Farewell to Sean Og O'Ceallacháin

March 28th, 2013
by Tom Aherne

 I was saddened to hear of the passing of Sean Og O'Ceallacháin the legendary Radio presenter on Sunday last 17th February. He was a much loved figure who was admired and respected across the land. His voice was instantly recognized by all followers of Gaelic games, and he was very proud of Dublin and his native Limerick. He was a friend and near neighbour of the late Kevin Heffernan who blazed his own trail of success with Dublin as a player and manager. It has been a sad few weeks for all followers of our traditional pastimes, with the passing also of Jimmy Smyth (who I used to correspond with over the years) the Clare player who was one of the greatest hurlers never to win an All Ireland medal  and best selling author Brendan Fullam. We will not hear or see their likes again and they will be sadly missed but never forgotten. Many people may not know of Sean's connection with West Limerick and as a final tribute I would like to share with the readers the following  lines.

When I was a young boy attending national school in the late sixties, television sets were very scarce around the locality. The radio was king and we listened to it while the batteries lasted. Combined with the daily and Sunday papers, Limerick Leader, and Kerryman it was our way of keeping in contact with the national news, be it current affairs, sport, or entertainment. We got to know the names of the programmes and presenters, and we could tell the name of the programme by the distinctive voice of the presenter. Names I recall from those far off days include Maureen Potter, Eamon Kelly, Leo Maguire, Frankie Byrne, Sean O Murchu, Leonard Sacks, Eamon Andrews, Joe Lynch, Din-Joe, Bridie Gallagher, and Delia Murphy all from the entertainment world.

I was very interested in sports and the following names spring to mind Philip Greene, Jimmy Magee, Brendan O'Reilly, Tony Sheehan, Bill Toomey, Fred Cogley, Liam Campbell, Mick Dunne, Michael O'Hehir, Michael O'Muircheartaigh, and Sean Og O'Ceallacháin. We enjoyed all the presenters of the different programmes during the week, but the highlight was Sean Og and the Gaelic games results on Sunday nights. It was our only means of receiving the local and national results at the time. I was allowed to stay up to hear it and I would write down the teams and matches I was interested in. I would fill in the results as Sean Og read them out. It was brilliant to know the results, as otherwise you would have to wait for Monday's paper, for the national results, and the Limerick Leader, and Kerryman, for the county matches on the following Friday.

The results were also a great way to learn the geography of the country as Sean Og read them out county by county. Many of the club names had a special magic about them, for a young rural boy thirsty for new information. His unique voice and clear delivery as he pronounced the names, still fresh in the memory following his standard opening welcome. Names I still recall include Thurles Sarsfields, Newtown Blues, Glen Rovers, Longford Slashers, Buffers Alley, Windgap, Dunmore Mc Hales, Dublin Faughs, Mount Sion, Rower-Inistoige. Thanks to Sean Og's dulcet tones, I drifted off to sleep with the names and places ringing in my ears.

Sean Og O Ceallacháin was born in a house at South Quay in the town of Newcastle West on the 12th May 1923. His father Seán Seán was a native of Coalisland County Tyrone, and his mother Frances Madden from Ballyhahill in West Limerick. His parents met in Dublin where both worked and they were married in 1920. The move to Newcastle West came about after the firm his father worked with went out of business, as the building was burned down during the Civil War. A vacancy on the sales staff of Nash's Mineral Waters, in Newcastle West, led to his father accepting the job. The move was welcomed by his mother as she would be close to her family and relations in West Limerick. Sean Og was born soon after they settled in South Quay. In 1926 his father was offered a job in Dublin by a leading soft drinks company Cantrell and Cochran and the family decided to return to Dublin again, thus ending their brief stay in West Limerick. Summer holidays were spent back there over the years, amongst the relations in Ballyhahill, Rathkeale, and Newcastle West. Summers spent at Maddens, Foleys, Cremins, and Cregans, (Ned Cregan the famous Limerick hurler) were happy and carefree days. He received a good education in Scoil Mhuire Marlborough Street, Scoil Colmcille, and 2nd level at Colaiste Mhuire in Parnell Street.  He attended The Abbey School of Acting for two years. It was there that he acquired that characteristic clarity of diction that stood to him when he took up sports broadcasting. He twice won the Feis Ceoil for his singing in the Irish Language. He worked for many years in a drapery shop, and had his own sports shop for a short while, but his love for the microphone, was his great passion.

