©Photograph: John Reidy 29/09/2006
While his habitat is now the RTÉ radio and television studios, sports journalist and presenter, Des Cahill once walked among us down here.
During his time as a reporter with The Kerryman, he worked the streets and the fields of Kerry before moving to Dublin and to broadcasting – and the rest is his story.
Covers of a Book
And his story has been put between the covers of a book which will be of interest to Kerry readers as much as it will be to people with a taste for human interest stories from the rest of the country and beyond.
Des Cahill has enjoyed a wonderful life and career. But it could all have been so different.
As the friendly face on our TV screens, he has been witness to and reported on some of Ireland’s greatest sporting moments – from All Ireland finals to World Cups, Olympic Games, Ryder Cups and the Tour de France.
Rich Collection of Anecdotes
In Play It Again, Des, he shares a rich collection of anecdotes from forty years in the business, many of them from his time working on a host of iconic programmes like The Sunday Game, where his blood pressure was so often tested by outspoken pundits like Joe Brolly, Donal Og Cusack and Pat Spillane.
Despite the earache, it’s been a dream job. He has travelled the world in the company of legends – some of whom he calls friends – and spent time with an array of larger than life personalities, from Moss Keane to Muhammad Ali, Big Jack and Nelson Mandela.
Thrilled and Traumatised
He thrilled – and traumatised – the country with the ‘Dessie Swim’ on Dancing with the Stars, made a five-star appearance on The Restaurant and, as a young news reporter, broke the ‘Kerry Babies’ scandal.
Away from the spotlight he will tell another story. About an unspeakable family tragedy that cast a lifelong shadow over those closest to him. A story about home. About friends and relationships. About why he will always consider himself the lucky one.
Behind the Scenes
Play It Again, Des reveals many entertaining behind-the-scenes yarns from a golden period in Irish sport.
It is an autobiography that will raise plenty of laughs, send a tingle or two down the spine and make us think about the forces of fate and fortune that so often dictate the paths we follow.
It’s a book that will surely make its way into many a Kerry Christmas stocking and it will be available at all good bookshops soon.
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