Sunday night will be a momentous moment for sport in this country. Sure, the World Cup Final is on but that's nothing, Bill O'Herlihy will be presenting his final programme on RTÉ. Ever since it was first announced that Bill would be bowing out after this World Cup there has been a feeling of quiet lament. But it turns out we may not have seen that last of Bill on our screens if his latest comments are anything to go by.
O'Herlihy has said that although Sunday will definitely be his final appearance on RTÉ's football coverage, that does not preclude him from working for rival broadcasters.
TV3 have long been the only real domestic competition for the national broadcaster but now with Sky's increasing interest in Ireland and UTV's impending entry to the market, it's possible that O'Herlihy could have plenty of suitors should he wish to keep busy, something which he has revealed does appeal to him.
Quoted on Independent.ie, Billo said:
Nobody has come to talk to me yet but of course I will consider any proposal put to me.
I don’t think I could put my feet up. When my father retired from the Orthopaedic Hospital in Cork, he was replaced by three people. Now I wouldn’t be replaced by three people but I think I would have the same work ethic. I couldn’t imagine myself doing nothing.
And I’ll tell you something, my wife Hilary would be much more annoyed if I was hanging around the house.
Regardless of a possible role elsewhere, it's fair to say that Sunday will be the end of an era for Irish sports broadcasting and O'Herlihy was keen to keep his concentration on the job at hand.
I could have continued for another two years, but thought it would be best to bow out now, at the end of the World Cup. And what a tournament it's been.
There won't be tears. At least I hope there won't. I've had a really great life and have been very lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
Picture credit: Matt Browne / SPORTSFILE