Sean Og enjoyed a very successful Gaelic games career, with Eoghan Ruadh and Dublin in hurling and Clanna Gael, and O'Tooles, and Dublin in football. He won many honors including a county title with Eoghan Ruadh in 1951. He won Leinster Championship honors with Dublin, and played in the 1948 All Ireland hurling final, scoring a goal in the defeat to Waterford. He also played in the 1946 National League final which Clare won after a replay in Limerick. He played from 1943 to 1953 with Dublin hurlers, and also with Leinster in the Railway Cup. He played against all the leading players of his time, including Mick Mackey and Christy Ring.

Sean Og was also a leading Referee officiating at county and national level. He took charge of Leinster Championship  National League, and Railway Cup matches, including the 1952 All Ireland minor football final between Galway and Cavan.  He contributed to Sports Stadium, on Radio under Philip Greene from 1951 with a Gaelic games slot on the newly introduced sports show. He took over reading the G.A.A. Sports Results on Radio, from his father in 1953 after he developed an irritating cough that disrupted his speech on air. His father had given 23 years service as a commentator and broadcaster, and it fell to Sean Og to tell him that he was being replaced by his son. Sean Og has the unique record of playing refeering reporting and commentating on All Ireland finals. He was the commentator on the first All Ireland hurling final in 1962 and also the football final which were televised live. He was the G.A.A. Sports writer with the Evening Press from 1954 to 1995 when the paper ceased publication. He has presented the Sunday Game on TV being one of the first presenters when it came on air on the 8th July 1979.  He was awarded the coveted Padraig Puirseal Hall of Fame in 1980 in recognition of his services to Gaelic games.

Sean Og was the author of several books, since his first publication Sean Og his own story in 1988. They include the following titles Tall Tales and Banter, My Greatest Sporting Memory, The Dubs, The Birth of a Building, History of Hermitage Golf Club, and Giants of Gaelic Football in 2007.  He has also played golf playing off a handicap of two at Hermitage Golf Club. He has wrote a Radio Play An Braon Searbh, and drama plays,( A Scent of Hawthorn, and  A Man from the Island ) and was an award winning actor in drama, in what has been a very full life. He has interviewed many famous people over the years, including Mohammad Ali, in Croke Park in 1972. He met Peig Sayers, on the Blasket Islands, and attended the Eucharistic Congress, in Dublin in 1932. He also witnessed the devastation, caused by the bombing of the North Strand in Dublin.

On 23rd June 2003 Limerick County Council hosted a Civic Reception in his honor. He received a presentation of Irish Dresden crafted in Dromcollogher  to mark his 50 years of sports broadcasting from the Cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council CIIr  Bridget Teefy. In reply Sean Og said  I never expected this honor: I will really treasure it because it comes from the county of my birth.

Sean Og  read out the Gaelic Sports results on national radio for 58 years. His show was the longest running continuously broadcast, radio feature in the World. He read out the final Gaelic Sports results, on radio on Sunday May 8th 2011 just 4 days short of his 88 birthday.  The programme had a worldwide audience amongst the Irish people, through satellite, and web broadcasting. It kept people in touch with their own team's progress, in those far off days when communication was scarce, for the Irish working abroad.

It would be a nice gesture, if the County Limerick G.A.A. Board erected a plaque on the wall of the house at South Quay where Sean Og was born. I place Sean Og along with Micheál O'Hehir, and Micheál O'Muircheartaigh, as the three great voices of the G.A.A. during my lifetime. Last year Sean Og entered the Guinness Book of Records, for achieving the longest running career 63 years in Radio Sports broadcasting Worldwide. We thank him for his contribution to Gaelic games, a true legend of the Microphone, and a proud West Limerick man, who deserves wider recognition for his role in promoting our national pastimes. Suffice to say his likes we will not hear again. We extend our sympathy to his wife and family relatives and friends. May he rest in Peace.

I will conclude with a verse of Garry Mc Mahon's lovely song  My Own Newcastle West which he composed around 1991. Garry RIP was the famous Kerry footballer, who Sean Og would have reported and commentated on the 1962 All Ireland Football final in which Kerry defeated Roscommon, and Garry scored the fastest ever goal in a senior football final. Two great G.A.A. men with Newcastle West connections.

Slán Leat.

Once more the clash of Hurley ash re-echoes in my ears,
As I recall my comrades all, when I now roll back the years,
On the playing field we ne'er would yield and we always gave of our best,
To bring honor bright to the black and white of our own Newcastle West.



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