Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh: 'he was the voice of home for me'

Opinion: Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh was the voice of the GAA for thousands, but he also really reflected the place he hailed from in west Kerry

Tá scamall bhróin thairis dúthaigh Duibhneach agus scéal tagtha chughainn go bhfuil Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh imithe ar shlí na fírinne. Cé gur leis an tír ar fad é, gan dabht, cuimhnimid ar i gcónaí mar dhuine dár gcuid fhéinig é anseo i nDaingean Uí Chúis. Tagann focail an tSeabhaic go mór chun chuimhne inniu is sinn ag cuimhneamh ar Mhícheál.

'Beir mo Dhuthracht go dúthaigh Duibhneach

Sí tír mo rún í atá dluth lem chroíse

Duthaigh m'óige is fód mo shinsear

Mo ghrá go deo í is a glóire draoíchtúil’

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From RTÉ News, legendary GAA commentator Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh dies aged 93

Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh was a proud Kerryman, but we like to think here, a prouder Dingle (Daingean Uí Chúis) man. While he left his beloved Dún Síon initially for Coláiste Íosagáin in Baile Mhúirne to attend secondary school and later for Dublin, he returned often and the Ó Muircheartaigh family are a much loved and integral part of our Dingle family today.

The place where Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh was born is just how you imagine it: a part of the peninsula which has thankfully remained unspoilt and is surrounded by traditional farms and beautiful beaches. At the cusp of Dingle Bay, where Fungi once resided, and near the site of the traditional Dingle Races meet, there is a constant flow of fishing boats and naomhóga (currachs) in the harbour and the narrow roads are lined with Deora Dé (fushcia) and montbretia.

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From RTÉ Radio 1's News at One, tributes to 'the Carrauntoohil of commentators'

It's a place with a great sense of community, family and tradition still and where nature is at its finest, especially at this time of year. It is no surprise that Mícheál spent much of his time here when he could and I think that An Seabhac's words above really reflect the place, as well as the bond Mícheál had with it.

All of us in Dingle have very fond memories of Mícheál and many wonderful stories have already been regaled around his fantastic commentaries and his significance in the GAA community in particular. My first thoughts though are with his remarkable family. Here in Dingle, he was rarely seen without his wife, daughters, sons, grandchildren or members of his extended family around him and we are grateful to them for sharing him so generously with us over the years.

I often thought the sharing came with great patience too. When Mícheál would speak with every single person at a gathering, the family all understood how much those meetings meant to him and especially those vying for a word or a selfie. He treated absolutely everyone with the same respect and generosity and gave everyone time always. Fear uasail cineálta i gcónaí

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Ó Raidió na Gaeltachta's An Saol ó Dheas in September 2017 le Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Liam Ó Rócháin agus An tAthair Tomás Ó Luana

While he officially retired from GAA commentary in 2010, we in the Irish language community were lucky that he continued to have a regular Monday slot during Championship season on Raidió na Gaeltachta's An Saol ó Dheas programme up until quite recently. His commitment to, and warmth towards, the Irish language was always incredible and he was a person that appealed to those with a cúpla focail as well as the academic Irish speaker and everyone in-between.

My own Monday ritual of tuning in to Micheál's lunchtime slot was really important to me, especially when I worked in the UK. As well as getting his unique perspective on the weekend’s games, and other goings on locally and nationally, he was the sound of home for me and just so comforting to listen to. It is brilliant to see that the Ó Muircheartaigh family connection with Raidió na Gaeltachta continues with the very welcome recent appointment of Mícheál’s nephew, journalist Joe, as a producer with the station. Táimid ar fad ana shásta fé sin.

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From The Irish Times, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh on the best way to make a ham sandwich

Bhí cumhacht ar leith ag An Muircheartach orainn. Bhraitheas go bhféadfadh sé aon rud ará agus do chreidfinn é agus ní rabhas im' aonair! Cosúil le aon scéalaí maith, tharraingeodh sé tú isteach sa scéal, ba chuma fén ábhar - ón slí is fearr chun ceapaire a dhéanamh go stair imreoir ar ghort caide, go sinn a spreagadh chun teacht le chéile le linn amantaí dúshlánacha – bhíomar ar fad leis.

