Shay Healy
Encyclopedia
Shay Healy is an Irish
songwriter, broadcaster and journalist. He is best known for his role as host of Nighthawks
, a RTÉ Television
chat show of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and for composing "What's Another Year", Ireland's winning entry in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest
.
in Dublin. His father, Seamus, was a civil servant and part-time stage actor who performed at the Abbey
and Olympia
theatres. His mother, Máirín Ní Shúilleabháin, was a singer of Irish traditional songs
. She also wrote plays and stories and encouraged young Shay's early talent for writing. This led to his first appearance at the age of fifteen on the Irish national radio station, Radió Éireann
, reading a self-penned article.
. Healy achieved his greatest success as a songwriter with "What's Another Year", which won the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest
. Over the course of the next fifteen years, the song earned him a total of £250,000. In 1983 his song, "Edge Of The Universe", sung by Linda Martin
, was the overall winner of the Castlebar Song Contest
.
with the script, co-written with Niall Toibin
, for a stage production entitled The King. This was a show based on the life and music of Elvis Presley
and was premiered at the Cork Opera House
two months after the singer's death. However, Healy's rock opera
, The Knowledge, failed to receive commercial backing and was premiered in Dundalk
by an amateur group in January 1989.
Healy was more successful with his musical, The Wiremen, which received its premiere on May 4, 2005 at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre in a production by John McColgan and Moya Doherty
that ran for six weeks. The Wiremen tells the story of the introduction of electricity into County Mayo
during the 1950s. In March 2010 the show was revived in an amateur production by the Birr
Stage Guild.
in 1963 as a trainee cameraman. Within five years he had moved to the other side of the lens with appearances on programmes such as Twenty Minutes With..., Ballad Sheet and Hoot'nany.
Between 1988 and 1992 Healy hosted Nighthawks
, a late-night satirical chat show broadcast on RTÉ Two
, which he later described as "the best four years of my working life". In January 1992, the show became embroiled in political controversy as a result of Healy's interview with former Fianna Fáil
Justice Minister Seán Doherty. During the interview, Doherty revealed that some members of the cabinet with whom he served in 1982
had been aware of his order to
illegally tap the phones of a number of Irish journalists
. The revelation led to the resignation of Taoiseach
Charles Haughey
a few weeks later.
In January 1995, RTÉ terminated Healy's contract. One of his last shows for the station was Where Are They Now? in which he interviewed former celebrities whose fame had largely faded. Healy then set up his own production company which made a series of television documentaries. His 1995 TV documentary on Irish musician, Phil Lynott
, The Rocker, was broadcast on RTÉ Two
and BBC Two
, and later released as a DVD
. In 1998, Healy made two half-hour documentaries for the RTÉ One television series, Against The Odds. The series focused on individuals who had overcome adversity in their lives. Healy's two films featured an actor, Chris Burke, who was born with dwarfism
, and a singer, Ronan Tynan
, whose legs were amputated when he was twenty.
Healy has won two Jacob's Awards
. He received the first in 1984 for Strawberry Fields Forever, a radio documentary series on the 1960s which he presented. His second award came in 1989 for his television work.
In 2007, Healy joined the judging panel on TG4
's talent show
, Glór Tíre
.
weekly, and he continued to write for the magazine until its demise in the mid-1970s. He currently writes a weekly column for the Irish Daily Mail
.
The Stunt is the title of Healy's debut novel, published in 1992. It deals with the Irish rock scene and was described by one reviewer as "a more truthful... representation (of) the Irish music scene than The Commitments
". His second novel, Green Card Blues, is set among the illegal Irish immigrant community in New York
.
In 2005 On The Road, Healy's memoir of his life in showbusiness, was published.
In 2004, Healy was diagnosed with the degenerative disorder, Parkinson's disease
.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
songwriter, broadcaster and journalist. He is best known for his role as host of Nighthawks
Nighthawks (TV series)
Nighthawks was an Irish television series broadcast on Network 2 . It was hosted by Shay Healy. It was part of the major re-brand of RTÉ Two as Network 2 in 1988....
, a RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television is a department of Ireland's state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann.The first channel to broadcast was Telefís Éireann which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961...
chat show of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and for composing "What's Another Year", Ireland's winning entry in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1980
The Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was the 25th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 19 April 1980 in The Hague. The presenter was Marlous Fluitsma, although each song was introduced by a presenter from the nation represented...
.
