Bill O'Herlihy
Encyclopedia
Bill O'Herlihy is an Irish
sports broadcaster with Raidió Teilifís Éireann
(RTÉ). He also heads one of Ireland's largest public relations
firms.
off the Cork coast. It began a three-year association with Frank Hall
's Newsbeat, with O'Herlihy becoming the first RTÉ reporter to be based outside Dublin. For Newsbeat he covered stories all over the south and west of Ireland and was also a regular contributor to RTÉ Radio Sport.
O'Herlihy, originally from Boherbue Co Cork, moved to Dublin in 1968 as a presenter with RTÉ Current Affairs on the award winning 7 Days
programme working on stories and features on the Middle East
, Cyprus
and Europe
in addition to coverage of major national events. Since 1972 Bill has been a sports anchor on the Olympic Games
, FIFA World Cup
s, Rugby World Cup
s, UEFA European Football Championship
s and the European and World Track & Field Championships. He won a Jacobs' Award for his presentation of Network 2
's coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup
, when Ireland reached the quarter-finals. He continues to present coverage of Ireland's soccer internationals for RTÉ
as well as a programme called Premier Soccer Saturday
/The Premiership, a weekly look at the English Premier League. Bill presented RTÉ Sport
's coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, his ninth FIFA World Cup.
In 1973 he founded the Bill O'Herlihy Communications Group which includes Public Relations of Ireland and Mediawise, a television production company which has among its credits programmes such as Lemass
and A Portrait and the Distant Drum series on successful Irish expatriates.
In 2004 the Sunday Independent
reported that O'Herlihy had lobbied
on behalf of an Irish company, Bula Resources, to lift sanctions on Iraq
. Bula, which had former taoiseach
Albert Reynolds
as its chairman, was negatively affected by the existence of sanctions. Environmental lobbygroup and charity An Taisce
also claim that O'Herlihy's company, on behalf of a client, was involved in political lobbying for a controversial land rezoning at Cherrywood in Dublin (see: The Mahon Tribunal).
Among the senior public relations practitioners who work, or have worked, with O'Herlihy's companies are Pat Heneghan, Eileen Gleeson (later press officer to the President of Ireland
, Mary McAleese
) and one-time RTÉ broadcaster Fintan Drury.
O'Herlihy has many admirers in Ireland for his brand of TV presenting, and has inspired a website
name, based on his catchphrase "Okey Doke". Despite being classed as a presenter, O'Herlihy is also known for including himself in analytical discussions with his colleagues on RTÉ's match panels.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
sports broadcaster with Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
(RTÉ). He also heads one of Ireland's largest public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
firms.
Bill's life
Bill O'Herlihy has had a long and varied career in RTÉ Television in news features, current affairs and sport. He made his first television broadcast in 1965 in a programme commemorating the sinking of the LusitaniaRMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
off the Cork coast. It began a three-year association with Frank Hall
Frank Hall
Frank Hall was an Irish broadcaster, journalist, satirist and film censor. He is best remembered for his satirical revue programme Hall's Pictorial Weekly.-Early life:...
's Newsbeat, with O'Herlihy becoming the first RTÉ reporter to be based outside Dublin. For Newsbeat he covered stories all over the south and west of Ireland and was also a regular contributor to RTÉ Radio Sport.
O'Herlihy, originally from Boherbue Co Cork, moved to Dublin in 1968 as a presenter with RTÉ Current Affairs on the award winning 7 Days
7 Days (Ireland)
7 Days was a Radio Telefís Éireann current affairs programme presented by Brian Farrell, Brian Cleeve and John O'Donoghue and broadcast in Ireland from 1966 until 1976.-Background:...
programme working on stories and features on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in addition to coverage of major national events. Since 1972 Bill has been a sports anchor on the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s, Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
s, UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
s and the European and World Track & Field Championships. He won a Jacobs' Award for his presentation of Network 2
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
's coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, when Ireland reached the quarter-finals. He continues to present coverage of Ireland's soccer internationals for RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
as well as a programme called Premier Soccer Saturday
Premier Soccer Saturday
Premier Soccer Saturday is the principal weekly club association football programme on RTÉ.It is broadcast on RTÉ Two every Saturday evening between 19:30 and 21:00 and occasionally on Sunday during the English league soccer season, showing highlights of Premier League football matches...
/The Premiership, a weekly look at the English Premier League. Bill presented RTÉ Sport
RTÉ Sport
RTÉ Sport is a cross platform, integrated business division of Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann, responsible for the provision of sport coverage on RTÉ Radio, RTÉ Television, and RTÉ.ie....
's coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, his ninth FIFA World Cup.
In 1973 he founded the Bill O'Herlihy Communications Group which includes Public Relations of Ireland and Mediawise, a television production company which has among its credits programmes such as Lemass
Seán Lemass
Seán Francis Lemass was one of the most prominent Irish politicians of the 20th century. He served as Taoiseach from 1959 until 1966....
and A Portrait and the Distant Drum series on successful Irish expatriates.
In 2004 the Sunday Independent
Sunday Independent
The Sunday Independent is a broadsheet Sunday newspaper published in Ireland by Independent News and Media plc. The newspaper is edited by Aengus Fanning, and is the biggest selling Irish Sunday newspaper by a large margin ; average circulation of 291,323 between June 2004 and January 2005,...
reported that O'Herlihy had lobbied
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
on behalf of an Irish company, Bula Resources, to lift sanctions on Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Bula, which had former taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds , served as Taoiseach of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize...
as its chairman, was negatively affected by the existence of sanctions. Environmental lobbygroup and charity An Taisce
An Taisce
An Taisce , also known as the National Trust for Ireland, was established in 1948 with a similar mission to that of the National Trust in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
also claim that O'Herlihy's company, on behalf of a client, was involved in political lobbying for a controversial land rezoning at Cherrywood in Dublin (see: The Mahon Tribunal).
Among the senior public relations practitioners who work, or have worked, with O'Herlihy's companies are Pat Heneghan, Eileen Gleeson (later press officer to the President of Ireland
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
, Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
) and one-time RTÉ broadcaster Fintan Drury.
O'Herlihy has many admirers in Ireland for his brand of TV presenting, and has inspired a website
name, based on his catchphrase "Okey Doke". Despite being classed as a presenter, O'Herlihy is also known for including himself in analytical discussions with his colleagues on RTÉ's match panels.