Tom McGrath
Born(1930-04-22)22 April 1930
Died10 April 1985(1985-04-10) (aged 54)
OccupationTelevision producer
Known forWork on The Late Late Show and several Irish entries to Eurovision

Thomas Patrick "Tom" McGrath (22 April 1930 - 10 April 1985) was a television producer at RTÉ Television, Ireland's national broadcaster. He is known for "pioneering" The Late Late Show in 1962,[1][2] and selecting Gay Byrne to host the show.[3][4] He was also credited with introducing Terry Wogan and Mike Murphy's first television series.[5][6] He chose the song "All Kinds of Everything" for the 1970 National Song Contest, and selected Dana to sing it. It won both the national final therefore becoming Ireland's entry, and went on to win the 1970 Eurovision contest.[7] He later produced and directed Ireland's staging of the 1971 Eurovision contest.

Early life

Tom McGrath was born in Dublin on 22 April 1930 and educated at Christian Brothers School, North Brunswick Street, and at St. Canice's, North Circular Road. He later attended the School of Commerce in Rathmines[8]. In his early twenties he emigrated to Canada, and worked in radio and television gaining experience as a producer.[9] After returning to Ireland, McGrath joined RTÉ in 1961 as "cost control executive". He later became the head of light entertainment at RTÉ.[1]

In 1961, he produced his first program, starring Lelia Doolan, called "The Ballad Singer". Early in 1962, McGrath introduced a weekly quiz show called "Jackpot" and selected Gay Byrne to compere the show. Terry Wogan would later replace Gay Byrne as compere.[10][11]

Career

The Late Late Show

While working on television in Canada, McGrath had noted the format of The Tonight Show with Jack Paar and decided to launch an Irish version of this show as a summer filler; a late-night talk show: The Late Late Show.[9][12] McGrath selected Gay Byrne as host,[6][13] and produced the first show which was broadcast on 6 July 1962.[14]

RTÉ could not afford to pay the cost of major stars to appear on the show, but Tom McGrath managed to include those stars when they visited Ireland at the cost of highlighting their schedule.[15] McGrath also maintained that no matter how successful a program was it must not remain unchanged.[10]

National Song Contest and Eurovision

During 1964/1965, McGrath devised the National Song Contest to select Ireland's entry for the Eurovision.[16] In 1965, he was presented with a Jacob's Award for his presentation of the first National Song Contest. The contest became an annual event produced by Tom McGrath for the first few years.

Dana (later Dana Rosemary Scallon) came second in the National Song Contest of 1969. Later, McGrath contacted Dana and invited her to sing "All Kinds of Everything",[17][7] composed by Jackie Smith and Derry Lindsay. In 1970, Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest singing "All Kinds of Everything" for Ireland. Winning the 1970 Eurovision contest meant that Ireland would stage the contest in 1971, and McGrath produced and directed the program of the 1971 Eurovision event.[1][18]

McGrath also produced the 1981 Eurovision in Dublin, following Johnny Logan's win the previous year in the Netherlands with "What's Another Year".[3] In 1984, with Gay Byrne presenting and Tom McGrath producing and directing,[19] Linda Martin won the National song contest with the song "Terminal 3", written by Johnny Logan. According to Martin, Tom McGrath selected her to sing the song,[20] which went on to come second in the Eurovision of that year.[19]

McGrath was also involved with the Tops of the Town and the Castlebar Song Contest.[21][22]

