Author and broadcaster Manchán Magan dies aged 55

Author, broadcaster and Westmeath resident Manchán Magan has died aged 55.

Magan was a prominent writer and broadcaster, known for books such as his award-winning and best-selling book ‘Thirty Two Words for Field’, and his multiple documentaries for RTÉ, TG4 and the Travel Channel.

Manchán was a native of Dublin who moved to Westmeath in 1997, after purchasing a plot of land in Collinstown.

He built the first straw-bale house in Ireland, a construction method where bales of straw are laid out as blocks and plastered with a mixture of lime and sand.

Manchán told the Westmeath Examiner in an interview earlier this year: “Westmeath has been so good to me over the years. I had €10,000, and I got this gorgeous 10 acres in Collinstown, and since then, the community has been nothing short of great.

“You know, I came into the place in the 1'90s, saying I wanted to build my straw bale house, I was just an idealistic hippie.”

“When I arrived in 1997, I had these big lofty ideas, and didn’t know how to make sense of them. I was, in reality, an idealist and a dreamer.

“I benefit so much from being part of the community, along with the closeness of the community, and over the years people have looked after me. I wouldn’t be who I am without Collinstown.”

In 2023, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and last month he spoke to Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ radio about his cancer, stating that he had suffered a setback.

Minister for Rural and Community and Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary, TD, has expressed his deepest sympathy to the family and friends of broadcaster and writer Manchán Magan who has passed away at the age of 55.

Minister Calleary said: “I am saddened to hear of Manchán’s death this morning at such a young age. Manchán was a gifted broadcaster, writer, and passionate advocate of the Irish language.

“Manchán leaves behind an extraordinary legacy in how he championed the Irish language. His dedicated work on television, his unmistakable voice on radio, and his writing didn’t just promote Irish, it reignited a grá for it in people. This legacy will live on.

“I want to join with others in offering my deepest condolences to his wife Aisling, his family, his friends and his former colleagues in TG4, RTÉ and the wider arts and culture community across Ireland.

“May he rest in Peace.”