Nuair a chuimhním siar ar na blianta beaga atá imithe tharainn agus an dúshlán mhór a thrasnaíomar leis an bpaindéim, seasann láithreacht Mhichíl amach dom. Le linn Márta 2020, nuair a bhí sé le feiscint ar chlár an Late Late, d’iarr sé orainn ar fad a bheith dóchasach agus do roinn sé comhairle a sheanmháthair linn: 'Dúiseacht le Dúthracht ag Breacadh an Lae’. Thar oíche, bhí an manna sin le feiscint is le clos ins na haon áit agus dóchas agus dearfacht tugtha ag Mícheál dúinn ar fad. Níos déanaí sa bhliain, ar Oíche Nollag, bhí Mícheál le feiscint ar an dteilifís arís is a cuimhní maidir le fás aníos sa Daingean á roinnt aige linn - barróg eile á dtabhairt aige dúinn ar fad le linn tréimhse thar a bheith dúshlánach.

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From The Late Late Show, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh on the unity and hope of the Irish people during the Covid-19 pandemic

I always felt confidence in anything Mícheál said and I know I was not alone! From the best way to make a ham sandwich to stories about players on the pitch as well as inspiring us to stick together in challenging times - we were all with Mícheál.

His presence on television, in particular, during the pandemic will always stand out to me. His appearance on the Late Late Show in March 2020 brought with it advice passed down from his grandmother which he imparted to us: ‘Dúiseacht le Dúthracht ag Breacadh an Lae’ (‘Wake with enthusiasm at the dawning of the day’). Overnight the mantra was everywhere and later that year, on Christmas Eve, his appearance on RTÉ’s Christmas celebration programme, reminiscing on times past in Dingle, was just the comfort and hug we all needed at that challenging time.

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From RTÉ Archives, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh manages to tell listeners about the Annals of the Four Masters during his commentary on the 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Final between Dublin and Donegal.

We are accustomed to meeting Mícheál at Christmas Eve Mass in Dingle. For many years now, we have brought the band from the local boys' primary school, Scoil Iognáid Rís, to sing and play for what is considered the Santy Mass. The boys sing the usual Christmas hymns but really the highlight is the playing of Dingle Wren tunes on whistles and drums to the packed church at the end of the service – a hint at the boisterousness and exuberance that is to come in the town on St Stephen's Day.

The boys have come to expect seeing Mícheál there and him greeting them all with a handshake and words of encouragement afterwards. Last Christmas Eve, accompanied by his sons, daughters and grandchildren, he was, as usual, almost the last person to leave the church, having spoken to everyone he could, and the boys in the band were as excited about the shaking of his hand and chatting to Mícheál as the impending visit from Santy that night. His words of encouragement, especially around their music and the upkeep of the wren tradition, will be long remembered. Mícheál himself, completely committed to the Green & Gold Wren group, never missed the Wren's Day in Dingle and, of course, knew how important those words of encouragement and praise were to the younger generation in particular.

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From RTÉ News in 2018, Seán Mac an tSíthigh reports on Wren's Day in Dingle, complete with a dancing Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh

Dingle people know it is not often that a rival Sráid Eoin Wren member tips their hat to the Green & Gold Wren, but I do so with a tremendous amount of grá agus meas and hope that, wherever they are, Mícheál and other former wren members are regaling lively stories of Wren’s Days past, Kerry’s golden moments and Dingle GAA's recent fantastic run in the Munster club championship, all to the accompaniment of Old Comrades, our local anthem, and the strains of the fife and drum. Maybe the great Garry McMahon will have a few verses of The Kingdom’s Green & Gold to cap the party off rightly.

‘You cannot box or bottle it or grasp it in your hand,

But pride of race and love of place inspire a love of land,

Time honoured is our birth right; you will never break the mould,

For its deep within the soul of us who wear the Green and Gold.’

Ní imithe uainn ach imithe romhainn a deirtear agus sinn ag súil go bhfuil ceol bríomhair an fíf agus droma le clos pé áit ina bhfuil Mícheál suite ag scéalaíocht lena comrádaithe caide, clainne, Gaelacha & a sheana-comrádaithe ón Dreoilín. Deirtear go ró-mhinic é ach níl aon dabht fé ach ná beidh a leithéid arist ann. Beannacht lena anam grámhar, Gaelach agus comhbhrón ó chroí lena bhean chéile Helena agus le Éamonn, Niamh, Aonghus, Neasa, Cormac, Nuala, Éadaoin, Doireann agus a gharchlann ar fad.

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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