Memories of a giant in journalism

Jim Fahy’s hard graft and tenacity in sourcing and breaking stories was to be admired

JIM Fahy was not just any TV, radio or newspaper journalist. He stood head and shoulders above most others – ‘a giant’ as the name Fahy translated from Gaeilge implies.

Although Jim came to national prominence when delivering his regional reports for RTE from the mid-1970s, he had already made giant strides in the profession after joining The Tuam Herald in late 1965.

A towering man, well over six-foot tall, with a mop of red hair and, later, a red beard, Jim was given the freedom to revolutionise The Tuam Herald by the late Jarlath Burke, Director and Editor, who was an astute judge of talent and who didn’t suffer fools lightly.

No doubt, when this thin, young strap of a lad from Kilrickle joined the reporting staff of the paper, Jarlath immediately saw the potential in him and ‘The Boss’, as he was known, was progressive minded enough to let Jim come up with some radical changes that made the paper the envy of others.

For full story, plus some great pictures of the late Jim Fahy in action, see today's The Tuam Herald.