George Hook
{{Short description|Irish broadcaster and journalist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name = George Hook
| image = Georgehook.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = George Hook in 2011
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1941|5|19|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Cork, Ireland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Irish
| education = Rathmines College of Commerce, Dublin Institute of Technology
| occupation = Journalist and Radio Broadcaster
| spouse = Ingrid Hook
| children = 3
| signature =
}}
George Hook (born 19 May 1941)[http://www.georgehook.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=23&Itemid=34&limitstart=3] {{dead link|date=August 2017}} is an Irish broadcaster, journalist and rugby union pundit. He formerly hosted The Right Hook and High Noon on the Irish radio station Newstalk.
He had a career as a rugby union coach and businessman, before becoming a rugby pundit on RTÉ Television in 1997.{{cite web|url=http://www.personallyspeakingbureau.com/speaker/george-hook|title=George Hook |publisher=Personally Speaking Bureau|access-date=24 June 2016}} He has also made other TV appearances, such as judging on Jigs & Reels and coaching on Celebrity Bainisteoir.
Early life
Hook grew up in the Albert Road area of Cork. He attended Presentation Brothers College, a rugby union stronghold.{{cite web|url=http://www.pbc-cork.ie/talks.cfm|title=Presentation Brothers College (PBC) School, Cork, Ireland - Activities - Talks / Lectures|website=Pbc-cork.ie|access-date=2017-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927153027/http://www.pbc-cork.ie/talks.cfm|archive-date=27 September 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} Subsequently, he attended Rathmines College of Commerce.
Career
{{BLP sources section|date=August 2017}}
Hook has had a number of jobs, beginning as a temporary clerk for CIÉ, and later becoming a travelling salesman for the Burroughs Corporation (now Unisys). He ran a catering business for over twenty years. He coached London Irish and Connacht as well as the United States national team in the 1987 Rugby World Cup.
The Right Hook, Hook's radio show on Newstalk, was a popular late afternoon to early evening drive-time programme.{{cite web |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/radio-1-recovers-lost-listeners-ratings-survey-shows-1.2302370 |title=Radio 1 recovers lost listeners, ratings survey shows|website=Irishtimes.com|access-date=24 June 2016}} His wife, "the lovely Ingrid", was regularly subjected to having her intimate details discussed and dissected on air by Hook.{{cite news|first=Eimear|last=Ni Bhraonain|url=http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/celebrity-news-gossip/georges-lovely-ingrid-wasnt-easily-hooked-3172634.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130217194309/http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/celebrity-news-gossip/georges-lovely-ingrid-wasnt-easily-hooked-3172634.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 February 2013|title=George's 'lovely Ingrid' wasn't easily hooked |newspaper=Irish Independent|publisher=Independent News & Media|date=18 July 2012|access-date=18 July 2012}}
Hook appeared as a rugby pundit on RTÉ on a regular basis, most frequently with presenter Tom McGurk and fellow pundit Brent Pope, and appeared as a judge on RTÉ celebrity dancing show Jigs & Reels. He has also been parodied in The State of Us. In 2005, he published an autobiography, "Time Added On". The book described his years involved in business and the failure of this career path.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}
On 26 January 2014, Hook announced that he would retire from Newstalk in 2016 and television punditry after the 2015 Rugby World Cup but RTÉ lost the right for Irish broadcasting to TV3. On 13 February 2015, he reversed his decision to retire from television punditry. However, on 17 March the same year, Hook announced that he would retire from television punditry saying he would never watch the RTÉ rugby panel again.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}
=Suspension=
In September 2017 he was suspended by Newstalk for comments about rape.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/george-hook-suspended-over-rape-comments-459076.html|title=George Hook suspended over rape comments|newspaper=Irish Examiner|date=16 September 2017|first=Joe|last=Leogue}} In October 2017, Newstalk announced that Ciara Kelly was taking over his lunchtime radio slot.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/ciara-kelly-to-take-over-george-hook-s-newstalk-lunchtime-slot-1.3260901|title=Ciara Kelly to take over George Hook's Newstalk lunchtime slot|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=18 October 2017|first=Hugh|last=Linehan}}
Voluntary work
In 2009, he visited Haiti where he organised a recruitment drive to get volunteers to go there on a house building week.[https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/property/2009/0115/1231738223248.html The Irish Times] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019160457/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/property/2009/0115/1231738223248.html |date=19 October 2012 }}, "Irish charity to build houses in Haiti", Thursday, 15 January 2009Niamh Hennessy, [http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/hook-urges-volunteers-to-get-building-in-haiti-109542.html Irish Examiner], "Hook urges volunteers to get building in Haiti", 13 January 2010.[http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/irish-connections-run-very-deep-to-haiti-81292117.html Irish Central] "Irish connections run very deep to Haiti", 12 January 2010.
