal level and he was one of the warmest, most generous individuals that I’ve ever met; always offering advice and insight in a thoughtful way,” Cork TD and Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said.
Many people from his home city of Cork were hugely proud of his career achievements but the country as a whole will mourn his loss.
A statement on behalf of Insight Consultants said their colleague had been “one of the leading voices in the Irish public relations industry” and that his death had been sudden, and unexpected.
He oversaw the development of the PR industry from its early days and gave many of its leading practitioners their first job. An award-winning public relations professional and broadcaster, he was always there to support and mentor his staff.
“He led the company until this year when O’Herlihy Communications merged with Insight Consultants. Bill was our friend and made a huge impact on all of our lives. We will miss him greatly.
All of our thoughts and condolences go out to his wife Hilary, his daughters Jill and Sally, his grandchildren and his extended family.
An RTÉ statement described him as a giant of the broadcasting and sporting worlds in Ireland.
“His contribution to broadcasting was utterly unique. For decades he was at the centre of some of Ireland’s greatest sporting moments,” Director General Noel Curran said.
He never hid his emotions on those big occasions, from disappointment to utter joy, and for this he was greatly loved. But he was also a fantastic broadcaster and interviewer, getting the very best out of his interview panels and provoking debate and insight, and for this he was also hugely admired.
Also speaking this afternoon, RTÉ’s head of sport Ryle Nugent said Bill’s death had been an “enormous personal and professional loss”.
“He was the daddy in the group,” in the sports department, Nugent observed – saying the late presenter had always taken time to provide help and guidance to younger staff members, including himself.
Presenter and commentator Des Cahill also paid a poignant tribute to his former colleague, saying he had “a unique thing” that would always be remembered.
Bill O’Herlihy led our greatest days. They mightn’t have been our most important days – but our greatest days…
“The days of Olympic medals and World Cups, the memories… They all seemed to be sunny days when the whole country would stop and join together.
“They would hope together. They’d be scared together. They’d share excitement together. And we’d share disappointment.
“And sometimes we had that golden unforgettable joy of victory that we all shared together.
And Bill O’Herlihy led the whole country in that. We all sat and gathered and Bill led us on those days. We’ll always remember. Always.
Originally published 1pm
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Chris Evans more than twice as much as Graham Norton!? There’s more than sexism going on there!
@John Walker: You should bear in mind that that doesn’t include his talk show.
The BBC pay his Production Company which then pays him (or he pays himself…….. if you know what I mean).
I suspect that’s a damn GOOD salary over and above his actual BBC salary.
@John Walker:
Chris Evans is an irrepressible genius, he’s ginger, he’s original, creative, cutting edge, climbing the greasy pole of stardom trough sheer force of personality, money is not his goal, he’s already blown 80 million on cars and booze, when he began dating Billy Piper he bought her a silver Ferrari full of roses, she couldn’t even drive, Chris is car crash TV, when he gets bored he goes drinking and gets sacked then starts again, Chris personifies the idiom ‘You can’t keep a good man down’.
Compared to Chris Graham Norton is pure tedium.
@John Walker: being a good negotiator?
“The BBC’s highest paid woman is Claudia Winkleman”
Who? Exactly.
I 100% agree with equal work for equal pay. But you can’t compare salaries for people who have different levels of exposure, higher ratings, and different jobs on different shows. That’s not comparing like with like.
The only fair comparison here would be to compare 2 BBC news readers – since they actually have the same job on the same show & do the same amount of work.
@Conor Byrne: When you look at the likes of Chris Evans and Graham Norton who both had successful radio and TV shows last year when these contracts were paid. The large salaries they can command are based soley around their personalities rather than something like a large popular show like Come Dancing which, though popular, is not centered around any one personality.
For this reason the “stars” can command the big money and, rightly or wrongly, that’s just the way it is. Inevitably this will be compared to America where the “Stars” can command many times these salaries and women like Oprah and Judge Judy Sheindlin earn vast sums us mere mortals can only dream of. It’s not sexism, it’s just business, and the entertainment business is cut throat.
Jaysus, when Tubridy and Duffy and company hear about this there is bound to be a strike. They aren’t on anywhere near that cash
@Nick Allen: per head of listenership and population, the BBC presenters are on less than their RTE counterparts.
@Nick Allen:
Given the difference in population,shouldn’t Duffy,Untidy,etc be on a fifteenth of what Norton(a real presenter ) makes..around 60,000 seems fair..
@Dermot Lane: Yes – but there are dozens and dozens of stations, from regional to specialist.
