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Michael James Hehir (also known as Michael O'Hehir and ga, Mícheál Ó hEithir; 2 June 1920 – 24 November 1996) was an
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and
horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
commentator and journalist. Between 1938 and 1985 his enthusiasm and memorable turn of phrase endeared him to many. He is still regarded as the original 'voice of Gaelic games'.


Early life

O'Hehir was born in
Glasnevin Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...
,
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
to parents who had moved from Clare. His father, Jim O'Hehir, was active in
Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...
, having trained his native county to win the 1914
All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
title in hurling. He subsequently trained the Leitrim football team that secured the
Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
title in 1927 and he also served as an official with the Dublin Junior Board. O'Hehir was educated at St. Patrick's National School in Drumcondra before later attending the O'Connell School. He later studied electrical engineering at
University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
, but he abandoned his studies after just one year to pursue a full-time career in broadcasting. O'Hehir never played football, but he enjoyed a distinguished hurling career with the St. Vincent's club in
Raheny Raheny () is a northern suburb of Dublin, Ireland, halfway from the city centre to Howth. It is centred on a historic settlement, first documented in 570 CE ( Mervyn Archdall). The district shares Dublin's two largest municipal parks, Saint Anne ...
.


Broadcasting career


Early career

O'Hehir became fascinated with the radio when he received a present of one as a child. He had just turned eighteen and was still a schoolboy when he wrote to
Radio Éireann Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
asking to do a test commentary. O'Hehir was accepted and was asked, along with five others, to do a five-minute microphone test for a
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
game between
Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
and
Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...
. His microphone test impressed the director of broadcasting so much that he was invited to commentate on the whole of the second half of the match. Two months later in August 1938 O'Hehir made his first broadcast - the All-Ireland football semi-final between
Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...
and
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
. He went on to commentate on the second semi-final and that year's final between Galway and
Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in Count ...
. The following year he covered his first hurling final - the famous " thunder and lightning final" between
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
and
Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...
. Sports broadcasting in Ireland was still in its infancy at this stage, however, O'Hehir's Sunday afternoon commentaries quickly became a way of life for many rural listeners.


The Polo Grounds Final

By the mid-1940s O'Hehir was recognised as one of Ireland's leading sports broadcasters. In 1947 he faced his most challenging broadcast to date when he had to commentate on the
All-Ireland Football Final The All-Ireland Men's Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is an annual series of games played in Ireland during the summer and early autumn, and organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Contested ...
from the
Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Over 1,000,000 people were listening to the broadcast back in Ireland and O'Hehir was the one link between the game in New York and the fans in Ireland. The broadcast had to be finished by five o'clock local time, but the match ran late. The last few minutes of O'Hehir's commentary included him pleading with the broadcast technicians not to take him off the air. His pleas were successful and the Irish people were able to listen to the game in full.


Horse racing

In 1944 O'Hehir joined the staff of
Independent Newspapers Independent Newspapers Limited (INL) was a newspaper publisher in New Zealand. Started as the Wellington Publishing Company in 1906 to publish ''The Dominion'', it began taking over other newspapers in the 1970s and was renamed Independent New ...
as a sports sub-editor, before beginning a seventeen-year career as racing correspondent in 1947. His racing expertise was not just limited to print journalism as he became a racing commentator with Radio Éireann in 1945. Even though O'Hehir's star was on the rise with the national broadcaster in Ireland, he applied to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
for a position as racing commentator. His application was accepted and he provided commentary for the
Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...
. The BBC bosses were sufficiently impressed with O'Hehir to offer him further commentaries. O'Hehir subsequently became a staple of the BBC's coverage of the famous annual
Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...
steeplechase. He would invariably pick up the commentary at the
Becher's Brook Becher's Brook ( ) is a fence jumped during the Grand National, a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. It is jumped twice during the race, as the and fence, as well as on four other occasions du ...
fence and take the race to Valentine's Brook, a vital section of the race where many a favourite fell.
Foinavon Foinavon (1958–1971) was an Irish racehorse. He won the Grand National in 1967 at odds of 100/1 after the rest of the field fell, refused or were hampered or brought down in a mêlée at the 23rd fence. The fence was officially named after ...
's famous victory in 1967 will be remembered as one of O'Hehir's finest moments in racing commentaries and won him great respect for the speed and smoothness with which he picked out the unconsidered outsider. O'Hehir later confessed in an interview that it had been his inability to identify the colours on his card when inspecting the riders silks in the weighing room prior to the race that had led him to question rider John Buckingham who his mount was. Buckingham advised O'Hehir that Foinavon's silks had been changed at the last minute as his regular green colours were considered unlucky. It was because of this chance meeting that he was able to identify the 100/1 outsider and carry the commentary. However, in the 1969 Grand National, O'Hehir made a horrendous error stating eventual winner Highland Wedding had fallen at Bechers Brook (2nd circuit), when it was a horse called Kilburn that actually fell. He only covered three TV Grand Nationals (1967, 1968 and 1969), afterwards he would continue to cover the race for BBC Radio until 1981. In addition to horseracing O'Hehir also covered
showjumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...
, including the
Dublin Horse Show The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...
at the RDS in
Ballsbridge Ballsbridge () (from historic Ball's Bridge) is an affluent neighbourhood of the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The area is largely north and west of a three-arch stone bridge across the River Dodder, on the south side of the city. Th ...
.


