'Heartbreaking' - Manchán Magan spoke of hope of filming RTE show just days before death

Author and TV host Manchán Magan has died at the age of 55, just days after he spoke of his hope of living to complete a new book and a second series of his RTE television show. 

The Irish language enthusiast joined Brendan O'Connor on his RTE Radio 1 show two weeks ago to discuss his Irish language book called Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun) but spoke openly about his ongoing health battle.

Manchán made the journey to the RTE studios from his hospital bed in St James's Hospital where he said he had been for the last three weeks.

"This cancer I've been playing with for the last year and a half suddenly took a bout, a turn."

He went on to say the cancer had spread to numerous parts of his body: "It's in part of lungs, my brain, my liver, and yet it's only prostate cancer; it's like the easiest cancer but there is just this rare form of prostate cancer that will just devour you."

He was undergoing chemotherapy but revealed it was a matter of when and not if he succumbed to the disease. "We might get a year or two, and definitely get another few months," he said at the time.

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He said he focused on living out his time to the full, adding, "there's books, there's films, there's things I want to do.

"For some reason, there's hasn't been much despair or why me, why me, but there is an awful lot of pain. It's a lovely thing to know that I can plan my last few months or years. There's a creativity to think, 27 years ago I bought this land in Westmeath and planted an oak forest and thinking I can give this native woodland to a charity I'm involved with."

Manchán also said he hoped to complete a new series for RTE before his death. The first series of Manchán's Europe By Train hit our screens last year, and RTE had commissioned a second iteration of the popular travel show which was due to be filmed next year. 

Manchán said: "It's possible I could do it. That would be the peak if we got that done, maybe in May to July next year. I'd had to have had a big improvement but I'm not ruling that one out. It's probably a bit too much, but who knows? We'll see."

Manchan Magan passed away this week at the age of 55. 

May he rest in peace. 

You can listen to Manchán's full recent chat with Brendan O'Connor on the RTE radio player website.

Reacting to his death and having listened to the full interview, one fan said online: "It's heartbreaking. He was such a wonderfully unique person, an artist and a great proponent of the Irish language."