# Vincent Hanley

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Irish radio DJ and television presenter

Vincent Hanley Vincent Hanley presenting MT-USA from New York City in 1984, three years before his death. Born (1954-04-02)2 April 1954 Clonmel, South Tipperary, Ireland Died 18 April 1987(1987-04-18) (aged 33) Dublin, Ireland Cause of death Cerebral toxoplasmosis resulting from AIDS Other name Fab Vinny Occupations Radio and television presenter Employer RTÉ Known for Radio presenting, MT-USA and his early death

Hanley's family home on Kickham Street, [Clonmel](/source/Clonmel); a plaque in his memory was unveiled in 2013[1]

**Vincent Hanley** (2 April 1954 – 18 April 1987)[2] was an Irish [radio DJ](/source/Radio_DJ) and television presenter, nicknamed **"Fab Vinny"**.[3] He worked mainly for [Raidió Teilifís Éireann](/source/Raidi%C3%B3_Teilif%C3%ADs_%C3%89ireann), and was the first Irish celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness.[4][5] He has been described as "Ireland's first gay celebrity".[6]

Hanley began presenting pop music shows on [RTÉ Radio Cork](/source/RT%C3%89_Radio_Cork) in 1976. He also did stints in Dublin on [RTÉ Radio 1](/source/RT%C3%89_Radio_1) and [RTÉ television](/source/RT%C3%89_One),[7] including a special on [Gilbert O'Sullivan](/source/Gilbert_O'Sullivan).[8] When the first dedicated pop station, [RTÉ Radio Two](/source/RT%C3%89_Radio_Two) (now branded 2FM), was started in 1979, he was one of its best-known DJs.[9][10] While in Dublin he shared accommodation with [Charles Self](/source/Charles_Self).[11] In 1981, he moved to London to work for [Capital Radio](/source/Capital_Radio).[4] In 1984, he declined a lucrative offer to remain there and moved to [New York City](/source/New_York_City).[4]

Hanley founded Green Apple Productions in 1983 with [Conor McAnally](/source/Conor_McAnally), an RTÉ television producer and son of actor [Ray McAnally](/source/Ray_McAnally). The company produced *[MT-USA](/source/MT-USA)* (Music Television USA), a three-hour-long music video show modelled on the new American cable channel, MTV.[7] MT-USA was broadcast on RTÉ from 1984 to 1987 on Sunday afternoons. Each block of videos was followed by a segment filmed in New York City with Hanley introducing the videos, discussing American music and culture, and interviewing a celebrity.[7] RTÉ described him as Europe's first VJ ([video jockey](/source/VJ_(media_personality))).[4]

In 1987, Hanley died shortly after his 33rd birthday.[2] He had been visibly ill for some time, and was rumoured to have an AIDS-related illness, which he denied.[12] This reflected the [stigma](/source/Social_stigma) then associated [with the disease](/source/AIDS#Stigma) and with [homosexuality in Ireland](/source/LGBT_rights_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland), which was not [decriminalised](/source/Decriminalisation) until 1993.[13] The illness admitted by Hanley was [congenital](/source/Congenital_disorder) cerebral [toxoplasmosis](/source/Toxoplasmosis), described as an "[eye disorder](/source/Eye_disease)"; he was blind in one eye by his death.[10] Toxoplasmosis is very rarely fatal in adults who do not have [a weakened immune system](/source/Immunodeficiency). In 2000, Hanley's friend and colleague Bill Hughes, who had himself [come out](/source/Coming_out) in the 1990s, agreed that Hanley had in fact died of an AIDS-related illness.[13] The same year, the *[Sunday Tribune](/source/Sunday_Tribune)* newspaper placed Hanley at the top of a list of Irish gay icons.[4]

