Tommie Gorman obituary: Veteran journalist covered a pivotal period in Northern Irish politics

Gorman loved his craft and in 47 years as a journalist made his mark, earning the trust of politicians across the spectrum, who has died aged 68, described John Healy, the former Backbencher columnist and political writer for The Irish Times as his “mentor”. Healy gave him his break into journalism in 1977 while advising: “Reporting isn’t a job, it’s a life. Enjoy it.”

Gorman took to journalism at full throttle. When Healy and Maguire gave him his first work at the Western Journal they did so based on paying him by line rather than offering him a formal position, but pretty soon they discovered it was cheaper to give him a staff job because he was providing so many stories.

It rankled with him a little, but not too much, that his famous interview with Roy Keane and his entreaty “about all the little kids in Ireland” wanting him back at the World Cup in Japan became a subject of parody. But Gorman, a devoted supporter of Ireland, Sligo Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, just wanted Ireland to have the best chance with the aid of its best player in the tournament. Gorman even had then taoiseach Bertie Ahern on standby to intervene, but Keane wasn’t for turning.

He was competitive but collegial and generous to a fault. While antipathetic to cynical journalism, in private he could equally be hilarious, hard-nosed and mischievous. He was made a Freeman of his beloved Sligo in 2003 and was conferred with an honorary degree by NUIG in 2011. Over the years he made several documentaries including: The Queen’s Speech; Paisley — from Troublemaker to Peacemaker; and Inside Court No. 5, an account of the Michaela McAreavey murder trial in Mauritius. His final documentary was Ireland, Cancer and Me, a personal account of living with neuroendocrine tumours.

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