The President of the GAA has paid tribute to gaelic games commentator Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, saying that he had “incredible, magical abilities as a commentator”.
Mr Ó Muircheartaigh died in hospital at the age of 93.
Jarlath Burns, a former county player for Armagh, said they always wanted Mr Ó Muircheartaigh to be commenting on their games.
“We just knew that Mícheál would weave those little magic spells, and we always wanted to hear him say our names. That’s how much of a legend Mícheál was to us,” Mr Burns said on RTÉ’s News at One programme.
He said that Mr Ó Muircheartaigh did so much for the Irish language in a very “unobtrusive, beautiful, elegant, gentle way” by casting it into the middle of his commentary.
“I think one of the things that he would always have said is that if people knew the amount of other languages that they know of Irish, they would be boasting about it,” Mr Burns said.
He said Mr Ó Muircheartaigh could weave Irish into his commentary and was nearly a precursor for TG4 adopting full Irish commentary.
“Mícheál almost prepared us for that … whenever he got really excited, he would throw the Irish in, because that was his first language coming from west Kerry.
“He could actually create almost a better image of the game than the images themselves that you were watching.”
The Taoiseach has described Mr Ó Muircheartaigh as “a gentleman to his fingertips” who “filled a room with a quiet and dignified aura”.
In a statement Simon Harris said: “The word ‘legend’ gets used too often, but for Mícheál, it is almost not enough.
“His voice, his colour, his excitement, his love of sport, his turn of phrase were often as exhilarating as the action he was describing on the pitch as the audience held its breath for what Mícheál would say next.”
Mr Harris said Mr Ó Muircheartaigh was also a treasured link for a generation of the Irish diaspora and the voice of home as they listened to GAA across the world.
“He also had a humour you could not learn – ‘Teddy McCarthy to Mick McCarthy, no relation, Mick McCarthy back to Teddy McCarthy, still no relation,'” he added.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin also paid tribute to the “iconic” Mr Ó Muicheartaigh who he said had extraordinary knowledge and a beautiful voice “that brought to life even the dullest of games”.
The Ceann Comhairle added a minute to the talking time for each of the party leaders during Leaders’ Questions to pay tribute to Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl said that Mr Ó Muircheartaigh was an “iconic figure”.
“He’s somebody who touched the lives of people, the length and breadth of his country. He wasn’t just the voice of the Gaelic Athletic Association.
“He epitomised the very spirit of that organisation.”
Meanwhile, Kerry footballer Pat Spillane said Mr Ó Muircheartaigh was a “wonderful, wonderful human being with not a bad bone in his body”.
“Just a great Irishman, a great Kerry man, a great Gael, a great Gaeilgeoir,” he said.
“He brought excitement to the worst of games, he brought atmosphere to the worst of games. He painted a picture of games that you felt you were at the game, but you weren’t.”
Head of RTÉ Sport Declan McBennett added that Mr Ó Muicheartaigh was “in a very exclusive club” and “his words will live forever”.
“He captivated a nation through his commentaries and his passion, knowledge, insight and wit were cherished by those who knew him through the wireless and the radio, through television and latterly on into the digital world.”
