Delighted to be Grand Marshal of St Patrick’s Day Parade
JIMMY Magee spoke of his ‘incredible luck’ at living out what was his childhood dream, when he chatted to the Argus in 2009.
He told how broadcasting ambitions began at just seven years old. A former past pupil of Muchgrange NS, and Bush School, he recalled commentating as a seven year-old for his next-door neighbour on a variety of imaginary games that he had pictured himself also playing in!
He even applied to RTE for a job at the age of 11. He was turned down but applied again 10 years later and landed his first job reporting on a hockey game.
Magee was born in New York on January 31st 1935 to Irish parents, the first of four children. When he was three the family returned to Ireland to Greenore in north Louth.
He cherished his dual citizenship and enjoyed what he called the ‘ buzz of New York’ and throughout his life tried to visit there at least once a year.
His dreams of becoming a sports commentator took a twist at the age of 15 when his father died and the young teenager had to leave school.
‘When I was a young fella, there was no such thing as dreams or aspirations that you hear so much about these days. I had a vague notion of what I wanted to do, but I certainly never pictured this,’ Jimmy told the Argus.
Leaving the area to move to England in the 1950s, with his wife Marie, they had five children whilst Jimmy continued to work for British Rail as a clerical officer.
But it was during this time that his broadcasting career took off, after he started work as a reporter for an RTE sports programme.
Reflecting on his incredible career, he said ‘It’s been a fantastic life, I think I’ve been very lucky to have had so many great experiences.’
One of the most poignant tributes came from Jimmy’s son Mark who revealed that his father made an emotional last trip back to his birth place, New York for his 80th birthday in 2015.
He sailed out from New York to Ireland as a little boy of three years and he wanted to reenact that before he died. He wanted to sail past the Statue of Liberty one more time.’