‘He had a great accent that never compromised in its Kerry-ness’

AUTHOR and columnist Billy Keane has said Kerry has not only lost a fine broadcaster in Weeshie Fogarty, but a funny, empathetic man whose voice was “the voice of Kerry”.

Mr Keane told The Kerryman he heard the news of Fogarty’s passing in Dublin on Sunday morning having attended Ireland’s win over the All Blacks the night before. His many memories of Weeshie came flooding back upon being told of the legendary broadcaster’s death – not least his voice, one which has was described by many as the voice of the county itself.

“What a man. I could actually hear his voice just as I was trying to come to terms with what I’d just been told,” Mr Keane said. “He had that great accent, that proper, distinct Kerry accent that never compromised in its ‘Kerryness’, though everyone could understand every single word.

“It’s not only the man who has died, but the humour has died. It was a humour that was based on empathy. He never laughed at people; he laughed with people. I think his training as a psychiatric nurse really stood to him in that regard. He was a very empathetic man.”

It was at Radio Kerry, the station through which Weeshie’s musings became a staple of homes across the county, that Billy Keane got to know the Killarney man. A regular contributor to Fogarty’s broadcasts, Keane was one of countless interviewees who excelled in Weeshie’s company and his knack for putting contributors at ease – although some of their earlier meetings may have had a somewhat different tone.

“Well, in his days as a referee, I suppose he often chastised me,” Keane joked. “But it was through the radio that I really came to know Weeshie Fogarty.

“I remember before an All-Ireland final between Kerry and Tyrone some years back, I was going on the radio with him, and he took off his shoes and put his feet up on the table. We had a cup of tea and were talking away for ten, fifteen minutes, and I didn’t even know we were on air – that’s how relaxed it was.

“And he could do that, he could put you at ease. I know him for a long, long time, and what I’d say about him was that he was the voice of Kerry, and he spoke for all of us. That’s what Kerry has lost.”