Charlie Bird will appear in an RTE documentary tonight where he will be seen visiting Inis Oirr in the Aran Islands to pick out the spot for his ashes to be scattered.
The powerful documentary will be shown on RTE One tonight (Monday), and the former broadcaster will discuss his battle with Motor Neuron Disease, and reveal where he wishes his final resting place to be.
Charlie, 72, was filmed flying to the island along with his wife Claire and their dog Tiger. The couple visited their friend Peadar on the island, and Charlie reveals he wishes his ashes to be scattered in a grave next to Peadar's plot in a cemetery.
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The reporter also opens up on losing his voice to Motor Neurone Disease saying he worries it will rob him of his “humanity”.
The RTE journalist, who was diagnosed with the degenerative condition in October 2021, said voice banking technology has given him a “new lease of life”.
In the emotional documentary, he tells of his fears over having to leave his daughters and his wife Claire.
Cameras follow him as MND deprives him of his voice – a familiar and distinctive soundtrack in Irish households for more than four decades.
But viewers will see Charlie gain a new voice through the technology of an app which uses the vast archive of broadcast material he generated over 40 years on RTE.
Charlie admitted: “That is what frightens me about Motor Neurone, I’m losing my humanity.
“But now if I have no voice I still have a little way of communication [with voice software]."
He also revealed his regrets over his relationship with his mother, and how his work got in the way of his marriage and his family life.
Reflecting on the time Charlie realised he may be sick, he said: “I remember the very moment when I felt that there was something seriously wrong.
“I felt all my arms shaking and twitching, at that stage I’d no definite diagnosis of Motor Neurone and then four weeks later, bang, it came.”
Charlie also described his shock at reading a letter his consultant wrote for his GP which said “Charlie Bird has a terminal illness”.
He said: “People have said to me ‘you’ve been so brave in your journalistic career’, but I’m being honest, I haven’t been very brave in this fight.
“I feel sorry for my wife Claire, I want to put my arms around her and protect her and make sure that whatever road she travels she’ll be OK.
“That makes me so upset that I’ll be leaving this relationship.”
Charlie Bird: Loud and Clear is on Monday June 13 at 9.35pm on RTE One.
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