Pete McCarthy RIP

Armen Tanzerian

A great Irishman. He embodied the traits that make the Irish special. Not for him to dress like a leprechaun up the Champs Elysee this weekend.

mike65

Another plastic paddy!

I heard the news on Pat Kenny's radio prog, I tuned in to hear McCarthy
talking about the tourist trap that is Killarney then suddenly McCarthy voice ended - it had been a clip from an old interview and Kenny announced his death. A bit of a shock, I was a big fan going back years. He was never very Irish though (except by accident of heritige). He had the quintessential traits of English humour rather than Irish. But thats a different thread.

He was 51 which suprised me as I thought of him as younger.

Mike.

Armen Tanzerian

Mike, I agree about the ironic English sense of humour. I suppose I meant he found humour and enjoyment in others, rather than in himself which seems to be the shtick of the professional Paddy these days.

Ni bheidh a leitheid aris ann. (long time since the Leaving, hope I got that right).

mike65

From the bbc.

Travel writer and broadcaster Pete McCarthy has died at the age of 51.

McCarthy, author of the best-selling book McCarthy's Bar, died at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton.

A spokesman said McCarthy, who was married with three children, was diagnosed with cancer eight months ago and died on Wednesday.

McCarthy, who also wrote The Road to McCarthy, presented the Channel 4 series Travelog and hosted BBC Radio 4 panel show X Marks The Spot.

McCarthy's friend and tour manager Adrian Mealing said: "Pete was a writer, broadcaster, comedian and hugely popular performer.

"He was thrilled and delighted with the worldwide reaction to his books and had been planning his third, eagerly anticipating journeys, chance encounters and all the promise of a new venture."



Book awards

McCarthy was born in Warrington to an English mother and Irish father.

In McCarthy's Bar, he explored his Irish heritage and travelled from Cork to Donegal, with the premise that you should never pass up the opportunity of having a drink in a bar that shares your name.

The book sold nearly a million copies and won him the newcomer of the year prize at the British Book Awards in 2002.

His more ambitious follow-up book - The Road to McCarthy - took him on a journey across four continents in search of far-flung Irish connections.

'Lovely man'

Mr Mealing added: "These books endeared him to several generations around the globe who were either Irish, part Irish or who embraced the Celtic alternative to the Anglo-Saxon rule book.

"Pete's books caused seismic public laughter on suburban trains, transatlantic planes, storm tossed ferries, in cheap student accommodation and very definitely on the London Underground.

"The man himself was lovely and shall be missed."

McCarthy started out as a stand-up comedian and later wrote TV scripts for comedians Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones.

Her became a travel presenter in the 1990s he became a travel presenter and McCarthy's Bar was published in 2000, followed by The Road to McCarthy in 2002.

Mike.

roxy

Yeah I really was sad to hear this, i suppose coz my only link to the man is through reading his book in which he's so full of life.

What a weird day: on the way to work i turned on the car radio and found out that Pete McCarthy had died; then on the way home I turned it on again to hear that Ken Bigley had been killed. I'm afraid to turn the key again for fear of hearing my own death reported on the news. I think there's a film script in there. Or maybe a crap joke.

Exit

I was saddened to hear this as I was a big fan of both of his books, and had just been glancing through one of them the other day (my girlfriend is re-reading it)

He seemed like a really nice bloke.