Monday 25 May 2015

Irish broadcaster Bill O'Herlihy, who covered 10 World Cups, dies aged 76

The former RTÉ broadcaster and PR executive, Bill O'Herlihy, has died.

The Cork man, who was 76, retired from RTÉ last year, at the end of the 2014 World Cup, after a 49-year broadcasting career.

He had worked in broadcasting since the 1960s, and had been RTÉ's chief sports presenter for major events.

Mr O'Herlihy covered 10 World Cups, including Brazil 2014, and 10 Olympic Games.

In 1973, he founded the O'Herlihy Communications Group.

He began his journalism career at the age of 16 when he joined the Cork Examiner.

His first broadcast for RTÉ was a piece on commemorations of the sinking of the Lusitania, off the Cork coast, for Newsbeat in 1965.

He also worked on the programme 7 Days.

Award

Mr O'Herlihy presented the first Rugby World Cup on RTÉ television, as well as co-presenting the very first Sunday Game with Jim Carney in 1979.

He had a heart attack in 1984 and had an operation in 2007 due to a colon cancer tumour, but recovered to resume his place as anchor of RTÉ's soccer coverage.

He won a Jacob's award for his presentation of the 1990 World Cup, Irish Sports Journalist of the Year 2003, and in 2007 he was named the Irish Film and Television Academy's Television Personality of the Year.

- BBC

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