Death of former Clare Champion editor

THE death took place this week of Frank O’Dea, Park Avenue, Ennis, one of the best-known journalists in the Mid-West and editor of The Clare Champion from 1961 until his retirement in February 1996.

A native of The Weir, Kilcolgan, County Galway, he was educated at Clarinbridge National School and the Franciscan College, Multyfarnham before beginning his career in journalism with The Connacht Tribune. Frank joined The Clare Champion as news editor in June 1959 and two years later, he was appointed editor. He was also the Clare correspondent for The Irish Times for a number of years and a founding director of Clare FM radio.
During his 37 years with The Champion, he was responsible for its development and expansion and maintaining its position among the leading provincial newspapers in Ireland. Among the big changes he witnessed at the paper was the changeover from old hot metal to the modern web-offset printing system in 1978.
Popular among all sections of the community and Clare Champion staff, Frank always showed his concern for the underprivileged and less well off in society.
In 1977, he became a founding member of the Ennis Lions Club and took an active part in fundraising for local charities. He was president of the club for a period and a member of the Lions International Board. Through his membership of the local Conference of St Vincent de Paul, he also helped the poor of Ennis. Frank also gave his support to the Ennis Franciscan Musical Society during its early years.
Through his interest in genealogy, he helped people from overseas in tracing their family roots. This he looked forward to with the help of Naoise Cleary of Corofin, who was responsible for establishing the Clare Heritage Centre.
Archaeology was another interest and he studied for a diploma in archaeology after his retirement. His hobbies included fishing and golf and he was interested in most sports, especially the GAA in Clare and in his native Galway.
Frank was a member of the Limerick and District branch of the National Union of Journalists, later to become known as the Irish South-West branch after Galway members joined the Western Branch.
On his retirement in 1996, many well-deserved tributes were paid to Frank at a function in the Old Ground Hotel.
“A man of utter integrity, Frank O’Dea upheld the best traditions and principles of his chosen profession,” said editor, Austin Hobbs on learning of his death this week. “His honesty and sense of fairness shone through in the manner he dealt with individuals and issues throughout his career.
“He made an enormous contribution to provincial journalism both in The Connacht Tribune and The Clare Champion. He was a very progressive journalist and was a great mentor and adviser to the many young journalists who joined The Clare Champion during his long tenure as editor. Indeed, many of those journalists, myself included, are still a part of the newsroom team, which he developed.
“As editor, Frank oversaw the coverage of major events though the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and up to the mid-’90s. It was a dynamic period in the county’s history with major industrial and social changes, as well as milestones on the sporting front.
“The newsroom team grew considerably to correspond with increasing interest in Clare as a hotbed for news stories linked to Shannon, the political scene, sports and traditional music. Frank showed particularly strong leadership back in 1979 when a short-lived new weekly newspaper challenged The Champion’s position as Clare’s only provincial newspaper. He played a key role in devising a strategy to copper-fasten The Champion as the paper of choice in the Banner County. During this period, the number of journalists employed was further increased as the paper expanded its coverage to take account of Clare’s strategic position in the heart of the Mid-West.
“Apart from his guiding hand as editor, Frank was also a man who gave very sound personal advice to his young charges,” The Clare Champion editor said.
Managing director, John Galvin said he was saddened to learn of the passing of Frank, who had given dedicated service to The Clare Champion in a career spanning four decades.
“Frank represented all that is good in journalism and played an important role in helping the paper grow from strength to strength over the years,” he said.
His death took place on Tuesday at Carrigoran House, Newmarket-on-Fergus where he had been a resident for a number of years. His remains were removed from Carrigoran to Ennis Cathedral on Wednesday evening and after requiem mass on Thursday morning, burial will take place at Drumcliffe Cemetery.
Frank is survived by his wife, Sally; sons, John, Eamon and Paul; daughters, Hilary and Ursula; brothers, Martin, Joseph and Colga; sons-in-law, Colm and Darragh; daughters-in-law, Kim and Isobel; grandchildren, family and friends.
As a mark of respect, the offices of The Clare Champion will be closed during the funeral.