Malcolm Brodie (journalist)

Malcolm Brodie
Born(1926-09-27)27 September 1926
Glasgow, Scotland[1]
Died29 January 2013(2013-01-29) (aged 86)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
OccupationJournalist
AwardsMBE

Malcolm Brodie MBE, (27 September 1926 – 29 January 2013) was a Scottish-born journalist.[1]

Career

Brodie spent his working life in Northern Ireland, after being evacuated to Portadown, County Armagh at the onset of World War II.[2] He began his career at the Portadown Times before moving to the Belfast Telegraph in 1943, where, in 1950, he set up the newspaper's first sports department, with himself as editor.[1] This was a role he held for 41 years, during which time he reported from a record 14 FIFA World Cups; a feat which was recognised by FIFA in 2004 as they awarded him the Jules Rimet award.[1][3] As well as his position at the Belfast Telegraph, Brodie also wrote for the Daily Telegraph, the News of the World and the Sun.[1] He authored several histories of Irish League clubs, a history of the Irish League itself and the official history of the Irish Football Association.[1] Despite retiring as sports editor of the Belfast Telegraph in 1991, he continued to write a column called 'Down Memory Lane' and remained an honorary life employee of the newspaper.[4]

Accolades

Brodie received many accolades in recognition of his work, among them an honorary doctorate from the University of Ulster,[2] induction into the Belfast Sports Hall of Fame, the inaugural Doug Gardner Memorial Award in 1990 from the Sports Journalists' Association for services to the profession and an All-Ireland Journalists' Association lifetime achievement award.[1] He received an MBE for services to journalism in 1979.[5]

Death

Brodie died, aged 86, on 29 January 2013.[1] His funeral was held at Cregagh Presbyterian Church, Belfast.[5] A minute's silence, followed by a minute of applause, was held at all Irish League grounds on the weekend following his death and the Northern Ireland national team wore black armbands as a mark of respect during their next international match.[6] It is intended that the press box at the re-developed Windsor Park will be named in his honour.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h McElroy, Robert (4 February 2013). "Dr Malcolm Brodie". The Herald. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Malcom Brodie: Much admired veteran editor and football writer". The Independent. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  3. ^ "BLATTER PAYS TRIBUTE TO 'TRUE GREAT'". irishfa.com. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  4. ^ "Belfast Telegraph Legends: Malcolm Brodie". Belfast Telegraph. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Funeral of NI sports journalist Malcolm Brodie takes place". BBC News. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Malcolm Brodie's name will live on in new Windsor". Belfast Telegraph. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.