The GAA world is in mourning after the sad passing of the legendary Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh.
The voice of the GAA for decades, Ó Muircheartaigh broke the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a live match commentator in 2010, having been active on RTÉ since March 1949.
His kind-hearted nature and unmatched ability for a quip or comment with the mic at hand made him a true icon - not only of the GAA but of Irish pop culture as a whole.
The Dingle man passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93, in news which has brought great sadness to the world of Gaelic Games.
As tributes continue to flow in for Ó Muircheartaigh, GAA president Jarlath Burns remembered the powerful influence the great man had on the course of Kerry GAA's modern history - in unearthing a then-little-known talent by the name of Kieran Donaghy.
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Kieran Donaghy pays tribute to the late great Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh
Jarlath Burns appeared alongside Des Cahill on the News at One on RTÉ Radio this afternoon to remember the late great Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh.
Burns said that he and his former Armagh teammates would always get a thrill whenever their matches were chosen for live broadcast with Ó Muircheartaigh on commentary duty.
The GAA president said, "As a former county player with Armagh, we always wanted Mícheál to be commentating on our games. You just knew that Mícheál would weave those little magic spells.
"We always wanted to hear him say our names, that's how much of a legend Mícheál was."
Burns went on to explain that the famous unearthing of Kieran Donaghy on the TG4 show Underdogs was entirely down to the input of Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh.
Later on, I worked with Mícheál on a series called Underdogs, where we took these 'no-hoper' footballers to turn them into a team - we were going to play Kerry.
First meeting, Mícheál says, 'I have two players that I would like to recommend. There's one called Kieran Donaghy from Tralee and there's another Corkman called Pearse O'Neill.
Those two became the stars of our team, Kieran we actually called 'star.' He won an All-Ireland with Kerry.
Pearse O'Neill then won an All-Ireland in 2010 with Cork - which was, ironically, the last game Mícheál ever commentated on.
All of those little stories are beyond even his incredible, magical ability as a commentator.
Donaghy was part of the Underdogs team that famously defeated Kerry in 2004. The following year, he would make his debut for the Kingdom, before winning not only a first All-Ireland but also Footballer of the Year in 2006.
The Tralee man retired with four All-Ireland medals and three All-Stars to his name, as a true legend of Kerry football - one who may never have gotten his chance at inter-county were it not for Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh.
Sad day for all GAA people but he was one of our own. What a man, we will never see the likes of him again. Thanks for the help with the underdogs and the useful advice pre big games from Fitzgerald stadium to Croker . Rest in peace Mícheál , thanks for the memories. #legend pic.twitter.com/ac4rO1R1K1
— Kieran Donaghy (@starryboy14) June 25, 2024
Donaghy himself took to Twitter to pay tribute to the great man on Tuesday afternoon.
The 41-year-old thanked Ó Muircheartaigh for the role he had played in getting his career off the ground, saying:
Sad day for all GAA people but he was one of our own. What a man, we will never see the likes of him again.
Thanks for the help with the Underdogs and the useful advice pre big games from Fitzgerald Stadium to Croker.
Rest in peace Mícheál, thanks for the memories.
It is indeed a sad day for all in GAA spheres.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
