Bill O’Herlihy to give Beal na Bláth oration

Sports broadcaster Bill O'Herlihy has been chosen to give this year's address at the annual Michael Collins commemoration at Béal na Bláth in west Cork on August 25th.

O’Herlihy, best known for chairing RTÉ’s coverage of Champions League, European Championship and World Cup soccer games, will deliver the oration in what will be the event’s 91st commemoration.

Committee chairmanDermot Collins said: "Last year we were honoured to have An Taoiseach give the oration on the 90th anniversary of Collins's death and he obviously was a very high-profile political figure.

“But we try to have as much variety as we can in terms of speakers. And we think there will be great interest from people in hearing Bill O’Herlihy give the oration this year.”

O'Herlihy is a native of Glasheen in Cork city and worked for the then Cork Examiner before joining RTÉ in the 1960s. He left the State broadcaster in 1973 and set up his own public relations company. In 1977 he became a media adviser to Fine Gael under Garret FitzGerald.

Mr Collins said O’Herlihy would not be the first sports broadcaster to give the oration, following as he does in the footsteps of the late Brendan O’Reilly.