skip to main content

Tributes paid to broadcasting 'giant' Bill O'Herlihy

Updated / Tuesday, 26 May 2015 10:10
Bill O'Herlihy (c) has died, aged 76
Bill O'Herlihy (c) has died, aged 76

Tributes have been paid to the RTÉ broadcaster and journalist Bill O’Herlihy, who passed away peacefully at his home this morning. 

The Cork native retired last summer after a career spanning 49 years that included fronting RTÉ’s coverage of the Olympic Games, World Cups and European Football Championships.

RTÉ Soccer analyst Eamon Dunphy said O'Herlihy made a massive contribution to broadcasting in many aspects.

"Bill was a great broadcaster," Dunphy said.

"It was a great tribute to him, that RTÉ would give that job, not just soccer but the Olympics as well, and the seriousness [with which] RTÉ took sport.

"He was a great current affairs broadcaster before that. He had a range of interests and a grasp on his subject, whatever it was, be it golf, swimming, boxing, soccer, he was a fantastic broadcaster and a very, very nice man. He was great fun.

"Bill was a very decent guy but he also had a journalist's sharp instinct and he would often pull me up or, Liam Brady in particular. Behind it all, we were all great friends and it is rare.

"I think he made a massive contribution to the happiness and understanding of sport and happiness people derived from the sport for all of the Olympic Games, all of the World Cups and all that he presided over.

"He was by far the most important person on that panel. He was the catalyst for all that was good about it.

"I'd like to offer my condolences to his wife Hilary, and [daughters] Sally and Jill."

Former Ireland international manager and player John Giles, who also formed part of the panel, said O'Herlihy structured the stuido debate in the perfect fashion.

"He had a journalistic background and he was able to broaden the conversations brilliantly. He never got technical about football, but he could broaden the conversations in a brilliant way.

“He had a good sense of humour but he knew his audience. He didn't put himself first. 

“He could ask what a lot of people consider to be silly questions and he knew exactly what he was doing on that. The panellists are only as good as the presenter and Bill was brilliant."

Liam Brady said O'Herlihy was a master conductor in broadcasting.  

Brady told RTÉ this afternoon: "I've worked with Bill for the last 17 years. I'm away on holiday with my family at the moment and I'm in a bit of a daze. I can't really believe it. I'm very shocked and very sad for his family.

"He could cause a row in an empty room. He was always looking for an angle that would rile one of us or all three of us. He loved nothing more than getting any argument going. He was absolutely excellent at that. 

"His finest hour was in the 2002 World Cup. The panel weren't really getting on. Eamon took Roy Keane's side of things and myself and John took the opposite. There really was an atmosphere amongst us four at the time that was very difficult. You would have never know that when the programme started. He conducted it brilliantly. The whole of Ireland is going to miss him."

President Michael D Higgins expressed his sadness at the loss of the 76-year-old.

"Bill led us on those days that we will always remember. Always"

He said: "Bill was the face of Irish sports broadcasting for several decades and his rapport with sports fans all around the country was legendary, especially as part of the panel which he chaired for major soccer competitions.

"Extremely professional in every detail of his work and 
knowledgeable in his endeavours; however, it was his unique capacity for humour which he used to connect with diverse audiences, which made him so special."

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny said O’Herlihy was a “national treasure” and also felt he had lost a good friend.

"Throughout his career in the media, Bill was a consummate professional, both in current affairs journalism and, latterly in sports broadcasting," he said. 

“In his role in RTÉ sport, Bill O'Herlihy was central to many of Ireland's international sporting occasions and became a national treasure.

"He loved his work and his family, and never forgot his Cork roots, or lost his Cork accent.

"In recent years, he has devoted much of his time to public service in his role as chair of the Irish Film Board, in which he was a strong advocate of Irish film-making.

"On a personal level, Bill and I have been good friends for many years and I will miss his friendship and support. He was the quintessential decent, kind and generous Irish man.”

Director-General of RTÉ Noel Curran said: “Everyone in RTÉ is devastated at today’s news. Bill O’Herlihy was a giant of the sporting and broadcasting worlds in this country.

“His contribution to broadcasting was utterly unique. For decades he was at the centre of some of Ireland’s greatest sporting moments. He never hid his emotions on those big occasions, from disappointment to utter joy, and for this he was greatly loved.

“But he was also a fantastic broadcaster and interviewer, getting the very best out of his interview panels and provoking debate and insight, and for this he was also hugely admired. Our sincere sympathies go to Bill’s wife Hillary, daughters Jill and Sally, grandchildren, family, friends and colleagues.”  

Fellow RTÉ broadcaster Des Cahill said that O'Herlihy played a part in the great sporting occasions for the nation: "Bill O'Herlihy has a unique thing that will always be there for his children and grandchildren. Bill O'Herlihy led our greatest days.

"They might not have been the most important days but [they were] our greatest days. The days of Olympics medals, World Cups. They all seem to be sunny days. The whole country would stop and join together, and they would hope together, be scared together, share excitement together and disappointment.

"And sometimes we had that golden unforgettable joy of victory that we all shared together. Bill O'Herlihy led the whole country in that. Bill led us on those days that we will always remember. Always."

More stories on

Read Next