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LAST UPDATE | 21 Oct 2024
TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN paid to LMFM radio host Michael Reade who died at the age of 58, the station confirmed this morning.
The presenter released a statement last month in which he spoke frankly about his terminal cancer diagnosis, saying “I wish it wasn’t so” but that “it is is not an argument I can win.”
Mr Reade was first on air 43 years ago at just 15 years old and presented his show on LMFM for 21 years. Earlier this month he won Gold at the IMRO Radio Awards for best Current Affairs programme on local radio.
Tributes have been paid to Michael today by colleagues, friends, local Bishop Michael Router, the Taoiseach Simon Harris, the Tánaiste Micheál Martin, the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and local TD Ged Nash.
The Taoiseach said: “Michael is a loss to journalism, a loss to the people of Louth and Meath but most particularly his family and friends.”
Harris added:
For over 20 years, Michael has been a voice to the frustrations, the celebrations and curiosity of people across Louth and Meath.
“For those of us who sat opposite him, he has been robust and tough but never unfair.”
Minister McEntee said she was “really saddened” to hear of Mr Reade’s death and offered her deepest condolences to his family, including his wife Sandra, his son Luke, his brothers, sister and the rest of his family.
She said commended his work to inform, educate and seek the truth for people across the North East region of the country.
The National Union of Journalists’ Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley described Michael as “the quintessential local radio broadcaster who knew his audience and never compromised his principles for the sake of career advancement or an easy life”.
“His style often made those in positions of power, influence and authority uncomfortable, but Michael saw his role as being to challenge and question,” he said.
On behalf of the IMRO Radio Awards committee, we would like to express our sadness at the passing of Michael Reade. Michael was a Gold Award winner at the 2024 IMRO Radio Awards.
— IMRO Radio Awards (@IMRORadioAwards) October 21, 2024
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. pic.twitter.com/VI7w8Im0fw
Bishop Michael Router said Michael always interviewed people in a “fair, forensic and insightful” manner and commended the journalist for having a “deep sense of justice for those who are vulnerable”.
“Michael’s passing will leave a void in the hearts of so many people, especially his loved ones, his colleagues in LMFM, and his many loyal listeners across a large and populous north-east region.”
He gave his condolences to Michael’s family, listeners and colleagues.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin gave his condolences to Michael’s family as well.
He added: “A firm but fair interviewer, Michael’s show on LMFM was essential radio for more than two decades on the issues that mattered most to his listeners.I always enjoyed my interviews with Michael and appreciated his courtesy and respect.
“He faced his final days with typical courage and dignity. Michael’s passing is a great loss for public service broadcasting.”
Louth Labour TD Ged Nash said Michael was one of Ireland’s finest broadcasters, a truth-teller and journalist with a robust and fair interview style.
“His innate sense of social justice, fairness and decency informed his work, and we count ourselves lucky in Louth and Meath to have had a current affairs presenter of Michael’s curiosity and calibre at the mic of our flagship programme on our local station for the past 21 years.
“He truly was the voice of the North-East. He will be fondly remembered as a superb journalist and a professional to his fingertips. Most of all though, I will remember Michael as a great friend and I will miss him,” Nash said.
He added: “My sincerest sympathies to his wife Sandra, his son Luke and his beloved colleagues in LMFM, especially his longstanding production team members and beloved colleagues, Maggie and Chris.”
Midlands North-West MEP and former RTÉ correspondent Ciaran Mullooly made reference to Michael’s statement last month, saying: “What an extraordinarily brave message to leave behind.”
In that statement, Mr Reade had said:
“You know I thought, I could spend a lot of time being devastated and that, I’m sure, would be understandable to some degree but I thought, I just don’t have enough time left to do that.”
“I am looking at things that might otherwise have passed me by and I am getting so much pleasure from some very basic, simple things. A smiling face or a kind word, a ray of sunshine, breathing fresh air.”
“Being home with the people I love and knowing they love me, is priceless. There is nothing more important to me.”
Michael is survived by his wife Sandra, his son Luke, brothers, sister and extended family.
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I’ve said many times, will keep saying it: corporations like Meta are NOT your friend in any way.
@Daniel Skelton: I don’t think anyone ever has thought of a corporation as their friend… When was the last time you went for a coffee with a corporation?
@Kev Barnes: True, but I consider ones like Meta to be the lowest of the low. You can’t get any lower than them.
@Kev Barnes: you’ve never seen someone scrolling of Facebook in a café?
@Daniel Skelton: good man Daniel does that mean other corporates are?
@Daniel Skelton: TikTok is even lower than meta is it has been created specially to make our youth dumber.
It should be 100% banned.
@mani mus: I have.. But that doesn’t make your phone your friend
@Kev Barnes: Our leaders do it all the time.
@Kev Barnes: Badum-tsshh
You should be over the age of 18 to own a smart phone. They are one of the greatest scourges to enter society and I’m not being over dramatic when I say that. They allow bullying of kids to continue at all times, they give kids incorrect perceptions of their image and create very harmful addictions.
