The legendary RTÉ commentator had ‘great memories’ of his time at the now-closed Coláiste Íosagáin in Baile Bhuirne
The late Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh 1930-2024.
The late Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh “never severed his links with Baile Bhuirne and Cork” after attending Coláiste Íosagáin in his youth.
The legendary RTÉ commentator from Dún Síon outside Dingle, who died aged 93 on Tuesday morning following a short illness, attended Baile Bhuirne’s now closed boarding school for four years after being awarded an Irish scholarship in the 1940s.
Though he would attend St Patrick’s College in Dublin and become a teacher after his time at the preparatory college, Mr Ó Muircheartaigh made his name as a GAA commentator who brought football games to life through his colourful coverage.
The last match that Mr Ó Muircheartaigh covered was the Cork footballer’s 0-16 to 0-15 victory over Down in the 2010 All-Ireland Football Final at Croke Park.
Former Coláiste Íosagáin teacher and Kerry GAA footballer and manager Mickey Ned O’Sullivan knew Mr Ó Muircheartaigh well through his involvement with The Kingdom’s footballers and he told The Corkman that the renowned boadcaster had “great memories” of his time as a student in Baile Bhuirne and always kept in contact with the school and its alumni after he left.
“He has great ties with Cork and he would always call to Baile Bhuirne to The Abbey Hotel since the college closed, either on his way to Cork or going back to Kerry,” Mickey Ned said.
“So he’s never severed his links with Baile Bhuirne and west Cork, he loved coming back there.”
Mickey Ned said that Mr Ó Muircheartaigh also served as president of the Past Pupils Union of Coláiste Íosagáin and had written a chapter in a book that is set to be launched by former students of the school in September.
Johnny Porridge, a student of the Baile Bhuirne school in the 1960s, told The Corkman that the chapter Mr Ó Muircheartaigh wrote for the upcoming Coláiste Íosagáin book was a “lovely” piece about when he first went to the school.
“There was a group of them and they went with friends and they stayed in Tralee. [It was] the first time he had seen an awful lot of lights. And then they went from there and they got the train to Cork and a bus picked them up to bring them to Coláiste Íosagáin.
“He said looking at the building, it looked magnificent.”
Johnny said that he did a great interview for the Killorglin Archives with Mr Ó Muircheartaigh during the Covid-19 pandemic, in which he spoke very positively about Coláiste Íosagáin.
“Anytime he was on about anything, Coláiste Íosagáin was there,” Johnny said.
An photo of the college’s Junior Corn Na Mumhan football team of 1947, which Johnny brought to the attention of The Corkman, includes a young Mr Ó Muircheartaigh as well as former Kerry star Dr Seán Murphy and Donegal GAA’s Padraig Coyle, the father of Meath’s three-time All-Ireland winner Colm Coyle.
