By Evan O’Gorman
His eyes rolled back as his body sunk deep into the chair. His hands ran slowly down his face, pulling hard against the 3.00AM bags beneath his eyes.
“Ooohhhhh” he cried in hesitation. “That’s not fair.”
I had asked him who is favourite musician was; a question he had hoped never to be asked.
As Mark pondered the various talents he had encountered throughout his life, I could almost hear the echo of guitar solos from his ears. After some moments of deep thought, Mark slid his hands to the sides of his face and sighed.
“It would have to be Grant Green.”
He contemplated John Lennon, but settled on the basis that the Beetle had been more of and influence on him, rather than an idol.
For the past 15 years, Mark Cagney has been the first face we’ve seen in the morning. Ireland AM has seen many faces come and go since its beginning, but Cagney is a veteran – “I’ve been there from the conception.” Having worked at pirate radio, RTÉ, Tv3, TodayFM and 98FM, there are few corners of the Irish broadcasting ring that Cagney hasn’t fought. But how did the young Corkonian come to be one of Ireland’s most renowned voices?
Mark had agreed to meet me in a local café on Thursday afternoon. Conveniently, we both lived in the same area, meaning distance was not an issue. Entering the café, I knew it was Mark behind me by his reflection in the glass door. He knew it was me, because in my right hand I held a notebook. “Planning on doing this in shorthand?” He raised his eyebrow at my notepad and pen until I produced my recording device.
Mark and I both had coffee; he also indulged in some apple pie.
Whilst we were settling down with our coffee and cake, a discussion on the topic of politics and current affairs sprouted. Not wanting to miss out on what Cagney had to say, I began rolling.
Mark grew up the eldest of seven children. His father was a “mechanical genius” who did well for himself “from time-to-time.” The family lived in a big house and all the children went to private schools from the outset. From the outside, however, “we looked like we were better off than we were.” Mark recalled an instance where his father started a business in Macroom, but was ‘crippled’ by bank strikes. Mark never felt he had a deprived childhood, and despite occasional financial decline, there was one way which Mark’s father could always make money: music.
“In his heart he was a musician – first and foremost.”
Music has always been an influential part of Mark Cagney’s life. Playing the guitar has been a ‘life-long love affair.’ As a young man, Mark wanted to be a musician. To this date, it’s all he’s ever wanted to be. “It’s something for my soul; I’ll go into my office for hours and pretend I’m Eric Clapton.”
He still plays a lot of guitar at home for his own pleasure, but wouldn’t dare play to a public audience.
Why? He doesn’t have the ability.
Although to some this may seem like a lack of self-confidence, Mark (on one level) is glad he did not pursue the career path of a musician and makes a brutally honest point: for every 10,000 that try, 1% will make a living.
Mark’s biggest influence growing up was none other than the Beetles. He also spoke about the first time he listened Hendrix’s ‘Purple Rain.’ His voice filled with enthusiasm, he’d never heard anything like this before.
Mark was introduced to the world of music by his father. He would frequently accompany his father whenever he was performing. Over time, Mark began working in venues (mainly rugby clubs) earning £2.50. Eventually Mark questioned why it was that he was earning a quarter of what DJs were making, when they were using his P.A system. Mark was asked to DJ at discos and it wasn’t long before he was asked to fill in for DJ no-shows at the popular spot, ‘Good Time Charlie’s. Mark soon landed himself a house position at Charlie’s. “I knew what the punters wanted.”
Pirate radio was a massive culture in Ireland during the 1960s. Cork’s most influential of the broadcasters was the ‘Cork Broadcasting Corporation.’
Under the alias ‘Mark Anthony’ (his middle name), Cagney took up a position on CBC. With the job there was “an absolute fear factor.”
After some time, ‘Mark Anthony’ later received a phone call from his father. He informed his son that Paddy O’Connor from RTÉ in Cork wanted to talk to him and that authorities would soon raid CBC. Upon meeting, Paddy questioned why Mark did not come to him looking for a job broadcasting. In late February 1977, Mark auditioned for a presenting role with RTÉ, and on the 11th March of the same year started presenting the show ‘New Releases’ on the ‘Cork About’ programme for RTÉ.
By now, Cagney had several other DJs working under him in clubs and venues around Cork. He had built himself an empire.
Mark soon befriended iconic broadcasters Gerry Ryan and David Fleming, who also presented shows on 2fm. He described their trio as being “total hippies” and highlighted that the music which they considered alternative at the time, soon became mainstream.
Sounds like 70s hipsters to me.
Mark described Gerry Ryan as being “unquestionably the most gifted broadcaster of my generation – without a shadow of a doubt.”
Their careers soon progressed. Mark went to Drivetime and Gerry went to ‘Mid-Day, “the rest is history.”
Mark continued to work at RTÉ until 1989, when he was offered a position on the new 98fm, owned by Denis O’Brien – “and did okay out of it.”
He admitted he “sold his soul,” but it was for “considerably more than 30 pieces of silver.”
Denis O’Brien has always been a controversial figure in Irish society. Mark worked with him for several years, not only as a colleague, but also as a friend. He describes Mr. O’Brien as a “kind, generous, decent man.” According to Mark, Denis “instinctively put his hand in his pocket – even when he didn’t have anything in his pocket.”
In 2008, O’Brien part-funded the wages of Ireland’s national football team’s manager, Giovanni Trapattoni. This was a questionable move; many accused O’Brien of simply seeking power and control over the team.
Mark Cagney disagrees, believing that he simply “wanted what was best for Ireland.”
On a personal level, Denis O’Brien had a big impact on Mark’s life. Upon the death of Mark’s first wife – Ann Humphries – “he couldn’t have done enough for me.”
His generosity was not a case of “looking after an asset.” There were no guarantees that Mark would return after breaking down on air one morning. Denis continued to support Mark throughout the difficult time in his life and kept the job available for him. There was never any question. “Do what you need to do” he told Mark.
“As a human being, I have nothing but good things to say about him.”
Mark insisted that he was not a ‘corporate cheerleader’ however, reminding me of how O’Brien eventually fired him after his eight years of service.
Mark was given a generous redundancy package, which supported him in taking a year off work that followed. He then moved on to TodayFM, which he always saw as a “higher quality version of 98fm.” Mark eventually left however, due to a change in management which saw a former colleague of his replace his current supervisor.
Mark decided he wouldn’t mind going back to TV “while he still had hair.” He had previously presented the RTÉ production ‘Ireland’s Eye,’ but left due to the pressure of the politics that accompanied the role.
He had heard of a new breakfast show being lined up by Tv3, and went for an audition. He landed the gig, and has been working at Ireland AM for the past 15 years.
There is no doubt that Mark’s career is a story of success from the outside, but one cannot help but wonder how he himself feels about what he has achieved.
“What have I achieved?”
Mark never saw the attraction of attention; “popularity never set well with me.”
This attitude was probably passed down from his father, with the advice: “Don’t worry about being popular; worry about being good. If you’re good, you will always work.” Mark has never had a plan, every career milestone happened “by accident.”
Perhaps Mark’s “not very ambitious” nature is a result of both his father’s influence and a take-it-as-it-comes approach.
Evan O'Gorman 