It is frightening how many parents give kids as young as 6 or 7 unfiltered access to some of the worst aspects of society.
No access, no problem.
If you think your child needs a phone to contact you, then buy a non-smartphone.
But an entire ban would take peer pressure out of the equation.
Ban the sale of advertising on the internet and this problem will vanish.
All the social media companies depend on advertising and use addictive interfaces to drive up “engagement” and numbers so that they can charge more for advertising.
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: Good idea, would go further and ban data minning too.
@Thesaltyurchin: Harder to define but yes indeed.
You could probably add some adults to that as well.
@Jb Walshe: like you?
There should be a new poll…Do Irish judges attend Andrew Tate seminars? To give a man a clap on the back for attacking a women that he admitted to….the wheel is rolling backwards.
An outright ban is needed until 18 years of age. Also social media should not allow the posting of so called news links or any links of that matter. It used to be about photos, sharing of nights out and socialising and sharing memories.. Politics, Screwing with our children’s minds was not part of it.. or screwing with adults minds for that matter.
@Roman Walczak Sadlowski: Outright ban wont solve anything. The social media companies, specifically X, Meta and Snap need to ensure anonymous accounts are not possible. If you want a social media account you need to provide proof of identification. As soon as all these cowards online hiding behind their keyboard know there is attribution behind every one of their posts it will stop overnight. Literally within 24 hours harrassment, doxxing, bullying, far-right nonsense, fake news and video posts etc will cease.
Society is doing a bang up job of doing the damage already without social media. The current and next generation will have some mess to clean up from the damage thats been done and I dont evny them.
But not quite as much as the current government are.
It’s so sad to see a group of teenage friends together just looking at their phones….no messing about, talking, slagging or laughter. My teen years in the early 90s were spent talking with friends and others my age, about everything and nothing, getting bored, slagging each other off, arguing and making up again…walking for hours or sitting around.
No child under 13 needs a phone. As a parent it is hard, but you have to lay down the law and say
No. My 12 year old has no phone, as I have told him his friends all live in our estate, he can walk over to them if he needs to talk.
Just behind substance abuse
@Argus Romsworth: Reckon if you count the profits (lets no pretend that anything else matters here) that tech bros are making way more than the narcos.
Not a hope of any action here. Money and profit is what our society value, child/people’s welfare are only considered if it doesn’t affect the bottom line. Have you not scene all the betting companies concern for problem gambling . If your winning your account is restricted, if your losing, bet away.
They are very addictive. An addiction is only bad news.
@JP: Facebook was designed by psychologists to be addictive, that’s the main reason it crushed Bebo, MySpace etc.
Most of the most mentally unstable people i see on social media these days are 40+. The ones harrassing td’s and guards and librarians and such.
Least we forget, THIS is a social media space.
You can say ‘ban smartphones’ until you’re blue in the face – gen z (hope I got that right) life revolves around social platforms – I had an argument with a friend back in 2018 about the detrimental effects this behaviour would have as I had been reading articles on it – basically they stated that the young ones wouldn’t know how to adapt to social situations, that they wouldn’t be able to decipher facial expressions, body language.
It’s not just about the bullying aspect, it reaches far deeper. Images on social media are heavily filtered and, especially for girls, can make them feel insecure and lack confidence in comparison to what they see on screen.
It was hard enough for me growing up, I was bullied but it was in person, was dealt with, the end. Online is endless.
Stop bullying kids by dumping anxiety on them.
https://climatekids.nasa.gov/kids-guide-to-climate-change/
The June Solstice happens today, and the Green party, rather than run with experimental theorists who imagine climate is one thing as long-term weather, teaches students that Ireland has a maritime climate as one topic among many within the Earth science of climate.
I never mind those who try to throw their weight around in the comments as though this is a schoolyard. I need adults in the room and in the Journal.
@Gerald Kelleher: Nooooo! The winters coming
@Gerald Kelleher: they left out the elnino effect in the climate change guide.
@Gerald Kelleher: I really wish researchers in social science hadn’t started using the term “climate anxiety” when surveying young people. Psychologists don’t want that term used. The vast majority of young people and children who report concerns about climate change in these studies do not have anxiety. Anxiety is complicated and it is generally rooted in the child’s early childhood experiences and the attachment styles of those who care for them. You could stop telling children that carbon emissions trap radiation tomorrow and I doubt it would have any impact on the numbers of children being treated for anxiety. I don’t care about the models. There are many excellent reasons to clean up our act and pursue renewable energy resources that don’t require you to buy into global warming. Young people are rightfully concerned about how human actions are impacting our environment. They aren’t mad, we are polluting the planet at a rate that can’t possibly be good, we have volumes of hard evidence demonstrating the mounting negative consequences to humans (children in particular) and we should stop.
@Sill Scoundrel: At last, a reasonable person even if climate research covers many topics.
The environmental party should protect society from academics looking for funding while supplying hysteria.
I absolutely love social media
Not as big a threat as the scary wary pilots!
have your say