The late Shay Healy was man with ‘unbreakable spirit’ and an inspiration to all who knew him.

That’s according to his first cousin Professor Seamus Caulfield, who has been paying tribute to the Eurovision winning songwriter.

The 78-year-old presented RTE show Nighthawks in the late 80s and early 90s and composed "What's Another Year" for Johnny Logan, which won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980.

His father Seamus hailed from Glencalry in North Mayo and Shay's acclaimed musical The Wiremen covers the introduction of rural electrification to a fictional town in the county.

In 2004, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease but continued working.

Belderrig native Seamus Caulfield has been telling Midwest News about Shay Healy’s remarkable character and his connections to North Mayo.

He started by paying tribute to Shay, who he affectionately knew as ‘Ogie’….