2014 TELEVISION INDUCTEES

TELEVISION

BILL O’HERLIHY – PRESENTER

Born in 1938 in Cork, Bill has been on RTE since the early 1960's. Following a stint in current affairs Bill moved to the sports department where his first presentation was the 1972 Olympic Games. He is mainly associated with the station's soccer coverage covering all The Republic of Ireland games and major soccer competitions. His panel of Dunphy, Giles and Brady has been a ratings winner for many years.

SEAN DUIGNAN – CURRENT AFFAIRS

Sean Duignan was born in Galway in 1936 and married Marie Falvey in 1965. He joined RTÉ in 1963, working in the newsroom on 'This Week' and 'The News at 1.30'. He and Mike Burns won a Jacob’s award in 1968 for their coverage of the civil rights campaign. He graduated to become RTÉ’s political correspondent in 1976 and the Six-One News anchorman in 1988. He left RTE to become the Government Press Secretary from 1992 to 1995 under the Albert Reynolds government, but then returned to RTÉ and presented 'The Week in Politics' from 1995 to 2003. He published a memoir, 'One Spin on the Merry-Go-Round' (1995).

BRENDAN O’REILLY – SPORTS

Brendan O'Reilly (1929 – 1 April 2001) was a versatile broadcaster, journalist, actor, athlete, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the first presenter of the long-running Sports Stadium launched in 1973. Between 1966 and 1968, O'Reilly had the honour of commentating for Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest, as well as presenting the National Song Contest (to select Ireland's Eurovision entry) from 1966 to 1970. He was a High Jumper, studied in America at the University of Michigan, he set the Irish High Jump record and also set the Irish Javelin record. He had a minor chart hit with the Ballad of Michael Collins.

DEREK DAVIS – PRESENTER

Derek was born on Dublin and joined the RTE news department in the 1960s. He is best remembered for his double act with Thelma Mansfield on 'Live at 3' from 1986-1997. A lover of the water he presented four series of 'Out Of The Blue' on RTE 1. In 1995 he hosted the annual Rose of Tralee festival and in 2009 won RTE's GAA reality show 'Celebrity Banisteoir'.

DECLAN LOWNEY – DIRECTOR

Wexford born Declan has been involved in some of the most iconic TV programmes since the 1980's. In 1985 he was credited as director of TV Ga Ga on RTE TV and in 1988 was selected as director of the Eurovision Song Contest that was held in Dublin. He won a Jacobs Award for this production. He moved to UK TV and has been associated with shows such as Help and Father Ted for both he has won BAFTA's. More recently he has won an IFTA for his direction on Chris O'Dowd's Sky One series Moone Boy.

TIM McGARRY – PRESENTER/COMEDIAN

Tim McGarry was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1964. He is best known as a presenter and comedian. He is a member of the comedy group Hole In The Wall Gang, and played "Da", a fictional Sinn Féin spokesman, in the BBC NI comedy series Give My Head Peace. He also hosts many radio programmes on BBC Radio Ulster, including weekly comedy quiz The Blame Game which also transferred to BBC One TV. He also provides a monologue played over the ending credits of the weekly politics show, Hearts and Minds, in the guise of a Belfast 'black taxi' driver. He most recently presented a two part documentary of the Ulster Scots language.