{{Short description|Irish Gaelic footballer, referee, and sports broadcaster (1941–2018)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Aloysius ''Weeshie'' Fogarty | image = Irish sports broadcaster Weeshie Fogarty.png | native_name = Alabhaois Ó Fógartaigh | other_names = Weeshie | birth_date = March 1941 | birth_place = Cork, Ireland | death_date = {{death date and age|2018|11|18|1941|3|df=y}} | death_place = Kerry, Ireland | occupation = Broadcaster・Psychiatric Nurse・Referee | spouse = {{marriage|Joan Fogarty|1969}} | module = {{infobox Gaelic games biography | embed = yes | county = Kerry | sport = Gaelic football | code = Football | province = Munster | club = Killarney Legion | clposition = | clubs = Killarney Legion<br />East Kerry | clyears = | clapps(points) = | clcounty = 4 | clprovince = 2 | clallireland = 1 | counties = Kerry | icposition = Goalkeeper | icyears = 1969–1971 | icapps(points) = 0 (0-00) | icprovince = 1 | icallireland = 1 | allstars = | name = }} }} '''Aloysius "Weeshie" Fogarty''' (March 1941 – 18 November 2018) was an Irish Gaelic footballer, referee and sports broadcaster. His league and championship career with the Kerry senior team lasted three seasons from 1969 to 1971.
== Biography == "Weeshie" Fogarty was born in Cork in March 1941 to parents Richard and Kathleen Fogarty.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Fogarty |first=Weeshie |title=My Beautiful Obsession: Chasing the Kerry Dream |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2012 |isbn=9781848891562 |pages=16–20 |language=en}}</ref> He joined the Killarney Legion GAA club in February 1955 at the age of fourteen and went on to win several divisional senior championship medals with the club.<ref>{{Cite web |title='The voice of Kerry football' Weeshie Fogarty honoured forever |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/news/the-voice-of-kerry-football-weeshie-fogarty-honoured-forever-41600845.html |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=independent |date=29 April 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
Fogarty made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he was selected for the Kerry minor team in 1959. He enjoyed one championship season with the minor team, however, he was a Munster runner-up. Fogarty subsequently joined the Kerry under-21 team, winning a Munster medal in 1962. In 1965, Fogarty qualified as a psychiatric nurse and found employment in St. Finan's Psychiatric Hospital, working there for 38 years until 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Weeshie: 'Don't let St Finan's fall into disrepair' |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/news/weeshie-dont-let-st-finans-fall-into-disrepair-28912220.html |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=independent |date=21 November 2012 |language=en}}</ref> The death of his father Richard at the age of 62 following a heart attack, stroke and prostate cancer deeply affected Fogarty, who stated in his autobiography that "the memory of his suffering remains vivid to me".<ref name=":0" />
As a member of the Kerry junior team, Fogarty won an All-Ireland medal in 1967. He later joined the Kerry senior team when he was added to the panel for the 1969 championship. Over the course of the next few seasons, he won one All-Ireland medal as a non-playing substitute in 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tributes flow for late Weeshie Fogarty |url=https://www.gaa.ie/news/tributes-flow-for-late-weeshie-fogarty/ |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=www.gaa.ie |language=en}}</ref> He also won one Munster medal. Fogarty played his last game for Kerry in October 1970 after a serious eye injury ended his inter-county career. With the divisional East Kerry team he won an All-Ireland medal as a non-playing substitute in 1971. Fogarty also won two Munster medals and four county senior championship medals.
Following his retirement from football, Fogarty served as a referee. He oversaw All-Ireland football semi-finals from 1981 to 1983, and was the first referee in the history of the GAA to deploy a yellow card.<ref>{{Cite web | publisher = RTÉ |date=2018-11-18 |title=Legendary Kerry GAA commentator Weeshie Fogarty dies |url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2018/1118/1011707-legendary-kerry-gaa-commentator-weeshie-fogarty-dies/ |language=en}}</ref>
From 1998, Fogarty worked as a sports broadcaster. He worked for Radio Kerry<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hoganstand.com/county/kerry/article/index/13409|title=Sports Award for Radio Kerry|website=Hoganstand.com|date=23 May 2001|accessdate=29 May 2021}}</ref> where he hosted his own show called ''Terrace Talk'' on Monday evenings, while he also wrote for ''The Kerryman'' newspaper.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Brien |first=Kevin |title=Legendary Kerry broadcaster Weeshie Fogarty passes away aged 77 |url=https://www.the42.ie/weeshie-fogarty-kerry-radio-death-4345994-Nov2018/ |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=The42 |date=18 November 2018 |language=en}}</ref> Fogarty's autobiography, ''My Beautiful Obession: Chasing the Kerry Dream'', was published in November 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weeshie |first=Fogarty |title=Official Launch of 'My Beautiful Obsession' |url=http://www.terracetalk.com/articles/369/Official-Launch-of-My-Beautiful-Obsession |access-date=2022-10-09 |website=Terrace Talk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Moynihan |first=Michael |date=2012-11-16 |title=Fogarty has spent life as man in the middle |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-20214172.html |access-date=2022-10-09 |website=Irish Examiner |language=en}}</ref>
In 2015, he was involved in the documentary ''All Ireland Day''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.loosehorse.ie/portfolio-items/all-ireland-day/|title=All Ireland Day|publisher=Loosehorse|accessdate=29 May 2021}}</ref>
On 18 November 2018, Fogarty died at the age of 77.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.balls.ie/gaa/weeshie-fogarty-rip-401089|title=Legendary Kerry Broadcaster Weeshie Fogarty Dies Aged 77|last=Browne|first=PJ|date=18 November 2018|work=Balls.ie|access-date=18 November 2018}}</ref>
On 28 April 2022, a roundabout at the junction between Dalton's Avenue and Marian Terrace in Killarney was named after Fogarty.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-28 |title=Much missed Weeshie Fogarty remembered on his home patch – Killarney Advertiser |url=https://killarneyadvertiser.ie/news/the-proud-legion-basketball-champion-and-radio-kerry-commentator-was-one-of-the-towns-best-loved-sons-thursdays-event-was-attended-by-his-wife-joan-daughters-denise-carolann-son-kie/ |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=killarneyadvertiser.ie |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Kerry Football Team 1969}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fogarty, Weeshie}} Category:1941 births Category:2018 deaths Category:Gaelic football goalkeepers Category:Gaelic football referees Category:Gaelic games journalists Category:Irish men's basketball players Category:Kerry inter-county Gaelic footballers Category:Killarney Legion Gaelic footballers Category:People from Killarney Category:Radio Kerry presenters Category:The Kerryman people Category:Broadcasters from County Cork Category:Broadcasters from County Kerry Category:20th-century Irish sportsmen