He was a man of many words, most of them memorable, and when he spoke he was certainly worth listening to.
Here, in a tribute to the late great Weeshie Fogarty, we reproduce what All-Ireland final day meant to him in a piece he penned as he prepared to broadcast on the 2004 decider between Kerry and Mayo, when he sat in the commentary box alongside his great friend and colleague the late Liam Higgins
CROKE Park. The Mecca for Gaelic games. The Theatre of Dreams. The Holy Grail for every young Kerry footballer. A place where imaginings come true, expectations are shattered, hearts broken.
My dreams were like those of any other young Kerry lad as I grew up in the 40s and 50s on New Street, Killarney. I had a longing to play with Kerry in Croke Park, not to win an All-Ireland, but just to play on the hallowed green sod.
This burning ambition, I later realised, was somehow subconsciously ingrained into thousands of Kerry minds by one man, Michael Ó Hehir, the legendary Radio na hÉireann sports broadcaster.
His voice was magical and through him whole families were transferred from their homes all over Kerry to Croke Park on Sunday afternoons. With his colourful, vivid descriptions one could participate in the thrill and excitement of All-Ireland finals in Croke Park.
Radios were as scarce as ice cream in a desert and for us in New Street, O’Neill’s pub and sweet shop, late rthe Antler bar, was our saviour. William O’Neill, the shop owner, was an agent for Bush radios and emblazoned over his shop door was the brilliant catch phrase “It’s a wise bird that settles on a Bush.”
The radio would be placed on one of the shop windows and neighbours would come from all over the street. The place would be packed, up the stairs, out the door and sitting on the kerb side outside the front door of the shop, affectionately known as Mother Hick’s.
I can vividly recall when Billy McCorry missed that most talked about penalty against Kerry in the dramatic 1953 jubilee final. I swear the cheer from the New Street faithful could be heard all the way up in Dublin.
Two years later I made my maiden trip to Croke Park to see that dramatic, never to be forgotten 1955 final when Kerry dismantled the so-called invincible Dublin machine led by the great Feeney and Heffernan.
The late Tadgie Lyne from Killarney was our hero that day and a few years ago, shortly before his death, the shy, gentle retiring Tadgie welcomed me into his home in Castleisland. He was plainly very ill at that time as he gave me a fascinating account of his sporting life and times, the only occasion one of Kerry’s greatest ever sons spoke openly of his achievements.
Talking to him for the last time was an emotional and poignant occasion and the memory of that last meeting remains one of my fondest, if saddest, sporting memories.
Now, years later and after seeing all of Kerry’s intervening final appearances, I was back in that hallowed shrine of Gaelic games in a completely different guise – that of a sports analyst and match with Radio Kerry.
Little did I think all those years ago that I would have the great privilege of bringing to listeners – not alone at home but on the internet all over the world – the story of Kerry’s attempt to win the All-Ireland championship.
So, what is like to be in such a privileged position, because that is how I viewed my job – a privilege.
2004 was the fourth senior All-Ireland final involving Kerry to be broadcast by the local radio – we were there of course in 1997 and 2000 and in 2002 when Armagh won.
My sidekick and long-time fellow broadcaster is Lispole man Liam Higgins, himself an All-Ireland senior medal winner in 1969-70 and involved in every aspects of the game all his life.
So how does a big-match commentary session work? Well, Liam broadcasts the action and I come in on a continuous basis with descriptive accounts of scores, misses, saves, movements, the strengths and weaknesses of both teams, constructive criticism of the referee, if necessary, and anything that warrants comment for the listening public.
My 20 years of refereeing and playing at all levels gives me, I hope, a fair old insight into many facets of our games. Foremost always in my mind is the fact you are relaying the events before you to people that rely on you to paint a picture of what is happening. You are the eyes of your listeners.
One thing that I have learned is never, even, not even for the slightest instant, let your eyes stray from the events unfolding before you because in one fleeting moment an incident can occur that will change the course of the game and your listeners must know exactly what has happened.
I like to think that Liam and I have a near perfect understanding in relation to when I should cut in to give my analysis because, of course, his job is completely different to mine. Watching the umpires, the Kerry sideline men, the crowd’s reaction, substitutions, injuries, the wind factor, positional switches, the ebb and flow of the game can all make for prolonged debate in the pub that night.
