End of an era as voice of Oriel Park hangs up the microphone
IT was the end of an era at the weekend as well known local broadcaster Gerry Malone parted company with LMFM after 28 years.
Well known for reading the news and obituaries each weekend at the station, it was for his coverage of Dundalk FC that the former Coláiste Rís schoolteacher was best known.
If LMFM is the voice of the North East then Gerry was the voice of Oriel Park.
A lifelong supporter, Dundalk FC is very much in his blood as his late father Jim was a member of the club’s board from the 1950s, filling a variety of roles for over four decades including as chairman, vice chairman, director and club president.
If Jim played a key role in how things went in Oriel Park in years gone by then in his own way Gerry has had an influence in more recent times – quite often breaking exclusive stories and even having managers announce they were quitting live on air to him.
During a chat with The Argus after Sunday’s FAI Cup semi-final draw with Shamrock Rovers, Gerry recounted the different eras, players and managers he has followed with an almost encyclopedic knowledge. While his next door neighbour in Blackrock, Jim Murphy, is widely known as the club historian, Gerry could surely give him a good run for his money with his ability to recount incidents and statistics at the drop of a hat.
He revealed that it was the Troubles rather than a love of sport that initially got him interested in journalism.
“I was always interested in media,” he said. “When I was 10 or 11 the Troubles in the North broke out and growing up a couple of miles from the border gave me a strong interest in current affairs and news.
“As I grew older I went to college and did a degree in history, economics and politics. I wasn’t sure what career I was going to opt for. I did initially go in with the intention of doing journalism but then I opted for the teaching. I was very lucky then because in 1983 pirate radio stations were opening up around the area and I got a job in the news with Boyneside Radio. I worked on a Saturday with Boyneside Radio from 1983 up to the closure of the station in December 1988 when all the pirate stations had to close.”
If it was history that got him interested in radio, it was his father who spawned his love for Dundalk FC.
“My dad had such an association with the club and took us to all the games so the interest was there from day one.
“I have photographs at home of me in a Dundalk jersey when I was only about three years of age. My first game I remember was when Jimmy Hasty started playing with Dundalk in 1964. I was only knee height to a grasshopper but that’s where it started.”
His first broadcast from Oriel would come some 25 years later and Gerry has arguably covered over a thousand of the club’s matches since.
“I started covering the matches in 1989. My first game was at the beginning of September against Shamrock Rovers in Oriel Park and the second game was Galway. I hadn’t got a mobile phone then so I had to knock on somebody’s door every 15 minutes if there was a goal or an incident to use their phone. That’s where it started. Dundalk won the league then in 1991 with Tom McNulty scoring the goal against Cork but I was very lucky in the radio to see successful teams. In 1995 then they won the league the last day of the season when no one expected them to.”
It was after that game against Galway Utd that Gerry became firmly ingrained in the club’s history as he broadcast the final minutes of Derry City’s match against Athlone Town in St Mel’s Park over the tannoy at Oriel Park as Dermot McKeely’s side won the most unlikely of league titles.
“That sticks in an awful lot of people’s memories,” he said.
“Dundalk won the game 2-0 but it was well ahead of the Derry-Athlone game and there was no social media in those days. I had just brought my transistor radio with me to keep myself updated on scores because it was the only way in those days. Someone in the old press box said to me to get the microphone and put it to the radio and the commentary from Athlone came through.
“We were waiting for about 10 minutes but when the final whistle from Athlone came through Oriel Park just went mad. That was fantastic. That was one of my best memories and the second one would be the promotion against Kildare in 2008.”
By his own admission Gerry had a “stormy relationship” with certain managers. Martin Murray quit as boss live on air with him in 2002 while an interview with Sean McCaffrey a decade later following a defeat against Shelbourne at Tolka Park would also lead to his demise. He insisted though, he will never be afraid of asking the hard questions if they need to be asked and praised the overall local media for the influence they have had over the years.
“My job when I was working with LMFM and my job into the future is asking questions the supporters would want to ask.
“When the tough questions have to be asked you have to ask them. If a question had to be asked I’d ask it. I wasn’t afraid to do it then and I wouldn’t be afraid to do it now. If any Dundalk manager in the future, if I felt time was running out, I’d ask the man. With respect, I’d have no hesitation in asking the question.
“Even in the First Division the local media went to every game. That’s one thing that managers weren’t used to when they came to Dundalk. They didn’t realise that the local media was so strong and that they were going to have the likes of myself, Gerry Prendergast, John Mulligan and Terry Conlon covering games’’.
While Gerry speaks fondly of heroes such as Jimmy Hasty, Terry Flanagan and Barry Kehoe from the past, as well as Richie Towell and Daryl Horgan in more recent times, he was full of praise for Stephen Kenny for his influence on the town currently.
“The day he came in November 2012 I said to him I suppose your main aim is just to strengthen your position in the league and he said to me no I want to win the league.
“I just looked at him and said ‘are you for real’ and he said to me I’m not here just to be mid-table. He said he would win things here and turn the club around and by God he did.
“Stephen Kenny has done so much around this town, not just in a football sense but in a community sense.
“People are interested in Dundalk FC now that previously would have no interest in them. Kids and adults are walking around the town with Dundalk FC hats, coats, scarves and jerseys. I don’t see the Premiership teams any more, which I’m delighted about because we’re Irish, not English.
‘‘I’ve had great colleagues in the media and the number of people who have been in contact with me in the last few days since the news broke that LMFM have decided to let me go has been unbelievable. It means so much.”
Gerry wants to continue in the media and also has a book planned.
“I’m not going to say too much about it, but it will be interesting.’’