Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh
Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh in Villa Maria, Waterville, 2012
Born	Michael Moriarty (1930-08-20) 20 August 1930 (age 86) Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland
Residence	Dublin, Ireland
Alma mater	St Patrick's College of Education
Occupation	Gaelic games commentator
Employer	RTÉ
Predecessor	Michael O'Hehir

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh (Irish pronunciation: [mʲiːçaːl̪ˠ oː mˠɪɾʲçaɾˠt̪ˠiː]; born 20 August 1930) is an Irish Gaelic games commentator for the Irish national radio and television, Raidió Teilifís. In a career that has spanned six decades he has come to be regarded as the "voice of Gaelic games." His prolific career has earned him a place in Guinness World Records.

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh was born in Dún Síon just outside Dingle, County Kerry in 1929. Ó Muircheartaigh grew up on the family farm and was educated locally in Dingle. In September 1945 he began studying at Coláiste Íosagáin in Baile Bhúirne in the County Cork Gaeltacht where he was in training to be a teacher. It was at this all-Irish school that his name changed from Michael Moriarty to the Irish version Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh . In September 1948 he began the final year of his teacher training at St Patrick's College of Education in Drumcondra, Dublin.

In early March 1949 Ó Muircheartaigh, along with ten other students from the college, and several from other colleges, did a test commentary on a hurling game at Croke Park. Each student had to commentate for five minutes in Irish and the most successful would be selected for further commentary work. Ó Muircheartaigh had never seen a game of hurling before in his life. But he knew that those adjudicators judging his commentary were not able to see the game:

'Twas a new game to me. But I knew one person. He was in goal for UCD and his name was Tadhg Hurley. He went to school in Dingle and he had hurling because his father was a bank manager and had spent time in Tipperary or Cork. The moment my minute started, he was saving a fantastic shot. And he cleared it away out, I can still see it, out over the sideline, Cusack Stand side of the field, eighty yards out. But it was deflected out by a member of the opposition. The adjudicators couldn't see that that didn't happen. Who was called out to take the line-ball? The only person I knew, Tadhg Hurley. And he took a beautiful line-ball - Christy Ring never took better. He landed it down in front of the Railway goal, there was a dreadful foul on the full-forward, and there was a penalty. And who was called up to take the penalty? Tadhg Hurley. 'Twas the best individual display ever seen in Croke Park. It took him at least a minute to come from the Canal goal up. And while he was coming up I spoke about his brother Bob, who was in Donal's class, and his sister who used to come out to Dún Síon strand during the summer. So eventually he took the penalty. I've seen DJ Carey, I've seen Nicky Rackard, I've seen Christy Ring. None of them could ever equal the display he gave that day... Sin mar a thosaigh sé!"