Veteran newsreader Hammond signs off for last time
Sunday November 22 2009
He went from selling television sets to becoming one of the nation's most trusted newscasters -- but now Ken Hammond has signed off for the last time.
The veteran broadcaster, who for years was one of the best-known faces on Irish television, has decided to call it a day from the RTE newsroom at the age of 61.
After almost 25 years, the man who brought so many big news stories into millions of homes across Ireland, says he is looking forward to trading in news bulletins for evenings in the concert hall and studying the stars.
"This is really a decision to retire from RTE, but I wouldn't be closed to doing other things in the future. It was a very narrow margin as to which I decided to do, but I just felt I would try it while I'm still relatively healthy," he laughed.
"I expect I will spend a lot of time in the concert hall," he says. "I'm very into classical music and there are lots of other things that I've never really had the time to get into.
"I might even take a course in astronomy," he said.
Speaking about his most memorable moments, he described the release of Brian Keenan as a story which "really got under my skin", but he admits the only occasion he ever wavered when delivering a news bulletin was the night when the full extent of the horrific 1998 Omagh bombing came to light.
"The Omagh bombing was the one in which I came closest to losing it," he admits.
"I was doing the nine o' clock bulletin on the Sunday evening and it was a really intense, heavy bulletin because things were happening while we were on air," he explained.
"And at one stage, my editor said in my ear piece, 'Ken, you're speaking a little quickly, slow down' and she now understands why. Only seconds before that she had told me there were pictures and names of the victims coming in and to read them all out as I saw them.
"These were the names of the children who had died and I have to say if I had slowed down I would have had a real problem."
Shortly after recording his final bulletin, Mr Hammond was treated to a surprise party in the RTE newsroom by his close friends and colleagues, including Anne Doyle and Eileen Dunne.
"It's been a great privilege to work with them," he says.
"I will certainly stay in touch with them all. It's like a very big family in there and I've made some very solid friendships."
- NIAMH HORAN Entertainment News Reporter
Sunday Independent
