Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, from the Irish Times

[Jinxy]

OK. I'm not going to adopt the role of defender of Fintan O'Toole. I don't like the man and I have more deserving causes. Fire away.

I can't stop myself from mentioning my take on his "content getting in the way" remark. I took it to mean that you don't get the opportunity to luxuriate in the beauty of the commentary when you're absorbed in supporting one side or the other. That made sense to me as I know he's a Dublin supporter.

If O'Toole meant by the "content getting in the way" remark that Mícheál can make even the most mediocre game sound interesting then I'm in agreement with him whereas Mart Morrisey has the knack of making a good game shite by his poor commentary.

The amount of exasperated mutterings of "jeezus" and "FFS" was quite something where I was watching the game. 
I suppose we'll be back to the Canning/Carney dream-team for the final. 

[Oraisteach]

I don't know the first thing about F O'T, but though the piece was well intentioned, it bothered me,  Too close to stage Irish of Begorra yelping, shillelagh wielding mountainy folk.

I will say what I did, though.  Given the choice of watching the game on the internet, I chose M O'M on the radio, and it was thrilling stuff.  It brought me back to the 60's and the entrancing delivery of Micheal O'Hehir, and M O'M is even better.  His sidekick is a twit, but M O'M makes the tussle Titantic, the players larger than life.  He is never more important than the game, and I love how he injects local color and familiarity, even the way he referred to Loughinisland, or to Newry Shamrocks and Mitchells.  He maintains the game's essential parochiality while conveying its majesty.

Simply put, M O'M is the best sports commentator I've ever heard.

[pintsofguinness]

I can't listen to Micheal on the radio at all - he'd be great if you were watching it on tv also but on his own you just can't follow the game never mind the scores.

[blanketattack]

I presume M Ó M will have retired by next year when Newstalk take over the GAA radio coverage from RTE?
Then again Bruce Forsyth is 82 and David Attenborough is 84 and they're both going strong

[Hardy]

I stand in awe of the range of approval that can accommodate both Bruce Forsyth and Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

I stand in awe of the range of approval that can accommodate both Bruce Forsyth and Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh.

Nice to see you

[Main Street]

 

I like Hardy's new badge.

[paddypastit]

Unless he has moved in the last few years Fintan O'Toole lives around the Ballymun rd/Mobhi rd area.

You may will be correct there spuds (he's from Crumlin originally), I was getting more at the D4 label that has been bestowed on him.

He lives on 'The Rise' off the Ballymun Road.  I don't know where the D4 stuff is coming from - he couldn't be more D11 in spirit.

Having made the initial reference to the 'Ballsbridge attic' I may have introduced D4 specifically into the equation. I'm happy to stand corrected on the detail. 

My point in contributing to the thread was less the detail of the article. It is more my having a fundamental issue with FoT in general in the sense that he proclaims from a height and with a degree of certainty on matters of which he has limited knowledge and no experience. It is something in general that gets on my wick.  Granted he is far from alone on that point, it being a space occupied by many in the media and most in politics - and therein lies the root of much of what has gone wrong in the country.

One could argue, legimately, that the assessment of the broadcaster is less how he appeals to die hards and more the masses and that the article was about braodcasting, and not sport, and thus the man with the pen, as a member of the mass public not particularly ointerested in the sport that he was writing about a topic on which he was as informed as the next guy.  OK then, but write it in plain English that the ordinary man or woman can understand without an honours degree in English.

As for MOM - listened to the match on headphones yesterday as i watched. Still great. The co-commentator thing is an issue but not just for / with him, and not just Bernard Flynn, who isn't the worst of them.  That generaly is an issue in sports commentating that very few broadcasters get right - and RTE isn't the worst. I'm going to develop that point again somewhere when I get the time