John Healy (1930–1991) was an Irish journalist from Charlestown, County Mayo, who wrote for ''

Western People The ''Western People'' is a weekly local newspaper published in Ballina, County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland. It was first published in 1883. The newspaper was part of the Thomas Crosbie Holdings group. Thomas Crosbie Holdings went into re ...

'' and ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

''.

Career

He joined the Western People in 1948, then moved to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

to work for the ''Irish News Agency'', a government-run news service managed by

Conor Cruise O'Brien Donal Conor David Dermot Donat Cruise O'Brien (3 November 1917 – 18 December 2008), often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish diplomat, politician, writer, historian and academic, who served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1973 ...

. He worked for a time for

The Irish Press ''The Irish Press'' (Irish: ''Scéala Éireann'') was an Irish national daily newspaper published by Irish Press plc between 5 September 1931 and 25 May 1995. Foundation The paper's first issue was published on the eve of the 1931 All-Ireland ...

group before joining the Irish Times in 1959. Healy also edited The

Dublin Evening Mail The ''Dublin Evening Mail'' (renamed the ''Evening Mail'' in 1928) was between 1823 and 1962 one of Dublin's evening newspapers. Origins Launched in 1823, it proved to be the longest lasting evening paper in Ireland. The paper was an instant suc ...

for a time. Healy was a journalist with ''

'' newspaper, writing the ''Backbencher'' column in the 1960s and 1970s. He was a close friend of the editor, Douglas Gageby. Healy's book ''No One Shouted Stop (The Death of an Irish Town)'', published in 1968, chronicled the economic and social decline of rural life in the west of Ireland in a time of widespread poverty and mass emigration. He also wrote ''Nineteen Acres'' on the history and lifestyle of his family, who were small farmers. Healy was a strong

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...

supporter and one of the most fervent journalistic supporters and admirers of both Donagh O'Malley and

Charles Haughey Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach on three occasions – 1979 to 1981, March to December 1982 and 1987 to 1992. He was also Minister for the Gaeltacht from ...

. Healy's support for the latter caused considerable controversy among his fellow

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

journalists, many of whom were outspoken opponents of Haughey.

Death and legacy

Healy died 6 January 1991, and was survived by his wife, Evelyn. In March 2007, a RTÉ radio journalist visited Charlestown and assessed the changes in Healy's hometown in the forty years since the writing of his boo

Honours and places bearing his name include the Western Development Commission/John Healy Awards, the N5 road (Ireland), N5 Charlestown bypass, and the John Healy ''

'' Awards.

Published works

*''The Death of an Irish Town'' (Mercier Press, 1968) *''Nineteen Acres'' (, Kennys Bookshops, 1978)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Healy, John 1930 births 1991 deaths Irish journalists People from County Mayo 20th-century journalists