Head of Sport

In 1961 Ireland's first national television station, Telefís Éireann, was founded and O'Hehir was appointed head of sports programmes. As a result of his influence O'Hehir secured the broadcasting rights to the closing stages of the All-Ireland hurling and football championships for the new station. As well as his new role O'Hehir continued to keep up a hectic schedule of commentaries.


Current affairs broadcasting

O'Hehir's skills did not just confine him to sports broadcasting and, in November 1963, he faced his toughest broadcast. By coincidence he was on holidays with his wife Molly in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
when US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. O'Hehir was asked by Telefís Éireann to provide the commentary for the
funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...
. The live five-hour broadcast proved a huge challenge for him, as he had had no association with political or current affairs broadcasting up to that point and lacked the resources available to more established television stations. O'Hehir's commentary, however, won widespread acclaim in Ireland and showed a different side of his nature. He later described it as the most moving and most demanding commentary of his career. O'Hehir was known in the United States prior to this as he had worked with
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
as a racing commentator. His presentation of the Kennedy funeral brought offers from American broadcasters, however, he preferred to remain in Ireland. O'Hehir later provided commentaries for other non-sporting events such as the reburial of
Roger Casement Roger David Casement ( ga, Ruairí Dáithí Mac Easmainn; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during Worl ...
(who had been executed in 1916) in 1965 and the celebrations marking the golden jubilee of the
Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...
in 1966.


Later career

In the early 1970s the initial challenge of being head of sport had faded as Telefís Éireann was now an established broadcaster. In 1972 he became manager of the newly designed
Leopardstown Racecourse Leopardstown Racecourse is an Ireland, Irish horse-racing venue, located in Leopardstown, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, 8 km south of the Dublin city centre. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing. Th ...
but left the following year to continue writing and broadcasting as a freelance journalist. This work took him to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
where he commentated for
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
in races such as the
Arlington Million The Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward on the turf. It was originally raced at the now-closed Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois over a distance of m ...
. This association with the American broadcaster lasted well into the eighties. In 1975 O'Hehir was honoured by '' The Late Late Show'' with a special tribute show. In the 1984
People of the Year Awards The People of the Year Awards was an annual award show in Ireland. Organised by the Rehab Group, it was televised by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The Awards provided a unique opportunity for the Irish public to honour outstanding contrib ...
he was one of the winners. In his commentary O'Hehir aimed at impartiality but admitted that he was always blamed for being "against the losers." Similarly he was also blamed for making a game out of nothing. Shortly after
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
defeated Galway in 1983 in a tense All-Ireland final about thirty Dublin supporters attacked him in the commentary box when he was commentating at another match in
Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland by population, tenth largest settlement in ...
. Only the presence of an armed detective - there to protect the microphone - saved him from serious injury.


Illness and later life

In August 1985 O'Hehir was preparing to commentate on the All-Ireland hurling final between
Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
and Galway. It would be a special occasion as it would mark his 100th commentary on an All-Ireland final. Two weeks before the game he suffered a
stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
which left him using a wheelchair and with some speaking difficulties. This illness denied him the chance to reach the century milestone. O'Hehir was subsequently replaced by
Ger Canning Ger Canning is an Irish sports commentator with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). Career Ger Canning was born in Cork on 10 May 1951. He was a secondary school teacher at South Presentation school in Cork City when he began his broadcasting ca ...
on television, and on radio by
Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh (; born 20 August 1930) is an Irish Gaelic games commentator for the Irish national radio and television, RTÉ. In a career that has spanned six decades he has come to be regarded as the "voice of Gaelic games." He ...
. He had hoped to return to broadcasting one day to complete his 100th final; however, this never happened. In 1987 the centenary All-Ireland football final took place and a special series of events was planned on the day at
Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...
. There was a parade of the 1947 Polo Grounds finalists; however, the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for O'Hehir who was pushed onto the field in a wheelchair by his son Peter. Nobody expected the standing ovation and the huge outpouring of emotion from the thousands of fans present and from O'Hehir himself. Over the next few years O'Hehir withdrew from public life. He returned briefly in 1996 when his autobiography, ''My Life and Times'', was published.


