obituaries RTÉ ARCHIVES


decades, he worked in the UK and, briefly, in America – but it was in Ireland that he made an enormous contribution. Gay was in many ways the father of public service broadcasting in Ireland. A broadcaster of courage, vision and boundless energy, he helped shape modern Ireland and used his talents to help create a more caring, compassionate and inclusive society. He was often infuriating, annoying and provocative but never dull. In his career he brought light, laughter and humanity to TV and radio debates. It would be impossible to agree


Gay Byrne


Louis Armstrong once said: “If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” Gay Byrne loved jazz and he held


a special place in his heart for Satchmo. They shared a sunny disposition, a wonderful ability to look on the bright side of life, even in dark days, and an ability to bring joy to large audiences.


When I think of public service broadcasting, I think of Gaybo. When we think of the very best of public service broadcasting, we think of programmes that challenge, provoke, entertain and frequently make a difference. In his


John Haylett


long career, Gay did all that and so much more. His death at the age of 85 on


November 4, after a long illness, really does mark the end of an era and comes at a difficult time for RTÉ, which he served so faithfully but never uncritically. Gay began his television career in England and worked with Granada. He also worked in radio in England. He was the first person to


introduce The Beatles on screen, while working for Granada Television in Britain in the early 1960s. During a career spanning five


John Haylett, former Morning Star editor, died on 28 September at the age of 74.


He joined the Morning Star in 1983 as a journalist, having previously worked as an operator in international telecoms. He was active in the Union of Post Office Workers and led a strike at the International Exchange. John’s political shrewdness and


attention to detail meant he rose quickly at the Morning Star. His first major job was joining and reporting on the People’s March for Jobs. Then came the miners’ strike of 1984-85, in which his skills as a journalist and incisive analysis of the class struggle were noticed. In 1985, he became assistant


editor, then appointed deputy editor in 1989. He became editor in


with everything he said or did – he was innately conservative and rode a few hobby horses – but you could never doubt the sincerity of his convictions. Gay believed in the precepts of public service broadcasting and his passion for RTÉ was reflected in every aspect of his career, from his early days in radio to the Late Late Show, his pioneering morning radio programme to his wonderful Sunday music and musings on Lyric FM. He especially enjoyed Lyric FM and the opportunity that this gave him to share his appreciation and knowledge of his beloved jazz. In his biography, The Time of My Life, he wrote tongue in cheek


about RTÉ head honchos in the administration block (which he referred to as The Hilton) who seemed to feel everything, would be all right if only they didn’t have to deal with programme makers and the like. He was also a strong advocate of public funding for public service broadcasting while also admiring commercial television and radio. He turned down many opportunities both at home and abroad to leave RTÉ for the commercial sector. We in the NUJ were proud of his membership of the union – he was a member throughout his life. However, he encountered opposition when he first set about joining the union and there were those who viewed him as an entertainer rather than a serious journalist. Gaybo was a man for all seasons


who made a fine contribution to print journalism as a newspaper columnist. The best way to salute Gay’s


legacy is to protect and promote public service broadcasting. He was, above all else, a public service broadcaster to the core. He is survived by his wife


Kathleen and children Suzy and Crona.


Séamus Dooley


1995 and, from 2008, served as the paper’s political editor until his retirement due to ill health earlier this year.


His appointment as editor was not universally popular among the senior management and there were troubled times at the paper. In 1998, he was sacked for what were later to be shown to be trumped-up charges. John was unable to defend himself as the charges were not put to him. And it soon became clear to the NUJ’s mother of chapel Amanda Kendal “that the Star’s then management had no interest in compromise or negotiation. They told the union they couldn’t show us the ‘dossier’ of allegations against John because they ‘didn’t know’ that the union represented him”. Then they said “it was


because the ‘dossier’ was ‘the private property’ of the management committee”. These breaches of the paper’s


own disciplinary procedure fuelled the NUJ chapel’s anger to take action. NUJ members felt that if the editor could be treated in this way, then so could any member. Deputy father of chapel Chris


Kasrils recalls: “The strike lasted six weeks but, under the command of our sacked editor, the journalists launched their own weekly – The Workers’ Morning Star – which appeared for five issues until victory was secured with John’s reinstatement. The strike office, above shops on the Kingsland Road in Hackney was rented by the NUJ.”


Anita Halpin theJournalist | 25


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