Later life and death

After a long illness, McGrath died at his home in Foxrock, Dublin on 10 April 1985, aged 55.[23][24] His funeral Mass was held at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Foxrock and was attended by former colleagues from RTÉ. Music was provided by Earl Gill, with Frank Patterson and others singing.[25] Tom McGrath was survived by his wife Pat and their four children.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Photographic Archive - RTÉ producer Tom McGrath (1971)". stillslibrary.rte.ie. RTÉ. Retrieved 3 May 2022. Tom McGrath [..] pioneered 'The Late Late Show' and presided over Ireland's first involvement in the Eurovision Song Contest
  2. ↑ "It started on the Late Late Show: Gaybo's most controversial moments". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Death of man behind Late Late.". Evening Press. 10 April 1985.
  4. ↑ "Tribute to "brains" of Late Late". Irish Press. 11 April 1985.
  5. 1 2 "Man who guided 1000 faces". Irish Independent. 11 April 1985.
  6. 1 2 "Death of Top RTE Director". Evening Herald. 10 April 1985.
  7. 1 2 "Dana - The Original Derry Girl". BBC. 11 May 2020.
  8. ↑ The Irish Times-Thursday, April 11, 1985-Page 13
  9. 1 2 Doyle O'Neill, Finola (2017). The Gaybo Revolution: How Gay Byrne Challenged Irish Society. Orpen Press. ISBN 9781786050090. The Late Late Show was dreamed up by producer Tom McGrath, who had worked as a floor manager at CBC in Toronto [..] McGrath returned from Canada and went to RTÉ with the intention of creating a similar style talk show
  10. 1 2 Collins, Pan (1981). It started on the Late Late show. Ward River Press. ISBN 9780907085027.
  11. ↑ Byrne, Gay (1972). To whom it concerns (Torc Books). Gill and Macmillan. ISBN 0717106411.
  12. ↑ Pettitt, Lance (2000). Screening Ireland: Film and Television Representation. Manchester University Press. p. 167. ISBN 9780719052705.
  13. ↑ McWeeney, Myles (15 May 1999). "It started on the Late Late and it's gone on for 37 years". Irish Independent.
  14. ↑ Byrne, Gay; Purcell, Deirdre (1989). The Time of My Life: An Autobiography. Gill and Macmillan. pp. 167–168. ISBN 9780717116157.
  15. ↑ Bowman, John (2011). Window and Mirror. RTE television: 1961-2011. Collins Press. ISBN 9781848891357.
  16. ↑ Clayton-Lea, Tony (9 May 2016). "The greatest injustice in Irish Eurovision history?". Irish Times.
  17. ↑ "Dana talks about 50 years of All Kinds of Everything from lockdown in Australia". irishnews.com. 9 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2022. Then RTÉ producer Tom McGrath phoned me and told me he had a little song that he thought would suit me for the Irish National Song Contest
  18. ↑ "50th Anniversary For RTÉ - Saturday 3rd April 1971 - Ireland Hosted Its First Eurovision Song Contest". superannrte.ie. 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  19. 1 2 "RTÉ Archives - Entertainment - First in Eurosong Second in Eurovision Terminal 3". RTÉ. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  20. ↑ "Runner-up Talk: Linda Martin (Ireland 1984 and 1992)". songfestival.be. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2022. How did you get selected for the National Song Contest? [..] 'Tom McGrath was head of entertainment in RTÉ television at that time. I had to audition for him and he kept my audition on film. Then when Terminal 3 reached the final selection, he asked me to sing it.'
  21. ↑ "Photographic Archive - Tip of the Tops (1982)". stillslibrary.rte.ie. RTÉ. Retrieved 3 May 2022. The first programme in the [John Player Tops of the Town] series was broadcast on 8 October 1982 - Tom McGrath produced and directed
  22. ↑ "Eurovision - the Castlebar connection". con-telegraph.ie. Connaught Telegraph. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2022. RTÉ producer Tom McGrath, responsible for The Late Late Show, the National Song Contest and The Likes of Mike, was also the producer of the Castlebar event for many years
  23. ↑ "Death of Tom McGrath". Evening Echo. 10 April 1985.
  24. ↑ "Tom McGrath dies at 55". The Irish Times. 11 April 1985.
  25. ↑ "Funeral of Mr. Tom McGrath". Evening Press. 12 April 1985. colleagues and friends of Tom McGrath, the former Head of Light Entertainment at RTE for his funeral Mass this morning. Mike Murphy, who was given his first series by Mr McGrath, was there with his wife Eileen, amid other RTE presenters. Earl Gill provided the music, with Frank Patterson, Charlie Byrne and [others]
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