@Nick Allen: the Tv licence isnt been used to pay the BBC crew tho, and there would be a slightly higher viewship for the BBC than RTE
@Fank Pulman: true but Evans gets 15 million on BBC
That’s F ing Scandalous!!!
Chris Evans £2million++ He should be pushed onto some obscure satellite tv channel somewhere not paid that much for nothing!
@Dub_Right: Evans entertains over twice the population of our country – everyday on BBC radio, as well as a good few here!!
@Dub_Right: i dont like him at all, he was a disaster on top gear but he has 15 million listeners !
@Dub_Right: Probably includes his Top Gear contract for the year in question.
@Fank Pulman: Evans has over 15 million listeners.
Claudia Winkleman earns almost half a million £££ per year – utterly mind boggling.
@John Ryan:
She spends almost as much on makeup to be fair
I see Graham’s agent negotiating a healthy pay rise at the next contract discussions
@Nick Allen: Doubt it, he get’s paid for his talk show via his Production company. His BBC salary would be for things like Eurovision etc.
Probably the best broadcasting organisation in the world. It won’t stop wingers here winging though.
How much is Bana of Aleppo on? The young girl ‘tweeting’ from Aleppo in Syria about the bad man Assad; a story pushed by the BBC and most other MSM? All the while her father was a local nusra man(terrorist) and her mother, an English teacher, put words in the little girls tweets and used her daughter as a propaganda tool against the Assad Government.
http://21stcenturywire.com/2017/07/18/uk-column-news-western-media-continue-to-cash-in-on-the-bana-of-aleppo-myth/
The BBC have always done lite entertainment well. Well done. However on the other side, they have been instrumental in the death and destruction of millions of people across the world in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, as lead propagandists for the industrial military complex of the UK and US and their allies.
I’m sorry but what does Chris Evans actually do for the BBC?
@Sorcha Hendry:
Brings in 15 million listeners to his radio show.
Actually, it’s just over 9 million, but I take your point.
@Tweety McTweeter: Good radio show it is too – I’m still listening to BBC Radio 2 all day at work (except for Jeremy Vine, podcasts fill that gap) since last Christmas – great music choice (with minimal repeats!), the lack of sports news and, especially, ads, means I would never go back to Irish commercial radio. The pay mentions today may be high in some cases, but is more than justified in most, especially when competing with attempted poaching by the commercial sector.
Got to love Linekar. King of the cheesy pun.
@methodical2020:
The BBC make some great programs for both TV and radio
Is nobody gonna mention Stephen Nolan being one of the highest paid in the UK 400-499,000 per year!?! You know Nolan, the fat guy on BBC NI that shouted at a politician via video link on that Miriam Callaghan show a while back…How is his wage justified?
@Meanderingsz: He broadcasts every week day on BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio 5 Live from Thursday to Sunday and presents his own live TV show from Belfast!
Happily his weight doesn’t effect the excellent content of his shows.
Jaysus Ryan Turbidity is a bargain – sponsored by RTE
How can RTE keep our stars , when the BBC is paying ‘proper’ salaries ? Please dont send this article to Tubbs or Marian ….
That’s Racist
@Jonathan Stapleton: The other BBC.
LOL! Comments of the week.
Chris Evans and Graham Norton worth every pound
Is it any wonder the toothy chap can buy Ferraris at 20 million a pop
The mind boggles
When will we see how much we pay our creaturs?? And when will they get reasonable rates?
The real question here is who the hell is Jermey Vine?
@Daniel Murray: BBC Radio 2 show between 12 and 2 weekdays. I listen to Radio 2 every day at work, but I skip his slot with podcasts – not my scene, but he’s obviously popular enough in the UK.
And linekar still feels the need to advertise crisps
Gary Lineker on £1.7 million? There are footballers who…. oh wait. Sorry.
Pity they couldn’t have a Transfer Market like in the Soccer Leagues,
Turgid Tubridy needs to go there to get paid commensurate to his talents…
@George Salter: Guess why all the “stars” are still at RTE… actually, RT stood in for Graham Norton on his BBC Radio 2 show last year – not sure how it went, but I see that Alan Carr and Mel Sykes are doing it this year.
two fools to be honest……victims of ZIONIST extremism !!
How the hell can the BBC even employ that human disaster zone that is Victoria Derbyshire ? Every single human tragedy story is jumped upon and squeezed for every bit of drama and sensational aspect she can find….She,and her production team,are purveyors of human suffering and couldn’t give the tiniest of damns about the people in terrible situations that they cruelly exploit
Who cares . I for one haven’t heard of any of them in years . Let them off
to be honest what person in thier right mind give a f** about these two muppets ? seriously ? c’mon journal surely your better than this shiiiiiiiiite !!!
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