Harry Gregg and the Munich air disaster
If you missed it last night Manchester United’s goalkeeper from 1958 Harry Gregg revisits Munich. Radio Four’s Archive Hour is worth listening to as well.
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The media hype around this is understandable in the UK but the local stuff is just too much. Yes Harry Gregg was on board but a Spotlight programme? a daily bulletin from Evening Extra? Come on………..
You obviously haven’t watched it then Brendan. As a City supporter, I have to say this is nothing to do with football, or the cloying fixation with the Munich. It’s a simple story, simply told.
Don’t think this is a time for cynicism from Man U-haters….felt humbled to witness a fellow-Ulsterman recounting the heartbreaking story of Munich with such humility, humanity, stoicism and strength. Never mind all the self-serving politicians on both sides – here’s a local hero we can all be rightly proud of.
brendan,belfast
I would have thought given the links between Northern Ireland and Manchester the local coverage of the Munich disaster would have been considerable even without the Harry Gregg story. Just looking at the BBC news site Wales also seems to have had some local spin to the event.
Charlie suggests cynicism. I think he is being charitable.
Brendan, Belfast
Whilst I agree that local programming should reflect local issues, it should also reflect issues that are important to the local population.
Like it or not Manchester United (and I could name Celtic, Rangers, Liverpool …) are important to a large section of the local community, and for better or worse, more important than local soccer.
I am not anti Man U and certainbly not anti soccer (heck i have been up the 7 sisters Road many a time) and i certainly don’t mean to offend.
i think its a reasonable question to pose; is the mass coverage of the 50th anniversary of the Munich deaths appropriate on BBC Radio Ulster or BBC NI TV?
Mick – “As a City supporter, I have to say this is nothing to do with football” Thats an odd and patently wrong comment. Of course it is to do with football and there is nothing wrong with that.
If the Munich air disaster had not involved footballers would it be remembered and revered in the same way? of course not.
Not to mention RTE having a program . Bertie Ahern remembered the Munich tragedy by dedicating a new bridge in Cabra -Liam Whelan Bridge at a small ceremony . Whelan was just 22 when he died and was from Dublin an ex Home Farm lad.
‘is the mass coverage of the 50th anniversary of the Munich deaths appropriate on BBC Radio Ulster or BBC NI TV? ‘
Why not ? . People choose to remember what they want to remember and forget what they choose to forget -always of course with a little help from the media .
Harry Gregg went back into a plane wreck to rescue a mother and child. By taking then destroying a donated liver, George Best took life from someone else. And we name the airport after Georgie?
i dunno, “..the Harry Gregg Belfast City Airport…” doesn’t have a real ring to it.
Talking of Geordie Best, getting a deeper understanding of Munich this week makes me think of how Matt Busby, United fans and then the entire country must have responded emotionally to the emergence of this new, lavishly gifted ‘Busby babe’ in the early ‘60’s…after the trauma of ’58 and the loss of young players like Duncan Edwards, Tommy Taylor and Roger Byrne, no wonder the Belfast Boy was so adored….