A storyteller like no other: warm tributes paid to Manchán Magan

The world of Irish culture and broadcasting is in mourning following the death of Manchán Magan at the age of 55.

A passionate advocate for the Irish language, a gifted storyteller, and a unique voice on both screen and page, his passing has sparked an outpouring of tributes from across Ireland and beyond.

President Michael D Higgins led the tributes, describing how Magan’s work inspired people across every generation to engage more deeply with the Irish language and with the natural world around them.

“Through his work, Machán inspired so many people, across every generation, to engage more deeply with our native language, its cultural richness, and through it to engage with, respect and learn from our natural landscape and environment,” the President said.

He reflected too on Magan’s deep appreciation of indigenous cultures around the world, saying his influence would live on with everyone he encountered.

TG4, the broadcaster with whom Magan had a long and close association, said it was “deeply saddened” by his passing.

In a statement, TG4 described him as a “passionate advocate for the Irish language and a gifted storyteller whose work enriched Irish culture and broadcasting.

He had a long history with TG4 from its inception to recent times. Manchán was a deep thinker, presenter and filmmaker.

Over the years, he presented and produced numerous series for TnaG and TG4, working often with his brother director Ruán Magan on a wide range of productions that reflected his creativity, imagination and deep curiosity about Ireland’s heritage, landscape and people, from his first travel series Manchán ar Seachrán that aired the first week TnaG was on air, to No Béarla and to his most recent series Ag Triall ar an Tobar.”

It was his brother Ruán who first pitched the idea for Manchán ar Seachrán, drawing on his life in the Himalayas.

In later years Magan himself recalled those beginnings in a TG4 anniversary book, describing how his brother arrived in India in 1996 with a small digital camera, convinced that his explorations should be shared with Irish viewers back home.

What followed was a career that always balanced curiosity with responsibility, personal exploration with collective storytelling.

TG4’s director-general Deirdre Ní Choistín paid warm tribute to him, saying: “Manchán’s work was the embodiment of TG4’s motto Súil Eile. He offered a unique insight into the Irish language, Irish life, and travel through his deep knowledge that he shared generously with audiences.

“On behalf of TG4, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to Aisling and his mother Cróine, his brother Ruán and the rest of the family.”

Commissioning editor Máire Ní Chonláin described him as a “visionary storyteller whose creativity, courage and curiosity brought TG4 audiences on unforgettable journeys into Gaeilge, culture and heritage.

“He had a rare gift for making us see the world and our own traditions in a new light. His legacy will endure in the powerful programmes he made, and he will be greatly missed.”

Her colleague Proinsias Ní Ghráinne, also a commissioning editor with the station, called Magan “a unique and fearless voice in Irish broadcasting.

His programmes for TG4 reflected his deep love of the Irish language and his instinctive ability to connect people with our heritage and landscape. His loss is immeasurable, but his work leaves a legacy that will continue to inspire and resonate for years to come.”

TG4 also extended heartfelt condolences to his wife Aisling, his mother Cróine, his siblings and all who mourn his passing.

Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, also expressed his sadness at Magan’s untimely passing. “I am very saddened to hear of Manchán’s death this morning at such a young age,” he said. “Manchán was a gifted broadcaster, writer, and passionate advocate of the Irish language.

“His dedicated work on television, his unmistakable voice on radio, and his writing didn’t just promote Irish, it reignited a grá for it in people.

“This legacy will live on.

“I want to join with others in offering my deepest condolences to his wife Aisling, his family, his friends and his former colleagues in TG4, RTÉ and the wider arts and culture community across Ireland. May he rest in peace.”

Magan came from a family steeped in Ireland’s cultural and revolutionary history, with his great-granduncle being The O’Rahilly and his grandmother the republican activist Sheila Humphreys.

But his own contribution was entirely his own, rooted in curiosity, courage and a sense of wonder that carried him across the world and back home again to Ireland’s traditions.

He is survived by his wife Aisling, his mother Cróine, his brother Ruán, and his extended family.

For them, as for the Irish language community, the arts world and countless viewers and readers, his death leaves a profound loss.

Yet his voice endures, in the programmes, books and stories that will continue to inspire for generations to come.

May he rest in peace.