Culture That Made Me: Trevor Welch on his love of sport, music and gangster films
Sports broadcaster Trevor Welch presents the Score on Cork's 96FM and also works as a TV commentator for Virgin Media Sport and TalkSPORT radio. Picture Dan Linehan
Born in 1965, Trevor Welch grew up in Togher, Cork. He did his apprenticeship on pirate radio stations around Cork City in the 1980s. In 1988, he began working for Cork Multi Channel, working on the TV station as a sports presenter. In 1998, he joined TV3 as its a sports anchor for over a decade. He currently works as a TV commentator for Virgin Media Sport and TalkSPORT radio. He also presents on Cork’s 96FM radio station, Sundays 2-6pm.
I like sports biographies. One of my sporting heroes is Muhammad Ali. Some of my house is decorated with Muhammed Ali memorabilia. My favourite book on him is Thomas Hauser’s biography, . Hauser is such a great writer. He brings you right in. I read it on a plane journey one time. I couldn’t put it down. I find Ali fascinating as a human being.
I’ve also got a fascination with Martin Luther King. I’ve read a lot of books on civil rights and about him. His voice has always appealed to me since I was a kid. He was such an eloquent speaker, a very passionate speaker. He had great timing – the pace with which he spoke. He always made a strong point about pausing when he was speaking, giving people a chance to take in what he was saying.
I loved by James S. Hirsch. I was prompted to buy the book from knowing the protest song by Bob Dylan, which is called 'Hurricane'. Rubin Carter was jailed for a triple murder that he didn’t commit. It's a fascinating story, one of those great boxing stories.
Growing up, I hung around with a guy up the road in Togher. We used to play football. I was only about 12. His brother was a David Bowie nut. He had Bowie playing in the background one day. When I heard the music, I went, “What is that?” Bowie’s voice is incredible, the way he sings his songs. I went to see when I was a kid in the Lee Cinema in Cork. He did 'Heroes' in that with the white suit. That baby boy voice is unreal. I adore it. I have a huge Bowie collection. He stayed relevant all through the decades. DJs will tell you: “Bowie is the greatest.”Â
I’m a massive U2 fan. I’ve seen them 14 times. My first time was at City Hall in Cork in 1982. They were mind-blowing. I met Bono the next day. I was tipped off by a family member that U2 were staying in Jury’s. He was going out with Ali at the time. They weren’t yet married. I waited an hour outside. He came out of the restaurant. I had a little chat with him. He signed my album with a big “B” and small “ono”. Afterwards, I went up to my buddy who was studying for the Leaving. He couldn’t believe how excited I was. He said: “What are you so excited about? It’s only U2. They’re not that big.” I said: “They’re going to be the biggest band in the world. Mark it down.”Â
I love . It’s my favourite sports documentary. It showed Mohammed Ali in all his glory, the way he kept going, and proved the world wrong in that fight in Zaire against George Foreman. He knew age was against him in the lead-up to the fight. He knew what Foreman did to Joe Frasier, and Ali struggled with Frasier. The way Ali trained, differently, conditioning himself to take a lot of punishment to the body, sparring with Larry Holmes, knowing that’s the way the fight would go. He tired Foreman out. It was excellent at revealing Ali’s character, for example, the way he got everyone on side, with the kids from Zaire following him around, screaming: “Ali bomaye!” And his comments: “Only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick; I'm so mean I make medicine sick.”Â
I love gangster movies. is one of my favourite films. Marlon Brando is such a strong actor. Nobody could inhabit a character better than him. In the storyline, you had the emerging generation with Al Pacino. He’s one of my favourites, just his delivery. Again, I’m fascinated with his voice. To have a brogue and delivery like Pacino has – I’m immediately hooked in, especially with the whole gangster world.
Growing up, the sports commentator that stuck out for me, and until he passed away in 2001, was Brian Moore. His voice was so warm and theatrical. He brought the game to life beautifully. He had lovely little lines. Great commentators are defined by lines they leave behind. When Arsenal denied Liverpool the league title in ’89 at Anfield, as Mickey Thomas was about to score, he came in with the line: “It’s up for grabs now!” The theatrical way he delivered it. He would always have my attention. I remember Arsenal fans had that line on their phones for years when their phone would go through to voice message.
Tommy Tiernan is a genius. I’ve seen him a lot live. His TV show is excellent. He's a very good interviewer. He can get his guests very emotional and extract things out of people other interviewers wouldn’t be able to. He draws people in with the mad face and the mad eyes on him. Someone heckled him on stage one time: “With the beard and the mad eyes, you look like Roy Keane.” Quick as a flash, he said, “I’m the Aldi version.” There is a controlled aggression to his delivery yet I met him backstage once in the comedy club in Cork and he was so relaxed and quiet. I talked to him about Liverpool. He’s a big Liverpool fan. I admire him. He’s a great all-rounder.
I got the bug for football from my dad, going to Cork Hibs games at Flower Lodge in the Seventies. I’m a huge Cork City fan. I love the characters in the crowd. I remember Cork Celtic were playing one time in Turner’s Cross. Paul O’Donovan – who they called “Golden Boy” – was playing and he was having a stinker. A fella said: “Get him off! He’s a langer!” Paulie was looking over the wall at him, and he goes: “What did you call me? A langer? Did you pay to come in here to see me play, yeah? Who’s the langer?”
