Manchán Magan

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Manchán Magan
Born(1970-08-20)20 August 1970
Dublin, Ireland[citation needed]
Died2 October 2025(2025-10-02) (aged 55)
Dublin
Education
Period2006–2025
GenreIrish language and Culture of Ireland
RelativesRuán Magan (brother)
Website
www.manchan.com Edit this at Wikidata

Manchán Magan (20 August 1970 – 2 October 2025) was an Irish author, traveller, broadcaster and documentary maker. His works covered a wide range of topics, particularly the Irish language, culture, and the natural world.[1][2][3]

Early years and education

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Magan was brought up in Donnybrook, Dublin. He went to Mount Anville Montessori School before attending Gonzaga College in Ranelagh (he also spent one year in Coláiste na Rinne). He later studied Irish and history at University College Dublin.[4] Magan's family background was nationalist and closely associated with the foundation of the Irish State in that he is the grandson of Sheila Humphreys and great-grandnephew of The O'Rahilly.[5] He was also a distant relative of Aogán Ó Rathaille, the last great poet of the Bardic school.[6] He explored these connections in various documentaries for TG4 and RTÉ.[citation needed]

He stood for the Green Party in the Longford–Westmeath constituency in the 2016 Irish general election; he received the 11th highest first preference votes (1104, 2%) of the 18 candidates and was eliminated on the eighth round.[7] He built and lived in a straw-bale house, which he removed and replaced with a mud and cement, grass-roofed house, in County Westmeath.

In 2022, Magan released a cover of Kneecap's song "C.E.A.R.T.A" to help raise money for a volunteer gym in the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, Palestine.[8]

In an interview on 13 September 2025, Magan revealed he had terminal prostate cancer, that had spread to multiple organs in his body.[9] Magan died in Dublin on 2 October 2025, at the age of 55.[10]

Television, radio and podcasts

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His television series included Crainn na hÉireann, a 10-part series on the trees of Ireland,[11] and An Fód Deireanach, a four-part series for TG4 about Irish bogs and peatland.[12]

Magan made over 70 travel documentaries focusing on issues of world cultures and globalisation, 12 of them packaged under the Global Nomad series[13] with his brother Ruán Magan.[14]

He presented No Béarla, a documentary series about travelling around Ireland speaking only Irish and wrote regularly for The Irish Times.[15]

Magan also presented Manchán's A-Z of Ireland, a 5-episode road trip around Ireland unearthing unusual and unique aspects of Ireland’s natural heritage, and two series of The Almanac of Ireland, which explored the quirks, conundrums and wonders of Ireland’s cultural heritage. Both series were produced by Colette Kinsella of Red Hare Media and broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1[16] and on podcast platforms.

Magan hosted the podcast Home Stories, a series of chats with people living in Direct Provision Centres in Abbeyleix, Emo, Mountrath and Athlone. The chats were edited by Lauren Varien with music by Brían MacGloinn (of Ye Vagabonds) and Myles O'Reilly.

In 2024, he released a series of talks he had with the late John Moriarty, the County Kerry philosopher, in podcast form: The Bog Shaman: Manchán Magan on Moriarty.[17]

Books

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Magan wrote three books in Irish, Baba-ji agus TnaG, Manchán ar Seachrán and Bí i nGrá. His English travel books include Angels & Rabies: A Journey through the Americas, Manchán's Travels: A Journey through India, and Truck Fever: A Journey through Africa.[18] In 2009 he spent time as a writer in residence with the Irish Cultural Centre, at the Irish College in Paris.

In 2020, Magan published Thirty Two Words for Field: Lost words of the Irish landscape.[19][20] In 2021 he published the children's book Tree Dogs, Banshee Fingers and Other Words for Nature with illustrations by Steve Doogan. In 2022 his book Listen to the Land Speak was published by Gill Books.[21]

Bibliography

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  • Angels and Rabies: A journey through the Americas. Brandon / Mount Eagle Publications Ltd. 2006. ISBN 978-0-8632-2349-5.
  • Manchán ar Seachrán.
  • Thirty Two Words for Field. Gill Books. 2020. ISBN 978-0-7171-8797-3.
  • Tree dogs, banshee fingers and other Irish words for nature. Gill Children's. 2021. ISBN 978-07171-9255-7.
  • Dána Gránna: Hasty Words for People. Redfox Press. 2022.
  • Sea Tamagotchi. Redfox Press.
  • Listen To The Land Speak. Gill Books. 2022. ISBN 978-0-7171-9259-5.
  • Wolf Men And Water Hounds. Gill Children'. 2023. ISBN 978-0-7171-9611-1.
  • Focail na mBan: Women's Words. Mayo Books Press. 2023. ISBN 978-1-9145-9615-5.
  • Irish Words For Nature. Gill Children's. 2024. ISBN 978-1-8045-8334-0.
  • Brehons and Brahmins: Resonances between Irish and Indian cultures. Mayo Books Press. 2024. ISBN 978-1-9145-9640-7.
  • Ireland in Iceland: Gaelic Remnants in a Nordic Land. Mayo Books Press. 2025. ISBN 978-1-9145-9635-3.
  • Ninety-Nine Words For Rain (And One For Sun). Gill Books. 2025. ISBN 978-1-8045-8334-0.

References

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  1. ^ FitzPatrick, Richard (29 January 2023). "Culture That Made Me: Manchán Magan on Deadwood, Dervla Murphy and Star Trek". www.examiner.com. The Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  2. ^ O'Rourke, Evelyn (3 October 2025). "Broadcaster and scríbhneoir Manchán Magan dies aged 55". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  3. ^ Kent, David (3 October 2025). "Manchán Magan, celebrated Irish writer and documentary maker, dies aged 55". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 4 October 2025. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  4. ^ "Too Cool for School". The Irish Times. 28 January 2008.
  5. ^ See e.g., http://humphrysfamilytree.com/Humphrys/raid.1922.html
  6. ^ "'You need to walk the land to feel the stories' Manchán Magan, Gaeilge Romantic". Royal Irish Academy. 30 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Longford–Westmeath: 2016 general election Results, Counts, Transfers".[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Newsdesk, The Hot Press (9 May 2022). "WATCH: Irish writer Manchán Magan covers KNEECAP's 'C.E.A.R.T.A' in aid of volunteer gym in Palestine". Hotpress.
  9. ^ "Manchán Magan on cancer: 'I've no fear of death'". www.rte.ie. 13 September 2025.
  10. ^ O'Rourke, Evelyn (3 October 2025). "Broadcaster and scríbhneoir Manchán Magan dies aged 55". RTÉ. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Crainn na hÉireann (The Trees of Ireland) Series Trailer". YouTube.
  12. ^ "| Player | TG4 | Irish Television Channel, Súil Eile".
  13. ^ Global Nomad - Manchán Magan.
  14. ^ Ruan Magan Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. ^ The Irish Times, "Magan's World".
  16. ^ RTÉ Radio 1, The Almanac of Ireland
  17. ^ "The Bog Shaman: Manchán on Moriarty". RTE Radio.
  18. ^ Manchán Magan Books and Short Bio Archived 16 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  19. ^ Kehoe, Paddy (12 September 2020). "Reviewed: Thirty Two Words for Field by Manchán Magan". RTE. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  20. ^ "32 Words for Field - manchan.com". manchan.com. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Listen to the Land Speak".
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