Jack Doyle A Legend Lost

Jack Doyle was the real deal: a heavyweight boxing champion from the mean streets of Cobh, blessed with a pure tenor voice and rugged good looks. 'The Gorgeous Gael' hung around with Errol Flynn and Clark Gable in Hollywood. He sold out concert halls with tearful renditions of 'Mother Macree'. In the depressed and impoverished Ireland of the 30s and 40s, Jack Doyle seemed unbelievably glamorous. But Doyle was brought down by a combination of "fast women and slow horses", dying a penniless drunk in a London hospital. Abandoned by his showbiz friends, it was left to his former boxing club in Cobh to bring home the body of their prodigal son. 'Jack Doyle: A Legend Lost' features extensive dramatic reconstruction, rare archive and contributions from key friends and family members. RTÉ, in their series True Lives broadcast this programme in September 2007.