The legendary broadcaster tells Harry Guerin about his first day in RTÉ, his early role models and the programmes he'd bring to that fabled desert island.
What do you remember about your first day in RTÉ?
My first job was in 1965. It was an interview for Frank Hall's Newsbeat about the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania off the coast of Cork. I was sent down to Cappoquin to interview a survivor and it was a nightmare interview. I said to Frank Hall, 'Look, don't use it if it's not good enough'. And he saw something that I didn't see in it and he said I was to do all the work for his programme out of Cork – I was the first person in RTÉ to be based outside Dublin.
Who was the biggest inspiration in your early career?
The biggest influence I had in terms of performance was a friend of mine called Joe McCarthy, who was my cameraman and he was also the director, practically. Frank Hall was a terrific guy to work for and the quirkier the story the better, from Frank's perspective, as you can imagine! Subsequently, my biggest influence in terms of anchoring would've been Michael Parkinson and Gaybo. I think a lot of people don't understand the role of the anchor: the anchor makes sure that you bring out the best of the people that you're with. You are not the star; they're the stars. It's your job to represent the public.
What has been your proudest/most memorable moment?
The most memorable time in Current Affairs would've been the Seven Days moneylending programme and the most memorable in Sport would have been the penalty shoot-out in Genoa in the 1990 World Cup. People would look at us [the panel] as being very dispassionate – as kind of killjoys. But with the penalty shoot-out we were hopping around the place, jumping up and down, dancing and everything! I remember poor old Gerry Ryan asking me did I have any regrets that I wasn't in Italy and I said I wouldn't have missed Dublin for anything.
...and the most embarrassing?
Without a shadow of a doubt it was when Seven Days sent me up to Ballymena to do the election campaign in the Bannside constituency when Ian Paisley ran against Terence O'Neill. I found Paisley to be a very good humoured, nice guy, but once the result was declared – he lost it by 1,500 votes, it was obviously a pyrrhic victory for O'Neill – he was transformed. I was going live and there was a big crowd on the stage and we were swaying. I can't remember the question but I'll never forget the answer. Paisley said to me, 'Young man, can I smell your breath?' And I looked at him and I said, 'What in the name of God are you saying?' What I didn't realise was that there was a drunk on the stage near me! I said to Paisley afterwards, 'That was a terrible thing you did to me. Not alone were you wrong, but I'm an Orangeman!' And he said, 'No Papist was ever an Orangeman!' I said, 'I'm an Orangeman in the sense I drink only orange – I'm a pioneer!'
Which TV shows are you taking to your desert island?
I'd bring that penalty shoot-out with me; I'd bring Ireland playing Italy in Bari [2009] and I'd brink Cork winning an All Ireland.
