Shay Healy was born in Dublin in 1943, where he lived with his parents Máirín and Séamus, and his five siblings.
He joined the advertising department in the Irish Press at the age of 18, and began his career with RTÉ two years later as a trainee cameraman.
He later moved to the front of the camera, and presented 289 episodes of the groundbreaking television series, Nighthawks, on Network 2 from 1988 until 1992.
It was Shay’s interview with former Justice Minister, Sean Doherty about the 1980s telephone tapping scandal, that brought about the downfall of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.
As well as being a broadcaster, journalist and author, Shay is also a songwriter, and he famously wrote Johnny Logan’s 1980 Eurovision winner, What’s Another Year?
Shay was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease ten years ago, and he praises his wife Dymphna for looking after him throughout his illness.
And these are Shay Healy’s Musical Heirlooms…
Shay's song choices were:
- Brendan Behan - The Auld Triangle
- Shay Healy - When You Become Stardust Too
The latter is his new single, which is now available for download on iTunes.
You can download Shay's piece with Talking Point by searching for 'Musical Heirlooms' on your podcast app. For more from the show, follow us on Twitter: @talkingpointnt.
