‘They say if you love what you do then you’ll never work a day in your life and for me breakfast TV is where I love to be’
Who else would we trust during the worst winter in decades... only the man who beat off the elements
BY SEÁN DUNNE
TV3’S Deric Ó h’Artagáin arrives fashionably early for our catch-up – Ireland’s fittest weatherman is sporting a sharp grey suit accompanied by a floral tie and matching pocket square. Deric has his beard neatly trimmed and is ever much the gentleman.
Living up to his reputation, the bubbly TV presenter is full of beans despite being up since the crack of dawn to present the weather on Ireland AM, TV3’s flagship breakfast show. His alarm goes off every morning after 4am but he wouldn’t change it for the world.
The Limerick man has become a household favourite with viewers at home for his stylish weather updates and his love of the outdoors.
The 36-year-old has been working in TV for over 12 years and during the recent bad weather in Ireland, was on hand to help deliver weather reports with a difference on TV3.
Sitting down in the afternoon sun in the garden of Dublin’s House on Leeson Street, Deric opts for a healthy juice to keep in line with his athletic lifestyle.
But how does the popular weathermen find the time to fit it all in?
‘It has taken me a while but I now live a very balanced and fulfilled lifestyle.
‘Outside of work; outdoors is my indoors! My week is divided between sea swimming, biking, running and gym work. I also incorporate Pilates with the Platinum Pilates team and hot yoga in Yoga Hub into my weekly routine; so I’m always on the go,’ he says.
‘I practise mediation and have been every day for the past three years. It’s a great way to clear the mind, focus your thoughts and set yourself up for the day. My best advice for continued health and happiness is to make time for you! In order to have the lifestyle you want to lead; then you have to lead the style of life you want to live.’
THE recent bad weather may have brought the country to a standstill but Deric was never busier. While most of us wrapped up on the couch for snow days, Deric was donning the snow boots to deliver round-the-clock coverage.
‘It was certainly a career-changing moment in terms of TV coverage,’ he smiles.
‘It wasn’t a case of when we were going home; it was simply a matter of rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck in for the long haul.
‘Nobody complained about the freezing cold and hazardous conditions; everyone just put the head down and got stuck in,’ he smiles.
‘As predicted; the storm turned out to be one of the worst-ever snow events to hit the country since 1982; but at least we were well prepared. TV3 Towers went into total lockdown with studio and production teams based nearby in the Red Cow Hotel as well as field reporters and camera operators’ in-situ on the ground in the worst affected areas,’ he says.
It’s clear to see that Deric brings a sense of adventure to the screen.
Fixing his floral tie, the TV3 weather man is always prepared for the good and the bad when it comes to live TV.
‘Without a doubt, I definitely thrive on the buzz of live adrenaline-fuelled news coverage. We were beamed into every living room in the country during the Beast from the East, and I wouldn’t have been anywhere else to be honest.’
We may just have recovered after the snowmageddon but Deric has a stark warning. ‘I’ve a feeling that with global warming on the rise we have a lot more of this type of weather to come down the line,’ he says, ‘but for now, this will most definitely go down in living memory as the snowstorm of a generation,’ he smiles.
Deric is very much a people person and happily poses in his new suit for the photo-shoot.
However, I’m surprised to hear that Deric’s burning ambition as a teenager wasn’t to be a TV star..
‘I actually always wanted to be a dentist but fell about 50 points short in my Leaving Certificate.
‘Instead of repeating another year, I changed tack and went onto study a BA degree in Applied Languages with Computing followed by a Graduate Diploma in Language Education from the University of Limerick.
‘Having worked as a French and Spanish teacher for three years the opportunity of working in television came along nearly 12 years ago and I haven’t looked back since.
‘They say if you love what you do then you’ll never work a day in your life and for me breakfast TV is where I love to be,’ he adds while adjusting his floral pocket square.
While Deric’s heart and soul is in Breakfast TV, the presenter tells me that he also enjoys the ‘challenge’ of personally pushing my own broadcasting boundaries in terms of my own presenting capabilities.
‘Two years ago, I produced and directed my own TV documentary in the slums in Calcutta entitled The Real Slum Dogs; Journey of Hope that followed the work on the
of Cork’s Hope Foundation charity.
‘It was a very rewarding and eyeopening experience.
‘I’ve also just recently returned from Uganda where I filmed a series of in-depth reports with Nurture Africa covering a vast array of humanitarian issues including the HIV epidemic, child protection and sustainable development.
‘For me, my fellow Limerick native Terry Wogan was, and still is, my broadcasting idol; a consummate professional who never forgot his roots.
‘I’m still travelling the professional path to get to where I want to get to but I’m enjoying the journey with all its twists and turns in the process,’
Deric isn’t afraid of the TV bloopers though, in particular, he gets a fit of the giggles recalling his now infamous umbrella blooper from 2017.
‘It’s all a bit of light-hearted fun really! That’s what live TV is all about and I never take myself too seriously. My now infamous umbrella blooper from 2017 went viral all over the world and now has amassed over 20 million hits on Youtube.
IHAD and still have people contacting me from every corner of the planet with the official suppliers of umbrellas to the White House in Washington DC sending me stormproof merchandise! It even got snapped up by Google for their global product advertising campaign; a bit surreal to be honest but all in a day’s work,’ laughs Deric.
The presenter is known for his quirky fashion sense and isn’t afraid to experiment when it comes to daring red suits or a spot of leopard print but he says that he doesn’t feel pressure to be stylish all the time.
To be honest, it’s probably the last thing that would ever cross my mind. I love the fact that men now have much broader options when it comes to bolder sartorial choices but the older I become I find that my style is evolving to become less about statement and more about sophistication.
‘I very much love Irish wool and tweed designs with a subtle style edge and always support local Irish menswear stores.
Ireland’s fittest weatherman is kicking off the triathlon season with the 10km Garmin Great Ireland Run on 15 April in the Phoeground nix Park in Dublin building into Tri Athy in Co. Kildare and the Lough Cutra Triathlon in Co. Galway.
‘All roads this season are building towards my third Ironman 70.3 in Dún Laoghaire in August as well as the New York Olympic distance triathlon in July where I’ll get to swim in the Hudson River, run through Central Park and bike around the Bronx; my idea of heaven!
‘I’m also walking the Camino in Spain this September as a charity ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Association of Ireland.
‘I’m really looking forward to the challenge, meeting new people and reconnecting with me,’ he winks as he orders another healthy juice.
It’s all a bit of light-hearted fun really. I never take myself too seriously