Death

Michael O'Hehir died in Dublin on 24 November 1996.


Centenary

The centenary of his birth was on 2 June 2020.


Quotes

''"And if there's anybody along the way there listening in, just give us five minutes more"'' - O'Hehir saving the 1947
Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...
Final for all the Irish listeners ''"
Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
in front of the goal is going through. He steadies himself, he takes a shot. It's blocked by Art Foley and it's cleared out by Art Foley. Oh, what a magnificent save there by Art Foley"'' - O'Hehir's description of
Art Foley Michael Arthur Foley (14 December 1928 – 28 October 2019) was an Irish hurler who played as a goalkeeper for the Wexford senior team. Born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Foley first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen ...
's famous save in the final moments of the 1956 hurling final ''"And
Tom Cheasty Thomas Cheasty (4 February 1934 – 10 August 2007) was an Irish Hurling, hurler who played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Waterford county hurling team, Waterford county team. Born in Knockaderry near Ballyduff, County Waterford, ...
breaks through with
Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...
defenders falling around him like dying wasps"'' - during one of the Kilkenny - Waterford games of the late 1950s or early 1960s ''"And it looks like there’s a bit of a schemozzle in the parallelogram"'' - O'Hehir's ubiquitous euphemism for a fight ''"The greatest freak of all time"'' - after
Mikey Sheehy Michael "Mikey" Sheehy (born 28 July 1954) is an Irish Gaelic football selector and former player. His league and championship career at senior level with the Kerry county team spanned fifteen seasons from 1973 to 1988. Born in Tralee, County ...
lobs the ball into the goal while
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
goalkeeper,
Paddy Cullen Patrick Cullen (born 18 October 1944) is an Irish former Gaelic football manager and former player. His league and championship career at senior level with the Dublin county team spanned thirteen years from 1966 to 1979. Born in Stoneybatt ...
is arguing with the referee ''"And it looks as if they were winning the way the
Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
men are just dithering and dawdling there...and here they come. This is
Liam Connor Liam Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Rob James-Collier from 2006 to 2008. Storylines Liam first appeared on ''Coronation Street'' in August 2006 when he and nephew Ryan ( Ben ...
the full-back...a high, lobbing, dropping ball in towards the goalmouth...a shot and a GOAL, a GOAL, a GOAL FOR OFFALY! There was a goal in the game! A goal. Oh, what a goal!"'' - O'Hehir's reaction as
Séamus Darby Séamus Darby (born 1950, Rhode, County Offaly) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer. Darby is best remembered for scoring an unexpected late goal that deprived Kerry of a 5-in-a-row in the 1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final ...
scores the winning goal for Offaly in the 1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, denying Kerry a famous fifth consecutive All-Ireland title. ''"And the bare-footed wonder with the ball now"'' - O'Hehir's description of
Babs Keating Michael "Babs" Keating (born 17 April 1944) is an Irish former hurler and Gaelic footballer who played as a forward for the Tipperary senior teams. Born in Ardfinnan, County Tipperary, Keating first played competitive Gaelic games during his ...
who played some of the 1971
All-Ireland Hurling Final The All-Ireland Hurling Final (''Cluiche Ceannais Iomána na hÉireann'') is the ultimate match played in the annual All-Ireland Hurling Championships (senior, minor and under-21 levels). The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was lis ...
in his bare feet ''"And there he is,
Alan Lotty Alan Lotty (15 July 1920 – 10 February 1973) was an Irish hurler who played for Cork Championship club Sarsfields. He played for the Cork senior hurling team for 10 years, during which time he usually lined out as a corner-back or as a wing ...
. He may be bootless, he may be sockless, he may be stickless, but he is certainly not ball-less."'' - O'Hehir's unusual description of Cork's Alan Lotty after he discarded his boots and socks and lost his hurley in a collision with another player ''"And it is a penalty. And Paddy Cullen, heaven help him, in there in the goal"'' - during the 1974 all-Ireland football final. ''"And the Jacks are back alright and the way they're playing right now the
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
backs are jacked!"''


See also

*
List of people on stamps of Ireland This is a list of people on stamps of Ireland, including the years when they appeared on a stamp. Because no Irish stamps were designed prior to 1929, the first Irish stamps issued by the Provisional Government of Ireland were the then-current B ...


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohehir, Michael 1920 births 1996 deaths Alumni of University College Dublin Gaelic games commentators Irish Independent people Irish sports broadcasters People educated at O'Connell School People from Glasnevin RTÉ Radio 1 presenters RTÉ television presenters St Vincents (Dublin) hurlers Gaelic games players from County Dublin Sportspeople from County Dublin