Vincent Hanley

Vincent Hanley
Vincent Hanley presenting MT-USA from New York City in 1984, three years before his death.
Born(1954-04-02)2 April 1954
Clonmel, South Tipperary, Ireland
Died18 April 1987(1987-04-18) (aged 33)
Dublin, Ireland
Cause of deathCerebral toxoplasmosis resulting from AIDS
NationalityIrish
Other namesFab Vinny
Occupation(s)Radio and television presenter
EmployerRTÉ
Known forRadio presenting, MT-USA and his early death
Hanley's family home on Kickham Street, Clonmel; a plaque in his memory was unveiled in 2013[1]

Vincent Hanley (2 April 1954 – 18 April 1987)[2] was a pioneering Irish radio DJ and television presenter, nicknamed "Fab Vinny".[3] He worked mainly for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, and was the first Irish celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness.[4][5] He has been described as "Ireland's first gay celebrity".[6]

Hanley began presenting pop music shows on RTÉ Radio Cork in 1976. He also did stints in Dublin on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ television,[7] including a special on Gilbert O'Sullivan.[8] When the first dedicated pop station, RTÉ Radio Two (now branded 2FM), was started in 1979, he was one of its best-known DJs.[9][10] While in Dublin he shared accommodation with Charles Self.[11] In 1981, he moved to London to work for Capital Radio.[4] In 1984, he declined a lucrative offer to remain there and moved to New York City.[4]

Hanley founded Green Apple Productions in 1983 with Conor McAnally, an RTÉ television producer and son of actor Ray McAnally. The company produced MT-USA (Music Television USA), a three-hour-long music video show modelled on the new American cable channel, MTV.[7] MT-USA was broadcast on RTÉ from 1984 to 1987 on Sunday afternoons. Each block of videos was followed by a segment filmed in New York City with Hanley introducing the videos, discussing American music and culture, and interviewing a celebrity.[7] RTÉ described him as Europe's first VJ (video jockey).[4]

In 1987, Hanley died shortly after his 33rd birthday.[2] He had been visibly ill for some time, and was rumoured to have an AIDS-related illness, which he denied.[12] This reflected the stigma then associated with the disease and with homosexuality in Ireland, which was not decriminalised until 1993.[13] The illness admitted by Hanley was congenital cerebral toxoplasmosis, described as an "eye disorder"; he was blind in one eye by his death.[10] Toxoplasmosis is very rarely fatal in adults who do not have a weakened immune system. In 2000, Hanley's friend and colleague Bill Hughes, who had himself come out in the 1990s, agreed that Hanley had in fact died of an AIDS-related illness.[13] The same year, the Sunday Tribune newspaper placed Hanley at the top of a list of Irish gay icons.[4]

In February 2022, RTÉ aired a new documentary about Hanley, titled Vincent Hanley: Sex, Lies and Videotapes.[14][15]

  1. ^ "Trailblazer Vincent honoured by Clonmel". www.tipperarylive.ie.
  2. ^ a b JB (20 April 1987). "Vincent Hanley: an appreciation". The Irish Times. p. 8.
  3. ^ Kearney, Máire (21 July 2001). "Broadcast News". The Irish Times. p. 46. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Irish gay icons". Sunday Tribune. 21 August 2000. Archived from the original on 13 November 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
  5. ^ Richard Dwyer (10 December 2009). "Back to the 1980s?". forth. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  6. ^ "Jan 2009, Issue 229". Gay Community News. January 2009. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  7. ^ a b c "Green Apple now reaping the harvest". The Irish Times. 13 October 1987. p. 19.
  8. ^ "Gilbert O'Sullivan: Television Appearances". Archived from the original on 20 April 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007. Me and My Music, RTÉ Television [Ireland]. Broadcast: 6 Oct 1976. Gilbert is interviewed by Vincent Hanley and answers questions from fans in the audience.
  9. ^ "The new radio channel". The Irish Times. 30 May 1979. p. 12.
  10. ^ a b Brennock, Mark; Padraig Yeates (20 April 1987). "Hanley friends deny he had AIDS". The Irish Times. pp. 1, 8.
  11. ^ Collins, Liam (31 July 2016). "Unsolved crimes: Mystery blond holds key to solving brutal murder of RTÉ set designer". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  12. ^ Yeates, Padraig (20 April 1987). "Private grief versus public good". The Irish Times. p. 8.
  13. ^ a b "The love that is beginning to speak its name". Sunday Tribune. 21 August 2000. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
  14. ^ "Vincent Hanley: Sex, Lies and Videotapes - Fab Vinnie and me". RTE. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  15. ^ "'Vincent Hanley's spirit and kindness were so huge. We have to remember him'". Irish Times. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.