In February 2022, [RTÉ](/source/RT%C3%89) aired a new documentary about Hanley, titled *Vincent Hanley: Sex, Lies and Videotapes*.[14][15]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Trailblazer Vincent honoured by Clonmel"](https://www.tipperarylive.ie/news/south-tipp-today/154389/Trailblazer-Vincent-honoured-by-Clonmel-.html). *www.tipperarylive.ie*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-apprec_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-apprec_2-1) JB (20 April 1987). "Vincent Hanley: an appreciation". *[The Irish Times](/source/The_Irish_Times)*. p. 8.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Kearney, Máire (21 July 2001). ["Broadcast News"](http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2001/0721/01072100188.html). *The Irish Times*. p. 46. Retrieved 18 October 2007.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-icons_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-icons_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-icons_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-icons_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-icons_4-4) ["Irish gay icons"](https://web.archive.org/web/20071113171707/http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=TribuneFTF&id=38047&DT=20%2F08%2F2000%2000%3A00%3A00&keywords=vincent%20hanley). *[Sunday Tribune](/source/Sunday_Tribune)*. 21 August 2000. Archived from [the original](http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=TribuneFTF&id=38047&DT=20/08/2000%2000:00:00&keywords=vincent%20hanley) on 13 November 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Back_to_the_1980s?_5-0)** Richard Dwyer (10 December 2009). ["Back to the 1980s?"](https://web.archive.org/web/20091213215942/http://forth.ie/index.php/content/article/back_to_the_1980s). *[forth](/source/Forth_magazine)*. Archived from [the original](http://forth.ie/index.php/content/article/back_to_the_1980s/) on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Jan 2009, Issue 229"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131019080808/http://www.gcn.ie/Jan_2009_Issue_229). *[Gay Community News](/source/Gay_Community_News_(Dublin))*. January 2009. Archived from [the original](https://www.gcn.ie/Jan_2009_Issue_229) on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-itbus_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-itbus_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-itbus_7-2) "Green Apple now reaping the harvest". *The Irish Times*. 13 October 1987. p. 19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Gilbert O'Sullivan: Television Appearances"](http://homepage.eircom.net/~gilbertosullivan/tv_radio/tv_appearances.htm). Retrieved 18 October 2007. *Me and My Music*, RTÉ Television [Ireland]. Broadcast: 6 Oct 1976. Gilbert is interviewed by Vincent Hanley and answers questions from fans in the audience.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** "The new radio channel". *The Irish Times*. 30 May 1979. p. 12.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-itdeath_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-itdeath_10-1) Brennock, Mark; Padraig Yeates (20 April 1987). "Hanley friends deny he had AIDS". *The Irish Times*. pp. 1, 8.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Collins, Liam (31 July 2016). ["Unsolved crimes: Mystery blond holds key to solving brutal murder of RTÉ set designer"](http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/special-reports/unsolved-crimes-mystery-blond-holds-key-to-solving-brutal-murder-of-rte-set-designer-34925812.html). *[Sunday Independent](/source/Sunday_Independent_(Ireland))*. Retrieved 23 September 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Yeates, Padraig (20 April 1987). "Private grief versus public good". *The Irish Times*. p. 8.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-hughes_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-hughes_13-1) ["The love that is beginning to speak its name"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160110051735/http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?DT=20%2F08%2F2000%2000%3A00%3A00&keywords=vincent%20hanley&_scope=TribuneFTF). *[Sunday Tribune](/source/Sunday_Tribune)*. 21 August 2000. Archived from [the original](http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?DT=20/08/2000%2000:00:00&keywords=vincent%20hanley&_scope=TribuneFTF) on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Vincent Hanley: Sex, Lies and Videotapes - Fab Vinnie and me"](https://www.rte.ie/culture/2022/0214/1280732-vincent-hanley-sex-lies-and-videotapes-fab-vinnie-and-me/). *RTE*. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["'Vincent Hanley's spirit and kindness were so huge. We have to remember him'"](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/vincent-hanley-s-spirit-and-kindness-were-so-huge-we-have-to-remember-him-1.4808281). *Irish Times*. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Vincent Hanley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Hanley) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Hanley?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.