HONOLULU — Bobby Curran could talk and talk for hours — to everyone or no one — with a stamina that would leave listeners breathless.
On Sunday, it was everyone else’s turn.
The late prolific Hawaii sports radio broadcaster was given tribute with a traditional Irish wake at Murphy’s Bar & Grill. Speeches and drinks flowed in equal measure. Bagpipes were played, laughs shared and tears shed.
Those gathered agreed that Curran would’ve been right in his element.
[Note: See below for more photos of the celebration of life of Bobby Curran at Murphy's Bar & Grill.]
“It means all the world to us,” Don Murphy, the pub’s owner, told Spectrum News of hosting Curran's celebration of life as he made the rounds from the packed interior to a spread of food outside. “He's family to us. His whole family. We're all together.”
Curran’s widow Jo McGarry Curran and their sons, Max and Finn were joined by a who’s who of Hawaii sports figures and supporters. Curran called more than 400 University of Hawaii football games and many hundreds more in men’s basketball and other sports, and hosted ESPN Honolulu’s The Bobby Curran Show for three hours every weekday morning for decades.
Two of Curran’s broadcaster friends, Kanoa Leahey and John Veneri, emceed. Former UH football coach June Jones was an honored speaker while Max Curran gave the eulogy.
Murphy raised a glass to the room in a traditional Irish toast.
Members of Celtic Pipes & Drums of Hawaii played Curran off with Aloha Oe, Amazing Grace and Danny Boy.
Former UH athletic director Dave Matlin was on hand to pay respects to the 2023 UH Sports Circle of Honor inductee. He said Curran, who had known people in the AD position going back to the Stan Sheriff days, was a reassuring presence at home and on the road for his friendship and institutional knowledge.
“You just look around around the room. How many people are here from many different walks, too?” Matlin said. “I mean, there's UH is a common denominator, but much more than that, Bobby was a passionate hard worker, difference maker, and he was a really good friend.”
Curran's brother, Jamie, told the crowd that Bobby was never blessed with natural athleticism in their childhood in New York, but became a starter on his high school basketball team and walked on at the College of William & Mary through dogged determination.
That same trait would serve Curran well when he underwent a double-lung transplant in late 2022 and returned to the airwaves less than a year later.
Curran died March 9 in hospice care with mounting health issues, less than a month from turning 70. His passing came exactly one year since his final call of a game for ESPN Honolulu.
McGarry Curran called the community support “humbling.” She said the wake had to be at Murphy’s, a place that Curran had lauded for years on the airwaves.
“I wanted my sons to see that people really did love Bobby and that he did leave a mark,” she told Spectrum News. “And I think today's been amazing because of people talk about Hawaii, and they say,’ oh, it's about aloha and friendship and love.’ This is an outpouring of love, an outpouring of friendship.”
Because of Curran’s lifelong love of books, McGarry Curran was inspired to start The Bobby Curran Literacy Legacy and plans to donate 100 books a year to help illiterate adults and children.
“I was stunned by the number of books he had. He read probably a couple of books a week,” McGarry Curran said. “He was never without a book on a trip. We read to our children nonstop. I mean, even as much as he loved reading, I loved reading to them even more. So it was just a big part of our life. And when he passed, we thought, wouldn't it be nice if we could do what he wasn't able to do? He wanted to teach people to read, adults particularly, who did not ever know the joy of picking up a book.”
The foundation is still in its early stages, she said. She hopes to have members in the sports community participate with reading to keiki; UH basketball coach Eran Ganot has already pledged the support of his players, she said.
The Bobby Curran Literacy Legacy will not ask for money from the public, McGarry Curran said, and will eventually seek to link up with other groups with a similar premise.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
