Michael O’Hehir was born in Glasnevin in Dublin on June 2, 1920. He was educated at St. Patrick’s National School in Drumcondra and O’Connell’s CBS. His father Jim came from Co Clare and trained the Clare hurlers to win the 1941 All-Ireland. Michael, or Micheal as he was known to an earlier generation, began commentating as a schoolboy at the age of 18.
Michael O'Hehir: The voice of Irish sport.
He was given a five-minute microphone test during the first half of a GAA league match, and the director of broadcasting at Radio Eireann, Dr T.J. Kiernan, was so impressed with him that he allowed him to commentate on the whole of the second half. Two months later, on August 14, 1938, he made his first broadcast when he covered the All-Ireland football semi- final between Monaghan and Galway.
He became the voice of Irish sport for almost half a century, filling Irish homes with the distinct sound of his GAA hurling and football commentaries on Sunday afternoons in the 1940s and 50s as people gathered around the radio to listen to him. He covered virtually all major GAA matches from 1938 to 1985, when illness prevented him from covering his 100th All Ireland final.
He also commentated on horseracing. One of his most memorable commentaries was on the 1967 Aintree Grand National. That was the year of the horse Foinavon, when the 100/1 rank outsider emerged from the havoc of fallen horses and riders at one of the railway fences and went on to win the race. O’Hehir spotted every horse that came to grief at that fence, and immediately called Foinavon as he came away from the obstacle all on his own. That was his most outstanding performance in 25 years covering the Grand National for the BBC.
He was also racing correspondent for the Irish Independent from the late 1940s until the early 1960s.
He is also remembered for his commentary on the visit of President John F. Kennedy to Ireland in 1963, which showed him to be a man of unique talent. He was in the United States later that year when Kennedy was assassinated and was asked by RTE to cover the funeral. Without the resources available to others, he gave an emotional commentary lasting almost five hours. He described that commentary as the most demanding of his career. As a result of the Kennedy funeral commentary, he was offered and turned down a full-time job in American broadcasting. He became head of sports programmes at RTE in 1961, a job he continued to do until 1972. He became manager of Leopardstown Racecourse in 1972, but left a year later to continue writing and broadcasting on a freelance basis.
He married Molly Owens in 1948 and they had three sons and two daughters. His autobiography, My Life and Times, was published in 1996.
Michael O’Hehir died Dublin on November 24, 1996.