Mentioning the odd pigeon that occasionally lands near the Canal End can be (almost) as important as describing the Kerry score at the Railway End.
It’s all part of the great day.
I am constantly asked how one can describe in an instant a full-length movement resulting in a score, a miss or some other occurrence. In answer to this I believe that after following the game and having watched thousands of matches, it gives you the ability to recall events unfolding on a continuous basis before you.
As soon as the finalists are known I keep my ear to the ground and pick up any little piece of information that might be of benefit to our listeners on the big day. And most importantly of all, meeting the great Kerry followers all over the county gives one the real feeling and appreciation of how important each player on the panel is to his parish and townland.
Attending the Kerry training sessions is, for me, most important leading up to the game. It is there that you get the feel of what the mood of the camp is and how the panel is progressing and how each individual player is shaping up. Every Kerry training sessions is an education.
We have, of course, been accused of being too parochial and, at times, biased in our broadcast of games. However, our situation is completely different to the national broadcasts because we are relaying events more or less directly to Kerry listeners and, make no mistake about it, they want to hear as much as they can about the man from their town, parish or townland.
Nevertheless, I like to think that I can be critical of our own Kerry players as I would be of other counties and if a Kerry player deserves to get a card or his marching orders so be it – I will make my feelings known.
Another thing that I am constantly reminded of by men and women alike is that the sound on the TV is turned down during the big game and Radio Kerry is turned up because Kerry people want to hear the Kerry viewpoint.
I myself love to listen to our own Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh. I believe there is nothing like him in the whole sporting world, at home or abroad. He is the supreme word conjuror. The man from the West Kerry Gaeltacht is indeed a national treasure.
Liam and I are usually in position a good hour before broadcast. This gives the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere, meet some of the players or team mentors, inquire about any late dramatic defections, judge the weather conditions and discuss the opposition with journalists and media men and women from other counties.
And what about the media centre in Croke Park? Well, it’s state-of-the-art, equal, I am sure, to any in the world. All the country’s media are seated in a vast open area in the upper deck of the Hogan Stand. We are usually situated just two rows back from the front of the stand, surrounded by other commentators, and it’s fascinating to watch the experts in action when the opportunity arises.
Michael Ó Muircheartaigh in full flow, up close and personal is a memorable sight. Brian Carty and Ger Canning are doing the RTÉ commentary with the obliging Tony Davis by their side. The exemplary Jim O’Sullivan is always available to join us for a quote, as is the inimitable Jimmy Magee, Peadar O’Brien, Tom O’Riordan, Kevin Kimmage, Kieran Shannon and others.
Most of the broadcasters have a TV monitor by their side to give them an instant re-play of incidents. Liam Higgins and I do not use one and rely totally on our eyes to retell any score or other incident. For myself, being a bit old fashioned, I prefer it this way as I find it keeps me on my toes, alert to everything knowing that I have one chance, and one only, to record to memory what has unfolded before me.
One big problem that has developed during the last two years and continues to cause endless problems for the media – especially the live broadcasters – is the difficulty in making out the numbers on some jerseys, and Kerry are as difficult as they come. It’s so easy to confuse say 13 with a 15, for example. What it must be like for the poor unfortunate Kerry fan high up in the stand with poor eyesight and with little knowledge of the minor players, for example, I can’t imagine.
Isn’t it ironic that 50 years ago the numbers on our players’ jerseys were so large and distinct that you could read them if you were on top of Carrauntoohil mountain. Progress can take many guises!
Of course, without our sound crew nothing would be possible and this team will arrive in Croke Park at around 11am with a Jeep full of all the most up to date gear. They are the real heroes in bringing the game to the thousands around the world and at home.
So, if you think it’s all a little hectic, well it is, but it’s hectic in a fantastic sort of way. This is only the tip of the All-Ireland final broadcast.
There are the fans, the colour, the tension, the excitement, the traditions and the memories of great players gone to their eternal reward. There is the explosion of sound and the kaleidoscope of colour as the teams race on to the hallowed turf. There is the parade, the national anthem, the tri-colour fluttering in the breeze, the tears in the eye.
Then there is the throw-in. Turn up the sound: “And it’s a great start for Kerry, what a point by the Gooch…”
And then a Kerry man presenting the Sam Maguire to a Kerry man. Memories are made of this.
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