Alf McCreary walked into the Belfast Telegraph on September 1, 1964 – and asked for a job. 60 years on, he’s still writing for the paper.
But Alf did not have anything handed to him on a plate – he had a tough start in life.
Reared by his grandparents in Bessbrook after his parents rejected him, he had to deal with the stigma of being ‘reared out of wedlock’ in his early life.
But he got the 11+, met some good teachers and managed to get to Queen’s University in Belfast, made possible by a scholarship and a fair slice of his WW1 veteran grandfather’s pension.
Alf’s career has given him many insights into our society and its divisions. He charted the evolution of the Rev Ian Paisley, and he wrote a biography of Gordon Wilson, whose daughter Marie was killed in the Enniskillen bombing.
He spoke to Ciarán Dunbar about his life in journalism.
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Alf McCreary: Journalism, a lucky break, Ian Paisley and faith
