'I was blown away': GAA President congratulates Echo photographer as Cork match marks his retirement

After nearly 50 years of service, staff photographer with The Echo and Irish Examiner Eddie O’Hare has retired, ending his career “on a high” with special recognition from the President of the GAA, Jarlath Burns.

During this weekend’s All-Ireland hurling semi final, where Cork took the victory over Dublin at Croke Park, Mr Burns approached Mr O’Hare to congratulate him on his retirement after 46 years of service.

Having started his career in 1979, first covering what he believes was a Cork United FC soccer match, Mr O’Hare said that it was a “bittersweet” moment to share with Mr Burns as he concluded his final day in an official capacity as press photographer.

“He came down and congratulated me, he said thanks for all the hard work and dedication to the game over the years – I was blown away, I didn’t expect anything like that,” said Mr O’Hare.

“I was a bit taken aback, I was a bit emotional about the whole thing – I had an inkling there would be a photo taken of me out on the pitch, that type of thing, but never expected him to come down.

“I was in the far corner of the pitch, and he came all the way down from the stands and along the back of the goals.

“I saw this individual coming over and I said ‘jeez I recognise him’, then he came looking for me and started chatting with me. He knew everything about me. He knew that I started in 1979 and he knew I had a big interest in sports - he had his homework done!

“It was brilliant - I got loads of action [shots] in the first half, I started off doing the fans beforehand – which are the main stay of any newspaper – and then went in and got the action and end of match stuff.

“Because Cork won, it was an ideal way to finish up – it was bittersweet in the sense that it was my last official day out working for the company, but to end on a high was something special.”

Looking back over his career, Mr O’Hare said that there are a number of standout events that remain close to his heart.

“The day I started was the day of the massive explosion of the oil tanker in Whiddy Bay – that was 46 years ago now – I think my first match was probably a Cork City FC game, or Cork United they were called at the time, during the 80s,” said Mr O’Hare.

“The highlights [over the last 46 years] to me would be the two World Cups – 1990 and 1994 – they would be standouts.

“Covering them, not alone for the matches but definitely covering the fans too, they’re the big thing for me – I love covering people going to games.

“When I was in Italy, I was photographing them on beaches and streets, and then in New York I got them with the buildings in the city, to show they were there – rather than just capturing them in the stadium, that’s the easy part.

“The last 46 years, from covering jail breaks in Spike Island to rail disasters, floodings, concerts and all the major sporting events, it’s been a rollercoaster.”

Looking to the future, Mr O’Hare said that his presence at matches will not be missed, as he may continue to attend games both personally and professionally on a freelance basis.

“I might still dabble in freelancing, I would hate to give it up – I just enjoy getting good action and don’t think I could walk away from it too easily,” said Mr O’Hare.