The next day a magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti. After the earthquake Hook was heard to say: "It is a godforsaken place. God has literally forsaken it."[http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/jason-obrien-godforsaken-haiti-needs--help-now-more-than-ever-2012900.html Irish Independent], "Jason O'Brien: Godforsaken Haiti needs help now, more than ever", 14 January 2010. Following the January 2010 earthquake. Hook urged his radio listeners to donate money.[http://www.independent.ie/national-news/no-foul-play-in-pensioners-death-2011029.html Irish Independent], "George hooks Haiti volunteers", 13 January 2010
Hook is also the patron of Comber Foundation, an Irish charity working in Romania since 1991, of which his daughter Michelle McGill is a trustee.[http://www.comber.ie/ "Comber Foundation website"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730194934/http://www.comber.ie/ |date=30 July 2010 }}, "Comber Foundation", 2010 The charity provides homes in the community for adults with disabilities who grew up in institutions and orphanages[http://www.herald.ie/national-news/builders-giving-up-work-to-build-home-for-orphans-1658519.html "Builders giving up work to build homes for orphans"], herald.ie, 2 March 2009.
Views
Politically, Hook is a longtime supporter of Fine Gael, and spoken at party events, he frequently identifying himself on The Right Hook{{cite web|url=http://therighthook.wordpress.com|title=The Right Hook|website=The Right Hook}} as being "an old Blueshirt".
In 2010, as part of the Catholic Church's "Year for Priests" celebration, he contributed to a DVD, In Praise of Priests, featuring interviews with various people expressing admiration for their favourite priest.{{cite news|url=http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/local/failure_of_church_leaders_to_deal_with_abuse_a_quot_source_of_deep_shame_quot_1_2006568|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130217192548/http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/local/failure_of_church_leaders_to_deal_with_abuse_a_quot_source_of_deep_shame_quot_1_2006568|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 February 2013|title=Failure of Church leaders to deal with abuse a "source of deep shame"|newspaper=Donegal Democrat |publisher=Johnston Press|date=18 August 2010|access-date=18 August 2010}}
Bibliography
- Hook, George Time Added On, Penguin Ireland, 2005; {{ISBN|1-84488-076-1}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110103042757/http://www.newstalk.ie/programmes/all/the-right-hook/ The Right Hook] on Newstalk
- [http://www.village.ie/Sample/Sample/Profile:_Off_the_Hook/ Profile] in Dublin-based magazine Village
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090605083159/http://www.lionsrugbyteam.com/george-hooks-video-blog George Hook's Lions Video Blog]
{{Celebrity Bainisteoir}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hook, George}}
Category:20th-century Irish people
Category:21st-century Irish people
Category:Irish rugby union coaches
Category:Irish sports broadcasters
Category:Broadcasters from County Cork
Category:Alumni of Dublin Institute of Technology
Category:People educated at Presentation Brothers College, Cork
Category:Connacht Rugby non-playing staff
Category:Burroughs Corporation people