Andrew Hamilton: Andrew Hamilton was an unlikely smuggler but, by his own admission, he was an accomplished one.
As a boy in rural Co Tyrone in the bleak post-war years, he made regular runs across the Border to bring home bags of sugar, which was, of course, plentiful in the Republic and in scarce supply in Northern Ireland. In later years his recollection of such activity was gleeful, as it was about so much of his early life. He delighted in the contrast between those times and his later life when he was motoring correspondent and assistant news editor of The Irish Times, a member of the prestigious European Car of the Year jury and bon viveur about his adopted Dublin.
There is no doubt, however, that no matter how extensively he travelled or how long he lived away from it, the Tyrone countryside with its well-tended farmland and deep sense of community was his spiritual home.
William Andrew Hamilton was born on April 12th, 1941, in the middle of an air raid on the city of Derry. His parents, Edith and William, farmed in Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone, and he was one of three children. Despite being the eldest son, it was clear from an early stage that he was never destined for a farmer's life.
His early contribution to farming was limited to collecting eggs for his mother and writing signs that said things like: "This way to the sheep", and "This way to the cows", which he erected around the farm. When he was eight his prized possession was a "John Bull" mini-printing set - an indication of where his real interests lay and of his chosen career path.
He attended the Model Primary School and the Omagh Academy, where one of his first essays, titled "A train journey from Belfast to Bangor", showed his early fascination with travel and his abiding love of train travel in particular. Anyone short of an idea for a Christmas or birthday present for Andrew could always fall back on an obscure publication on trains or narrow gauge railways.
In those days college or university was not the first option for those seeking a career in journalism. People went to serve their time, and Andrew left the Omagh Academy at 16 to join the Impartial Reporter in Enniskillen. There he acquired the skills and dedication that would make him one of the finest reporters of his generation. In fact, he regarded accurate and fair reporting as part of a vocational approach to work and often bemoaned the decline in standards of reporting that he witnessed in recent years.
In his Morris Mini van with the Impartial Reporter masthead emblazoned on the side, he went from council meetings to gatherings at "the field" on the 12th of July to fairs and to local courts. On one occasion he was asked to give the resident magistrate, whose car had broken down outside a local court, a lift back to Enniskillen. He had to decline, he explained to the magistrate, due to the fact that in the upper left-hand corner of the windscreen was a sticker that said: "Strictly no passengers". He was always a stickler for details and rules.
He applied to The Irish Times and was hired straight away. His talent was recognised and encouraged, and he contributed to exemplary coverage of stories like the Arms Trial and the Betelgeuse disaster at Whiddy Island.
Motoring, however, became his passion. The combination of extensive international travel and meeting new people constantly charged him, and his knowledge of the motor industry, both domestically and internationally, remains unparalleled in Irish journalism. His enthusiasm for interacting with industry figures, his bubbly presence and his unfailing politeness made him a man people crossed the room to greet as the old friend he often was.
His generosity marked him out as a very special man. He was generous to a fault, with both his time and his money. His company was never less than engaging, due in part to his absolute pleasure in knowing things first. One seldom left Andrew without having learned a great deal of new information. It was one of the reasons why any parting from his mobile phone was like the loss of a limb.
Travel, classical music and radio were his passions. His great dedication was to his family and he was extremely proud of all of them.
His passing was sudden and untimely but no one can say he did not live life to its fullest. And he lit up many a room in the process. He is survived by his sister, Joy, to whom he was especially devoted, his brother, Roy, his nieces and nephew.
Andrew Hamilton: born April 12th, 1941; died March 18th, 2006