Marty Whelan: I am renowned for a thing called bouncebackability

Irish radio and television personality Marty Whelan has teamed up with Specsavers to turn up the volume on hearing loss.

I’m from Killester, Co Dublin. I am an only child, but I grew up surrounded by friends, which was brilliant and had lovely parents. I was very lucky, I had a very nice childhood. I wasn’t really great at sports, but being into music worked out for me in the end.

Before she had me, my mum Lily worked in a shop called Cassidy’s in George’s Street, and my dad worked in Clerys, so they were steeped in good clothes. As a result, I’ve always had to keep myself neat and clean over the years — they instilled it in me.

My interest in music came from my mum, without question. She played records in the house and the radio was always on. I didn’t realise quite how cool she was back then. The music started there. 

I took piano lessons, but I was rubbish, and then I tried guitar. Eventually, I ended up playing the drums in a band with schoolmates. I just loved it. One of my earliest memories is when Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones died. He died in the summer of 1969. That was a huge year for me, it was when I started listening to my own music. It’s an odd memory to have, but I remember it really well.

I’m renowned for a thing called bouncebackability. If you find yourself in a situation where you lose your job, you lose a gig, you have to find another one, you have to be able to come back. In this business, you never know, so it’s all about that ability. If you find an obstacle in front of you, how are you going to get around it? That’s the bottom line.

One of my proudest achievements is getting together with my wife Maria. We met when we were teenagers. I went on to work in insurance and she was a civil servant. But we both wanted a change. She became an air hostess. When everything’s brilliant, everything’s brilliant. But when things aren’t so good that’s when you have to kind of say jeepers what am I going to do? And what’s when you stand up for each other. That’s the good stuff, the stuff that matters.

My other proudest achievement is my children, Thomas and Jessica. It was very special for us when they arrived. Not having brothers and sisters growing up, I had no sense of what it was like to have other people around me. The one-to-one relationship I have with my children is great, they’re my friends. We discuss everything. We’re great talkers — we always talk things through at home.

Listening

I like to think my greatest quality is that I’m a good listener. When we do interviews, especially when it comes to TV, you have people in who are nervous or uncomfortable, you have to be really on their side. I think I am, I hope I am. I like people, I like to talk, but I like to listen to people as well. I think my sense of humour can get me out of bother too.

The life lesson I would like to pass on is that if you’re trying to keep yourself on an even keel in life ... you’re going to face barriers, things happen. If you have a problem in life, with your job, in your relationships, you need to get around things. What I always say is try and figure out a way around the problem. It’s very easy to sit there and go ‘I can’t do anything about it’ — and sometimes you can’t — but if there’s a possibility that there is a way of doing something about it... I would always try to find a way around it. And don’t be afraid to seek help. Otherwise, you get stuck, you get down, and there’s no gain in that.

If I could change something from my past it would be my absolute cowardice when it came to playing rugby. I was crap. It took me a while to realise when you have the ball you’re actually in trouble...

I am so happy doing what I do. And I’ve worked with some great people over the years, Mary Kennedy, Sinead Kennedy. I am very lucky things have come my way, but you have to work hard to make sure they’re as good as you can make them.

Very little surprises me in life, to be honest with you. In my job, people tell you barefaced lies. It drives me mad. And you can get fooled. I’m very good at not getting fooled, but there is still the odd time something happens. It happens less as you get older.

If I took a different fork in the road I could have ended up in the UK. Or I could have stayed in insurance, at which point I’d probably be sorted for the rest of my life ... but I wouldn’t have loved all those years of interviewing. You get to meet people you would never otherwise meet, that’s fantastic. The fork would have led me down a road that I don’t believe could possibly have made me as happy as I am. If you’re in a job you love, you’ve never worked, and I love this job.

• Marty Whelan has teamed up with Specsavers to encourage the nation to take care of their hearing and address any concerns or changes they notice. For more information log onto www.specsavers.ie