Early life
Shay Healy was raised along with his five siblings in SandymountSandymount
Sandymount is a coastal seaside suburb in Dublin 4 on the Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It is in the Dublin South East Dáil constituency and the East Pembroke Ward. It was once part of Pembroke Township, which took its name from the fact that this area was part of the estate of the Earl of...
in Dublin. His father, Seamus, was a civil servant and part-time stage actor who performed at the Abbey
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
and Olympia
Olympia Theatre, Dublin
The Olympia Theatre is a concert hall/theatre venue in Dublin, Ireland, located in Dame Street.-History:Built in 1879, it was originally called the "Star of Erin Music Hall". Two years later in 1881, it was renamed "Dan Lowrey's Music Hall" and was renamed again in 1889 to "Dan Lowrey's Palace of...
theatres. His mother, Máirín Ní Shúilleabháin, was a singer of Irish traditional songs
Folk music of Ireland
The folk music of Ireland is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Ireland.-History:...
. She also wrote plays and stories and encouraged young Shay's early talent for writing. This led to his first appearance at the age of fifteen on the Irish national radio station, Radió Éireann
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
, reading a self-penned article.
Career
Healy has had a varied career to date, never focusing too intently on any one of his various professional interests. Of his tendency to diversify he has commented: "I know it infuriates some people when you don't pigeonhole yourself, but I don't take on anything that won't stand up to public scrutiny."Songwriting
Healy first received attention as a performer of his own "songs of social significance" during the 1960s. Later he wrote comedy songs for Billy ConnollyBilly Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
. Healy achieved his greatest success as a songwriter with "What's Another Year", which won the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1980
The Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was the 25th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 19 April 1980 in The Hague. The presenter was Marlous Fluitsma, although each song was introduced by a presenter from the nation represented...
. Over the course of the next fifteen years, the song earned him a total of £250,000. In 1983 his song, "Edge Of The Universe", sung by Linda Martin
Linda Martin
Linda Martin is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known in Europe as the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1992, with the song "Why Me?", and in Ireland as a member of the 1970s/1980s band, Chips.-Chips:Martin started off her musical career when she joined the band Chips...
, was the overall winner of the Castlebar Song Contest
Castlebar Song Contest
The Castlebar Song Contest was an annual international song contest that was first staged in 1966 in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. The contest was initially organised by the Castlebar Chamber of Commerce as part of a drive to increase tourism to the town...
.
Musical theatre
In 1977, Healy branched into musical theatreMusical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with the script, co-written with Niall Toibin
Niall Toibin
Niall Tóibín is an Irish comedian and actor. Born in Cork into an Irish speaking family, Tóibín grew up on the north-side of the city in Bishop's Field. He has appeared in Ryan's Daughter, Bracken, The Irish R.M., Caught in a Free State, Ballykissangel, Far and Away, and Veronica Guerin, and has...
, for a stage production entitled The King. This was a show based on the life and music of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and was premiered at the Cork Opera House
Cork Opera House
Cork Opera House is a theatre and opera house in Cork in the Republic of Ireland. It was originally built in 1855, although its existence has not been continuous; having survived the burning of much of Cork by British forces in reprisal for an ambush of a military convoy in 1920 by Irish rebels,...
two months after the singer's death. However, Healy's rock opera
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
, The Knowledge, failed to receive commercial backing and was premiered in Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
by an amateur group in January 1989.
Healy was more successful with his musical, The Wiremen, which received its premiere on May 4, 2005 at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre in a production by John McColgan and Moya Doherty
Moya Doherty
Moya Doherty is a Dublin-raised Irish entrepreneur and the producer and co-founder of Riverdance, the worldwide acclaimed theatrical phenomenon, which premiered in Dublin’s Point Theatre in February 1995...
that ran for six weeks. The Wiremen tells the story of the introduction of electricity into County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
during the 1950s. In March 2010 the show was revived in an amateur production by the Birr
Birr
Birr is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. Once called Parsonstown, after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary Earls of Rosse. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe....
Stage Guild.
Broadcasting
Healy joined RTÉ TelevisionRTÉ Television
RTÉ Television is a department of Ireland's state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann.The first channel to broadcast was Telefís Éireann which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961...
in 1963 as a trainee cameraman. Within five years he had moved to the other side of the lens with appearances on programmes such as Twenty Minutes With..., Ballad Sheet and Hoot'nany.
