| Ger Canning | |
| Birth Date: | 1951 5, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Cork, Ireland |
| Nationality: | Irish |
| Employer: | Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) |
| Occupation: | Sports commentator |
Ger Canning is an Irish sports commentator with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).
Ger Canning was born in Cork on 10 May 1951. He was a secondary school teacher at South Presentation school in Cork City when he began his broadcasting career with Cork Local Radio in 1978.[1]
Two years later in 1980 he joined the national broadcaster, Radio Telefís Éireann, as a member of the station's sports department. As a fluent Irish-speaker his first All-Ireland final commentary was on RTÉ 2 in 1981, because the station then had a policy of using the two channels for commentaries in both English and Irish. After Michael O'Hehir's retirement due to ill-health in 1985, Canning became the main Gaelic games commentator on RTÉ television. Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh took over O'Hehir's duties as a radio commentator. To date Canning has broadcast nearly 75 All-Ireland finals (including three in Irish).
Canning commentated on every All-Ireland senior hurling final from 1985 to 2016.[2]
Canning has worked on many sporting events for RTÉ, including:
He was assigned commentary duties for the 1985 European Cup Final, before which he witnessed the Heysel Stadium disaster.[5] He was assigned commentary duties for the UEFA Euro 2020.[6]
Canning played association football for University College Cork A.F.C. and College Corinthians and played minor and junior Gaelic football for St Finbarr's.[1]
He has lectured in Radio Broadcasting at Colaiste Stiofan Naofa in Cork.