Manchán Magan | |
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| Born | (1970-08-20)20 August 1970 Dublin, Ireland[citation needed] |
| Died | 2 October 2025(2025-10-02) (aged 55) Dublin |
| Education |
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| Period | 2006–2025 |
| Genre | Irish language andCulture of Ireland |
| Relatives | Ruán Magan (brother) |
| Website | |
www | |
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 theIrish language,culture, and thenatural world.[1][2][3]
Magan was brought up inDonnybrook, Dublin. He went to Mount Anville Montessori School before attendingGonzaga College inRanelagh (he also spent one year inColáiste na Rinne). He later studied Irish and history atUniversity College Dublin.[4] Magan's family background wasnationalist and closely associated with the foundation of the Irish State in that he is the grandson ofSheila Humphreys and great-grandnephew ofThe O'Rahilly.[5] He was also a distant relative ofAogán Ó Rathaille, the last great poet of theBardic school.[6] He explored these connections in various documentaries forTG4 and RTÉ.[citation needed]
He stood for theGreen Party in theLongford–Westmeath constituency in the2016 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 astraw-bale house, which he removed and replaced with a mud and cement, grass-roofed house, inCounty Westmeath.
In 2022, Magan released a cover ofKneecap's song "C.E.A.R.T.A" to help raise money for a volunteer gym in theAida Refugee Camp inBethlehem, Palestine.[8]
In an interview on 13 September 2025, Magan revealed he had terminalprostate 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] On the one month's memorial of his death, around 2,500 people gathered on the ancientHill of Uisneach to honour his life by scattering his ashes.[11]
His television series includedCrainn na hÉireann, a 10-part series on the trees of Ireland,[12] andAn Fód Deireanach, a four-part series for TG4 about Irishbogs andpeatland.[13]
Magan made over 70travel documentaries focusing on issues ofworld cultures andglobalisation, 12 of them packaged under the Global Nomad series[14] with his brotherRuán Magan.[15]
He presentedNo Béarla, a documentary series about travelling around Ireland speaking onlyIrish and wrote regularly forThe Irish Times.[16]
Magan also presentedManchán'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 ofThe 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 onRTÉ Radio 1[17] and on podcast platforms.
Magan hosted the podcastHome 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 lateJohn Moriarty, the County Kerry philosopher, in podcast form:The Bog Shaman: Manchán Magan on Moriarty.[18]
Magan wrote three books in Irish,Baba-ji agus TnaG,Manchán ar Seachrán andBí i nGrá. His English travel books includeAngels & Rabies: A Journey through the Americas,Manchán's Travels: A Journey through India, andTruck Fever: A Journey through Africa.[19] In 2009 he spent time as a writer in residence with the Irish Cultural Centre, at theIrish College in Paris.
In 2020, Magan publishedThirty Two Words for Field: Lost words of the Irish landscape.[20][21] In 2021 he published the children's bookTree Dogs, Banshee Fingers and Other Words for Nature with illustrations by Steve Doogan. In 2022 his bookListen to the Land Speak was published byGill Books.[22]
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