Tribute to Derry writer, academic and film critic Martin McLoone 1950-2023

He was a great person to have as a friend.

As anyone who knew him will testify, he was a warm, witty and engaging companion who was always full of ideas and opinions.

Over the years we spent a lot of time supporting local restaurants (particularly a succession of curry houses in Coleraine, Derry and Portstewart).

Meeting up with Martin was like being given a free education and I would look forward to hearing what he had to say about the latest films and music, political developments and sport.

I was probably less passionate than he was about soccer but I soon became a de facto supporter of Derry City and Tottenham Hotspur and learnt to speak confidently about playing styles, team tactics and managerial changes on the basis of what Martin had explained to me.

Martin was a true educator in the broadest sense. He left school in Derry to study English at University College, Dublin, before moving to London in the 1970s where he became a secondary school teacher.

That was where I first met him although, at this point, he was about to change job and move back to Dublin to take up the post of Education Officer at the Irish Film Institute.

This was a pioneering role encouraging the introduction of film and media education in schools and Irish cultural life more generally.

Through the organisation of events and summer schools (such as those at Clongowes Wood College in Co. Kildare), he not only paved the way for the addition of media studies to the Irish school curriculum but influenced a whole generation of Irish teachers.

His organisation of events with the national broadcaster RTÉ also led to the ground-breaking collection of essays, ‘Television and Irish Society’ (1984), which was not only the first serious book on the topic but also an enduring influence on media scholars.

Martin’s own essay on the RTÉ series, ‘Strumpet City’, also signalled his growing interest in Irish television drama, along with contemporary Irish film and popular music.

Martin’s next step was to move back north to join the Media Studies Department at the University of Ulster at Coleraine.

Here he proved to be an inspiring teacher who enthused generations of students with his deep knowledge of his subject, his clarity of communication and his relaxed and open manner.

He was also an inspiration to a number of postgraduate students who have since gone on to hold a range of positions in universities, north and south, and carry on his commitment to media education in Ireland.

It was also at Ulster University that Martin flourished as a writer. Martin did, of course, possess an English degree and his writing was notable for the clarity and lightness of touch that made his books and essays so much more engaging and accessible than the average academic work.

Arguably, his best work was ‘Irish Film’ (2000), his lucid and insightful overview and assessment of contemporary Irish cinema.

This remains a core text when teaching about Irish film and has become a standard point of reference for all subsequent writers on the subject.

His other works include a stimulating collection of essays on ‘Film, Media and Popular Culture In Ireland’ (2008), a co-authored book on ‘Rock and Popular Music in Ireland’ (2012), which inspired a BBC documentary, and a number of edited or co-edited collections dealing with film, television and cultural identity.

These works reveal the wide range of his interests along with a capacity to address a multiplicity of topics - from Van Morrison and punk music to ‘The Quiet Man’ and public information adverts – in a fresh and engaging manner.

As well as a distinguished teacher and writer, Martin was also a team player, with a strong belief in the virtues of collaboration.

He was committed to supporting, and working with, his colleagues and to taking on leadership roles. He became the first Head of School of the newly-formed School of Media and Performing Arts when he helped to develop the postgraduate course in journalism.

He also played a key role in the Centre for Media Research and, through his writings and activities, helped to establish the Media Studies department as a leading location for teaching and research.

This, in turn, was recognised by the university where he was awarded a doctorate for his writings and appointed to a Professorship. His activities were not, however, confined to the university and he was keen to share and discuss ideas more generally through public engagements, magazine writing and contributions to cultural bodies.

He was, for example, a co-founder and Board member of the very first Foyle Film Festival in 1987, served on the jury of the Celtic Film Festival in Gweedore and was an active member of the Media Group of the Cultural Traditions Group, organising an influential symposium on culture and identity that brought together both broadcasters and scholars.

When I first met Martin, he was, of course, a relatively young man dedicated to both his work and the pursuit of his cultural and sporting enthusiasms.

Martin grew up in a warm, close-knit family and, once he fell in love with and married Cindy, they created a family of their own.

Although Martin was extremely modest and never boasted about his own achievements, he was immensely proud of his children, Katie, Maeve and Grainne, and was rightly happy to tell you of their many accomplishments.

In all aspects of his life – as a family man, friend and educator - Martin revealed the same characteristics of kindness, empathy, intelligence, generosity of spirit and commitment to fairness and justice.

I feel that a part of myself has gone with him, and all who knew him – especially his loving family - will feel an immense sense of loss.

Martin McLoone died suddenly on October 3.