Jimmy Magee is one of Ireland’s premier sports commentators with no intention of retiring. Now aged 75, the ‘memory man’ was born in New York in 1935. He soon returned to Ireland with his immigrant parents. They settled in Cooley, North Louth where Jimmy’s love of sport grew. By adolescence Jimmy Magee was a young radio addict. All he wanted was a job as a sports announcer. He began training for the job rambling the Irish countryside inventing imaginary matches and mythical sporting heroes from the world of boxing and football.
Since Jimmy joined RTÉ in 1956 (first in radio), his commentaries have earned him a place in Irish Sporting lore – including that legendary description of Maradona’s 1986 World Cup goal against England as a ‘different class…’
But Jimmy has other strings to his considerable bow, having compiled the first pop music chart countdown in the 1960s. He organised gigs and celebrity matches for his Jimmy Magee All Stars as well as interviewing some of music’s biggest names such as Chubby Checker.
After nearly 50 years at the top of the Irish sports commentary game, Jimmy’s exuberance and enthusiasm persists. Yet behind the scenes, life has dealt Jimmy some tough blows. He has struggled with heart problems. His wife Marie died suddenly aged fifty-four years in 1989. Then in 2008, his son Paul died from Motor Neuron Disease.
Despite everything Jimmy Magee has also been a tireless fundraiser for charity. In honour of his son, the Irish Motor Neuron Disease Association is now Jimmy’s charity of choice.
In Jimmy Magee: A Different Class Jimmy revisits the landscape of his youth, his sporting highlights and his working life during the year that was 2010.