Honorary Citation by John Fitzgerald for John Creedon
Next year RTÉ will celebrate 100 years of broadcasting in Ireland – the first radio broadcast was transmitted on 1st January 1926 and radio quickly became an important part of Irish life and culture. In spite of the many and ever expanding platforms presented to us now from every angle with every new technology imaginable, radio remains a constant companion for many of us.
It entertains us, it educates us, sometimes it maddens us, but it also soothes us, strengthens us and makes us feel less alone. It can raise the hairs on the back of our necks and stop us in our tracks. If ever there was a instrument that reminds us what it is to be part of humanity, part of a group of other listeners whether they are across the road or across the globe, it is the magical medium of radio. And today, we have with us one of the magicians that makes ‘the wireless’ so special. Of course, he’s by no means a one-trick pony, and we’ll come to his other exploits in a moment, but many of you will have first come across the name and the beautiful voice of John Creedon through your radio. He joined RTÉ radio 1 in 1987 through a public competition and currently hosts The John Creedon Show where people tune to hear the best of music past and present both familiar and unknown, alongside John’s unique Corkonian banter. It’s not just John’s vocation, but his passion to connect people and just like UCC’s reach, his listenership is both local and global. His community of loyal listeners includes many UCC alumni across the world, connecting to John and each other nightly (or daily depending on where they are) through the airwaves. John has a special way of sharing music with us, both on radio and on television, and for that reason he has presented numerous live concerts and whether it's New Year’s Eve at the National Concert Hall in Dublin or a St. Patrick’s Night Gala in Bejing, from the O3 Arena to the Royal Albert Hall, John has a special way of addressing each one of us as if, somehow, we’ve always known him.
It is impossible to capture his contribution to broadcasting over an incredibly varied and vibrant career, but some highlights include the landmark television series Creedon’s Wild Atlantic Way, Creedon’s Epic East, Creedon’s Shannon and Creedon’s Atlas of Ireland. As you can probably tell he likes to travel! John’s work has taken him from China to the Arctic Ocean, from Central Africa to a High Security Prison in Guatemala, to filming Loggerhead turtles in the Gulf of Mexico and countless other locations in between. He is just back from Belgium where he has been spending his time with a few skeletons in the cellar of a 17th Century church for a new documentary called Searching for Patrick Sarsfield. No better man for it.
And if travel, television and radio didn’t keep him busy enough, he has also written several books, all bestsellers: That Place We Call Home - A Personal Ramble through the Placenames of Ireland, A Treasury of Irish Folklore which was named ‘Best Irish Published Book of the Year’ and his hauntingly beautiful and very mischievous childhood memoir This Boy’s Heart which was shortlisted for the 2024 An Post Book Awards. John has in fact received many awards for his work: most recently IMRO Champion of Irish music as well radio DJ of the year for 2025, he has also garnered Jacob’s and PPI awards for his work with RTÉ, he’s been named Irish Travel journalist of the year and the FAI even awarded him a special accolade for his transformative work on the steering committee that introduced Summer Soccer to the League of Ireland. But probably the most prestigious award has he has ever received was… Cork person of the year 2022.
John has many links to UCC. He completed a diploma in Regional Studies here and he has maintained strong links with our Folklore department ever since. In 2018 he spearheaded the National Treasures project, a collaboration between RTÉ and the National Museum of Ireland, which culminated in a television series and an exhibition of artefacts that celebrate the story of the nation. One episode was filmed here on campus at The Glucksman Gallery.
I’m not exactly sure where he finds the time, but next year we can expect a new television series of Creedon’s Musical Atlas of Ireland on and John also has a new book in development, one that has taken inspiration from a lifetime of remarkable encounters. That John has chosen to write about the extraordinary encounters he has had across the world is significant. It takes a special type of humanity to reach out to another person with empathy, understanding and compassion, qualities that characterise all of John’s interactions across his many activities. This university prides itself in celebrating the arts and humanities so it is appropriate that today we honour someone who has contributed so much to those fields in his diligent approach to history and folklore, in his writing and his contributions to cultural heritage, in his multi-faceted broadcasting, in his sharing of music, and in the deep humanity that he demonstrates through every remarkable encounter along the way.
So today is a very special day, and not just because we are here to celebrate John’s many achievements, we are also celebrating his birthday today. So I will finish by saying that I hope that after this ceremony you’ll join me in wishing Dr. Creedon a very happy birthday.