Ted Crosbie laid to rest with copies of his beloved newspapers

The funeral cortege for the late Thomas Edward ( Ted ) Crosbie which paused at the old entrance to the 'Cork Examiner' on St Patrick Street, Cork. Pictures: Dan Linehan

One of Ireland’s great newspapermen has been remembered as a true leader who cared deeply about a free and independent press, about democracy and people, about his native city and, above all, his family.

For Cork, it was a sad farewell to the former owner of the Irish Examiner, Ted Crosbie, who died at the weekend, aged 91 — a legendary media and business figure whose name is woven into the story of news in Ireland, and into the social fabric of the city.

For his children, Elizabeth, Tom, Andrew, Edward, and Sophie, and for his grandchildren, it was an emotional goodbye to a beloved father who took them sailing as children, and to a doting grandfather they affectionately called ‘Pop’.

Remembered too during his Reqiuem Mass at Saints Peter and Paul’s Church in Cork City were his wife, Gretchen, whom he married in 1960 and who died in a car crash in 1996, and their daughter, Suzanne, who died unexpectedly in 2007.

Hundreds offer condolences

Hundreds of people queued for almost two hours before the Mass to offer their condolences to the Crosbie family.

Tom and Andrew Crosbie shoulder the coffin of their father after requiem mass for Ted Crosbie.

President Michael D Higgins was represented by his aid de camp, Commandant Brian Walsh, assisted by his chaplain, Fr Brendan Clifford, of the Dominicans in Cork, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin was represented by his aide de camp, Captain Brian O’Shea, and the city was represented by Lord Mayor Cllr Deirdre Forde, and by the chief executive of Cork City Council, Ann Doherty.

Symbols representing Ted’s loves in life — copies of Tuesday’s Irish Examiner and Echo, a framed photograph of Gretchen, a model of a printing press, and the flag of the Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) where he was admiral — were presented at the start of Requiem Mass.

'Love and integrity 

His daughter, Sophie, told mourners that much has been written about her father but she would the words “love, truth, integrity, compassion, courage and a wicked sense of humour” to describe his “big life”.

She spoke of the great loves of his life — his 75-year-long love affair with sailing, his beloved wife, Gretchen, “the love he built his life around”, and the Examiner.

“Dad lived and breathed the Examiner. He didn't pass a day without reading it cover to cover and debating and looking at its contents. It was a really important part of his life,” she said.

Legendary media figure: Ted Crosbie.

She paid special tribute to staff who helped support and sustain him in the difficult years following Gretchen’s death, and again, after Suzanne’s death.

She recalled how as children they sailed with him off Cork and learned life skills like resilience, risk-taking, and how to work together. She urged people to continue sharing with them, and with each other, the many wonderful stories they have of him.

“Between us, we can weave the web of his memory using his own words. And he would love that very much,” she said.

Leadership skills

Mourners heard Rev Dr Patrick McCarthy, chaplain at the Mercy University Hospital, quote Steven Covey’s 1989 best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, in which he explains the difference between production, management, and leadership in a story about a group of producers cutting their way through the jungle with machetes.

“They’re cutting through the undergrowth. The managers are behind them, sharpening their machetes, writing policy and procedure manuals, holding muscle development programs, bringing in improved technologies, and setting up working schedules and compensation programs for machete wielders,” Fr McCarthy said.

Ann Doherty, Chief Executive, Cork City Council, Captain Brian O'Shea, aide-de-camp to An Taoiseach, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr, Deirdre Forde, and Commandant Brian Walsh, aide-de-camp to the President at the requiem mass for Ted Crosbie.

“The leader is the one who climbs the tallest tree, surveys the entire situation, and yells, ‘wrong jungle!’”.

“That leadership was evident throughout his professional life where he led the way in pointing out what the right ‘jungle’ was for print media in this country.” 

Understanding of media

He said Ted was gifted with an understanding very early on — and ahead of most of his contemporaries — of major changes in ways that print media could be produced.

“His abundant leadership qualities were perhaps most clearly demonstrated in his pioneering of the use of Web Offset printing at the Cork Examiner and Evening Echo,” he said.

“His pioneering work in that area broke new ground nationally for the production of print media that continues to bear fruit.” 

Tom and Andrew Crosbie shoulder the coffin of their father.

Fr McCarthy said it was a joy to listen to Ted explaining the move from earlier forms of typesetting and production of print media to its modern form — a story that is a major part of the social history of the Ireland of the 20th century to which he made an irreplaceable contribution.

“Ted’s lifelong dedication of his professional expertise to the existence of a technologically up-to-date and robustly independent free press were signs of his general commitment to the values of democracy and its continuation in this country and to the equal dignity and God’s love for every human being no matter what particular differences that exist between them,” he said.

“These major professional achievements were accompanied by equally great ones in Ted’s life generally.” 

A family man

He said every civilisation in the world produces literature that seeks to provide an answer to the question of what it is to succeed as a human being.

“Perhaps, however, the most beautiful statement of the Christian answer to the question of what it means to succeed as a human being is given by a 16th century Spanish poet-saint, St John of the Cross in his statement that: ‘In the evening of your life, you will be examined in love’,” he said.

“I have no doubt that Ted Crosbie has passed that examination with first-class honours.

“That is seen in the deep love he had for his late wife Gretchen, for his children Elizabeth, Tom, Andrew, Edward, Sophie and the late Suzanne, his sister Ruth and for his grandchildren Chloe, Patrick, Louise, Barry, Sophie, Michael, Maeve, Tommy, Charlie and Matthew and all his family and friends.

“It was also apparent in the tremendous love he had for his native city of Cork, for the many charitable causes he so generously supported, and, at a very deep level, for God which, one might say, for a sailing man, provided fair winds in happy times and a firm anchor in the painful difficult times of life.

“We give thanks for a life well lived and wish you fair winds and Godspeed, Ted.” 

Music was provided by soprano Majella Cullagh, Evelyn Grant, Gerry Kelly, and John O’Brien.

In a moment Ted would have appreciated, ear-splitting feedback from the church speakers interrupted a hymn but Ms McCullagh didn’t miss a beat.

She continued singing, and as the feedback stopped as the hymn ended, she quipped: “You didn’t have to sing along with me, Ted”.

Ex Admirals of the RCYC form a guard of honour after the requiem Mass for Ted  Crosbie.

Former admirals of the RCYC formed a guard of honour outside the church as Mr Crosbie’s coffin was carried out. The cortege then pulled away, stopping for a moment outside the original door of the Cork Examiner office, at the top of steps outside the Chateau bar.

It then wound its way to St Finbarr’s Cemetery where Ted was buried later wearing an RCYC tie, and with copies of The Irish Examiner and The Echo beside him.