Between 1988 and 1992 Healy hosted Nighthawks
Nighthawks (TV series)
Nighthawks was an Irish television series broadcast on Network 2 . It was hosted by Shay Healy. It was part of the major re-brand of RTÉ Two as Network 2 in 1988....
, a late-night satirical chat show broadcast on RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
, which he later described as "the best four years of my working life". In January 1992, the show became embroiled in political controversy as a result of Healy's interview with former Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
Justice Minister Seán Doherty. During the interview, Doherty revealed that some members of the cabinet with whom he served in 1982
Government of the 23rd Dáil
The 23rd Dáil was elected at the first general election of 1982 on 18 February 1982 and first met on 9 March when the 18th Government of Ireland was appointed...
had been aware of his order to
illegally tap the phones of a number of Irish journalists
Irish phone tapping scandal (1983)
Michael Noonan revealed on 20 January 1983 that the previous Fianna Fáil government had authorised illegal phone tapping of the journalists Geraldine Kennedy, Bruce Arnold and Vincent Browne...
. The revelation led to the resignation of Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Charles Haughey
Charles Haughey
Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
a few weeks later.
In January 1995, RTÉ terminated Healy's contract. One of his last shows for the station was Where Are They Now? in which he interviewed former celebrities whose fame had largely faded. Healy then set up his own production company which made a series of television documentaries. His 1995 TV documentary on Irish musician, Phil Lynott
Phil Lynott
Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy....
, The Rocker, was broadcast on RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
and BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, and later released as a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. In 1998, Healy made two half-hour documentaries for the RTÉ One television series, Against The Odds. The series focused on individuals who had overcome adversity in their lives. Healy's two films featured an actor, Chris Burke, who was born with dwarfism
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
, and a singer, Ronan Tynan
Ronan Tynan
Ronan Tynan is a singer in the classical Irish style. He is most famous for his renditions of "God Bless America" at Yankee Stadium during important New York Yankees games, such as Opening Day, nationally-televised games, the last game at the old Yankee Stadium, and playoff games...
, whose legs were amputated when he was twenty.
Healy has won two Jacob's Awards
Jacob's Awards
The Jacob's Awards were instituted in December 1962 as the first Irish television awards. Later, they were expanded to include radio. The awards were named after their sponsor, W. & R. Jacob & Co. Ltd., a biscuit manufacturer, and recipients were selected by Ireland's national newspaper television...
. He received the first in 1984 for Strawberry Fields Forever, a radio documentary series on the 1960s which he presented. His second award came in 1989 for his television work.
In 2007, Healy joined the judging panel on TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
's talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
, Glór Tíre
Glór Tíre
Glór Tíre is a reality based talent search for Ireland's newest country and western music star. It has been running for a number of seasons on TG4. Glór Tíre is literally translated as Country Voice. It is produced by Gaelmedia for TG4. It is now in its 7th season...
.
Writing
In the early 1960s, Healy became Folk Correspondent for Spotlight, an Irish pop musicPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
weekly, and he continued to write for the magazine until its demise in the mid-1970s. He currently writes a weekly column for the Irish Daily Mail
Irish Daily Mail
The Irish Daily Mail is a newspaper published in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland by Associated Newspapers. The paper was launched in February 2006 with a launch strategy that included giving away free copies on the first day of circulation and low pricing subsequently....
.
The Stunt is the title of Healy's debut novel, published in 1992. It deals with the Irish rock scene and was described by one reviewer as "a more truthful... representation (of) the Irish music scene than The Commitments
The Commitments
The Commitments is a novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle, and is the first episode in The Barrytown Trilogy. It is a tale about a group of unemployed young people in the north side of Dublin, Ireland, who start a soul band.-Plot summary:...
". His second novel, Green Card Blues, is set among the illegal Irish immigrant community in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In 2005 On The Road, Healy's memoir of his life in showbusiness, was published.
Personal life
Healy married Dymphna Errity in September 1967. They have two sons, Oisin and Fionain.In 2004, Healy was diagnosed with the degenerative disorder, Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
Publications
- The Stunt, (O'Brien Press, 1992, ISBN 978-0-86278-322-8 )
- Green Card Blues, (O'Brien Press, 1994, ISBN 978-0-86278-386-0)
- Beastly Jokes, (O'Brien Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-86278-923-7)
- More Beastly Jokes, (O'Brien Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-86278-924-4)
- On The Road, (O'Brien Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-86278-949-7)