Marty Whelan: Laughter can help you get through the darkest of days
A POSITIVE mental attitude, a good sense of humour, a love of music and a huge appreciation for his family unit are the main influences that help 60-year-old radio and TV presenter, Marty Whelan get through the ups and downs of life.
Being in the entertainment business has brought its challenges, but his passion for what he does never waned as the decades mounted, he says.
“For me it’s about attitude — about the sort of person you are. I never, ever had any problem with age one way or the other.
"To me this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. And I have no intention of stopping it — I intend to go on while people want to listen to me, to watch me. It makes no difference to me whatsoever the fact that I am 60.”
In that context, as we discuss older music icons, he mentions singer Tony Bennett and catches himself in the process: “Merciful hour... he’s 90! And he’s doing a tour — and he’s actually very good still.”
A passion for what you do and a “positive attitude” keeps you on “the bright side of the road” he says, quoting singer Van Morrisson’s track.
“It doesn’t mean that you don’t hit obstacles and that stuff doesn’t happen to you that you wish didn’t — no.”
So what does he do during those times?
“If it’s something you can do something about, then you mightn’t do it today. I might say ‘oh for flip’s sake’ And I might just say ‘right — I’m getting the Chinese and that’s the end of it’. And tomorrow you might deal with whatever it is.
“But you have to deal with it. You might longfinger it but whatever has to be dealt with, has to be dealt with.
“I have a very positive attitude to life and when stuff has happened in my career or whatever, you just stop and take stock and try to figure out what the next move is. And that’s what you do — and I would never be afraid to do that. I’ve survived for an awfully long time.”
Age has also brought him a sense of power in making career choices, he says.
“There is something about hitting 60 when you kind of go ‘Really?’ When someone says ‘Will you do such a thing?’ and I say ‘I don’t think so’.
"You start taking control where you might say ‘hang on a minute I’m 60 — not 24’.
“I’m more discerning. It’s about standing up and going ‘Nah! I don’t want to do that. I’m actually fine’. And I think that comes with age because you realise that in terms of what you do and who you are, you are in control of your own destiny.
"OK your employer will be in control of how certain things operate but you also have free will to decide how you will operate. It’s that positive mental attitude.”
His positivity he thinks was encouraged as an only child of very supportive parents. But he also relishes his own family unit — his wife of almost 32 years, Maria (whom he courted for 10 years) and their two children Jessica, 26, and Thomas, 23, who still live at home with them in Malahide.
“We get on very well, the four of us — we have a good thing going,” he says.
“The happiness of family is paramount to me. I want their happiness and for Maria and myself to live to a decent age — my mother was 95 when she passed away and my father 78. It would be nice to live into what they call your dotage.”
So how’s his healthy lifestyle then?
“I’m appalling. I don’t have a sweet tooth which is handy, but I like my dinners. I like fatty foods as opposed to the foods that are healthy for you, but my wife watches me and she keeps me in check.
"I don’t go to the pub but I like my red wine — if I had a weakness that would be it. But it’s apparently good for your circulation — don’t you know that?” he jokes.
“I probably have the best circulation in Ireland.”
He must be doing something right. He’s never been in hospital and doesn’t take medication. But he does enjoy walking by the sea at Malahide.
“I think walking is the best exercise — just being physical and getting out and doing it, is good for the head as well as the body.”
If laughter is the best medicine, Marty has been dosing himself with humour all his life.
“I love humour because it’s also a great way of getting over things. It’s good to laugh. Even in the darkest day you need to find humour in it because it helps you get through the awfulness of situations.
"A lightness makes things so much better. On the radio show in the morning people send me jokes all the time and we have a great laugh.”`
Tips to older Irish people active: http://bit.ly/2mzkv7J
"Learn to get in touch with silence within yourself and know that everything in life has a purpose" — Psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Marty’s third compilation, called Marty Recommends... More, has just been released digitally and as a CD, reflecting his broad taste in music which he plays in his daily show with RTÉ Lyric FM —
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