Connacht Tribune
Hall of Fame beckons for champion of the airwaves
It all began with a home-made medium wave transmitter – with one cable tied to the chimney pot and the other to a tree – kickstarting a broadcasting career that culminated this week when Keith Finnegan, for so long the voice of Galway Bay FM, was inducted into Irish radio’s prestigious Hall of Fame.
The transmitter was made with the help of his late father, George, at home in Mervue. George was an electrician by day but also a radio engineer – and while he would have been typical of his time in terms of being economical with praise, he went all the way to foster any passions his children pursued.
Which – in Keith’s case – was radio, and from those humble beginnings spawned a career that has lasted over 33 years. . . and is still going strong.
For most of that time, he has been the mid-morning voice of Galway Bay FM, bringing the stories of the day to the city and county – but also providing a listening ear for an audience who’ve always felt they knew him.
And away from the airwaves, he has also spent a lifetime going the extra mile to help so many, if they came to him.
“I’ve never minded helping people; giving time to people, because if they had the courage to ask you – to tell you their troubles – then I think you have an obligation to do what you can to help,” he says.
His involvement in so many charities is testimony to that – sitting on the boards of Aids West, Cancer Care West and Galway Hospice, for starters. Beyond that, he has also been a stalwart ambassador for Galway, forging deep links with many states in the US, including Chicago, Wisconsin, Missouri, Boston and New York.
For the last 20 years and again last month, Keith has brought a delegation from Galway to the Milwaukee Irish Festival – the largest Irish Festival in the world – to promote Galway as a tourist destination.
Keith is also Chairman of the Chicago/Milwaukee Sister Cities Committee. This, in turn, has led to large delegations coming from the States to visit the West of Ireland.
His induction into the IMRO Radio Awards Hall of Fame this week – along with RTÉ’s Rachael English and the late Albert Fitzgerald, the former head of Midlands 103FM who died just a few short months ago – puts him in exalted company with the likes of Gay Byrne, Marian Finucane, Gerry Ryan, Larry Gogan, Joe Duffy, Pat Kenny, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh and Jimmy Magee.
Indeed he’s only the second Galway man to be inducted, following Seán Bán Breathnach – and he is understandably proud of the honour bestowed upon him.
“Not just for me, but for my family. My wife Joan has been with me every step of the way – and in a practical way, doing the paperwork at night with me, as a sort of unofficial PA – and our daughter Katie, who produced the programme for so long, and our son Aidan too,” he says.
“But it’s also for the station and for all of the great staff – past and present – who have made Galway Bay what it is,” he says.
He admits it is a great honour, “a very humbling experience” – and as he reflects on a life on the airwaves, a career that began with his first broadcast on what was RTÉ Community Radio in 1980 when he was fresh out of school, he recalls just some of the highlights.
“I always think back to 9/11. Myself and Joan were out at the Galway Races that day, when we heard what had happened – and the next few days were among the most memorable we’ve ever had on air,” he says.
One reason for that was the connection to Tuam woman Anne Marie McHugh, who was one of those to lose her life in the Twin Towers – and the heartbreaking journey they shared with her family here.
“We also spoke with so many of the firefighters and emergency personnel from New York – so many of them with great Galway connections. It is something I’ll never forget,” he says.
Keith’s favourite guest would be the President – because Michael D was a regular in all of his guises over the history of the station. But he also makes special mention of actor Gabriel Byrne, who dropped in regularly while in Galway to visit his mother in Oranmore.
“It also gave us a chance to meet other people in incredible places – like President Obama in the White House. It put us in a position of privilege,” he says.
And yet, he concedes, it’s not about the rich and famous – it’s the ordinary people who listen every day, and ring when they have something on their mind.
“I like to think I do an awful lot of listening, and I try to help people if I can. We don’t always put them on air, but if we can, we try to help by pointing them in the right direction,” he says.
His dad George died in 2011, and while compliments were hard-won, Keith knows George was proud of him.
His mother Mary, who is alive but failing, did what most mothers do at some stage – asked him if he would ever think about getting a real job!
But he knows these were the foundations upon which his own character was formed.
“It’s about connecting with the listeners, because you are one of them; there are no airs or graces – just a listening ear with a willingness to do what I can.”
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
