Jim Fahy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Fahy
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| Born |
James Fahy
21 November 1946 Loughrea, County Galway, Connacht, Ireland
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| Died | (aged 75) Tuam, County Galway, Connacht, Ireland
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | Kilrickle National School De la Salle School, Loughrea Garbally College |
| Occupation | Journalist and broadcaster |
| Years active | 1965–2011 |
| Employer | RTÉ (1974–2011) |
| Known for | Looking West; Western Editor RTÉ News |
| Awards | Jacob's Awards for Radio 1984 |
James Fahy (born 21 November 1946 – died 14 January 2022) was a famous Irish journalist and documentary maker. He worked for RTÉ News as their Western Editor. When he retired in 2011, he was RTÉ's longest-serving reporter for a specific region.
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Jim Fahy's Early Life
Jim Fahy was born in a place called Kilrickle, in County Galway, in 1946. He went to local schools like Kilrickle National School and De la Salle School in Loughrea. From 1960 to 1964, he also studied at Garbally College. Jim first dreamed of becoming a pilot. However, he chose a different path and started a career as a journalist instead.
His Career as a Journalist
Jim Fahy began his journalism career in 1965. He started working for a newspaper called The Tuam Herald. While he was there, he wrote a special social diary section called Nitescene. His old co-workers at the paper thought very highly of him.
Joining RTÉ
In 1974, Jim joined RTÉ, which is Ireland's national broadcaster. He became their very first Western News Correspondent. In this important role, he reported on many big events. These included the building of Ireland West Airport Knock and other major news stories.
Jim was also well-known for a radio show called Looking West. He made over 450 episodes of this show for RTÉ Radio between 1977 and 1984. The program was all about storytellers and musicians from the West of Ireland. The Irish Times newspaper even called it "ground-breaking," meaning it was very new and important.
Reporting from Around the World
While working for RTÉ News and Current Affairs, Jim Fahy also traveled to many different countries. He made a lot of documentaries, especially focusing on Irish aid workers helping people abroad.
In 1976, he interviewed Mother Teresa in Calcutta with producer Dick Warner. He also traveled across Africa to make documentaries. More recently, he reported from places like Belarus, Haiti, and Somalia. Jim was also present at the scene of the September 11 attacks in the United States. He shared stories about the Irish-American people who were affected by these events. In 2002, his documentary Stories from the Twin Towers won a gold medal at the New York Festivals Television Programming Awards.
Jim Fahy received many awards for his work. He won a Jacob's Award in 1984. He also won forty other national and international awards, many of them with producer Caroline Bleahen.
Retirement from RTÉ
In 2005, RTÉ made Jim Fahy their Western Editor. He worked from the RTÉ studio in Galway. In 2011, he retired from RTÉ after 37 years. He retired at the same time as other famous news broadcasters like Anne Doyle and Michael Ryan. Jim was known as the longest-serving regional news correspondent for RTÉ. His very last news report was shown on RTÉ on 31 December 2011.
Family Life
Jim Fahy was married to Christina. They had two children together, a son named Shane and a daughter named Aideen.
Jim Fahy passed away at his home in Tuam on 14 January 2022. He was 75 years old.
