Gay Byrne
Broadcaster
Retro riding: A history of sex on Irish TV, from The Late Late Show to Rivals
Jilly Cooper’s bonkbuster is back on Disney+. Here’s how such shows have developed since TV introduced sex to Ireland in the 1960s
The roots of RTÉ’s scandal may lie in the past but its future is equally murky
Shane Ross’s new book about RTÉ fails to push questions about the broadcaster’s funding to their conclusion
David Attenborough and Ireland: ‘So kind and charming. He joked about my lovely accent’
The natural history presenter, who turns 100 today, has inspired Ireland’s wildlife community through the decades
Author Emma Donoghue: ‘I grew up very normal, yet had this secret side that I thought everyone would consider foul’
The writer on literary reputation, emigration and ‘the crushing weight of being the only gay in the village’
Glenroe, Bosco, Mrs Brown’s Boys: The best and worst Irish TV shows ever made
Put your feet up as we bring you the best of Irish television – and then take a deep breath as we run through the worst
Performance artist Nigel Rolfe: ‘Gay Byrne asked me what I was doing in the Late Late studio’
His work has been seen by millions, but the artist, who has a new show at Dublin’s Green on Red gallery, remains deliberately low key
Mary White obituary: Cofounder of Lir Chocolates and former senator
The Louth woman was a formidable businesswoman who advocated for more women in politics and cross-Border causes
‘To be honest I’m a bit overwhelmed’: Pat Kenny signs off after more than four decades of daily radio
Radio: Vetaran broadcaster is flooded with messages from wellwishers as he leaves his weekday slot on Newstalk
Obituary: Brian Coyle: Fine art auctioneer with an unrivalled knowledge of his profession
For a number of years he had a slot on Gay Byrne’s Late Late Show on RTÉ
Irish people have always demanded too much of RTÉ – and it usually delivered
Responsibilities were presumed to include reviving Irish, selling everything ‘from sausages to sweep tickets’, and providing a living for writers and musicians
RTÉ radio at 100: Brendan Balfe on a century of Irish broadcasting
On January 1st, 1926, Douglas Hyde opened 2RN above a small post office on Little Denmark Street in Dublin
Ireland’s Christmas story is still underpinned by separation anxiety
The Gaybo Christmas call was a necessary national ritual, one that turned private pain into public joy
Late Late Toy Show: Patrick Kielty ‘now at the zen buddha stage’ in third year as host
Dr Seuss’s Christmas favourite The Grinch will be theme for the annual RTÉ broadcast
RTE’s Miriam O’Callaghan on family, feminism and fame in her candid new memoir
The Prime Time presenter reflects on politics, loss and life lessons in a fast-paced and enjoyable book
Terry Prone: ‘Charlie Haughey grasped me by the knee and told me I was a rude b**ch’
Terry Prone writes about giving media training to Charles Haughey when he was leader of Fianna Fáil
‘Tony O’Reilly should have been president of Ireland’: Jeffrey Archer on life, books and his God-given gift
Former Tory politician on his new novel End Game and - to the chagrin of his publisher - his secret final novel out next year
Mike Murphy: ‘It should have been the RTÉ payments scandal, not the Ryan Tubridy payments scandal’
Broadcaster talks about Roy Keane and the mothers of Cork, angry Trumpite golfers and finding a fan in Martin McGuinness
Rose of Tralee 2025 review: Another batch of warm, likeable overachievers makes for slightly plodding TV
Hosts Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas have negligible chemistry
Race for the Áras: Mike Ryan and Bertie Ahern among names circulating but parties wary of ‘knee-jerk’ selection
Irish presidential election campaign momentum hits doldrums amid fears of chilling effect on prospective candidates of personalised attacks
Gavin Friday: ‘U2 and I are almost like brothers – you very rarely blow smoke up your brother’s ass’
The musician on positive changes in Ireland, his enduring friendship with Bono and co, and how he never made money until Jim Sheridan came calling
Remembering Housewife of the Year, deadbeat husbands and patronising Gay Byrne
One woman’s husband walked out on her without a word soon after the competition
Housewife of the Year review: A reminder that Ireland of the 1970s and 80s was no country for women of any age
Contrast between picture the women presented beside ‘Uncle Gaybo’ and present-day selves is striking
Paul Brady: ‘There’s a huge coterie of Irish nationalists who don’t want a United Ireland’
The singer has been reflecting on his life to compile The Archive, his new box set. It’s been a rich, rewarding six decades in music
‘The holy men thought it was vulgar and obscene’: Irish jazz pianist Jim Doherty on 70 years in music
The musician, whose jazz ballet suite Spondance is about to be re-released, is as important to jazz as John Banville is to literature, Robert Ballagh to art and Gay Byrne to TV
At home there’s an apron with the slogan ‘Calor Housewife of the Year 1985′
The reality for participants in the Housewife of the Year contest was a far cry from the aspirational tradwife trend on Instagram
Housewife of the Year: A wistful celebration of a generation of Irish women who competed for £300 and a gas stove
Ciaran Cassidy’s fine documentary is filled with much sadness but also allows a fair degree of celebration
Kathleen Watkins obituary: broadcaster, author and one half of the original power couple
She loved how their friends teased her husband, Late Late Show host Gay Byrne, and she would laughingly tell them to “leave my Gaysie alone”
Kathleen Watkins: Funeral Mass remembers a woman whose life was a ‘hymn of love’
Broadcaster and wife of Gay Byrne was immensely talented and beloved by many people, her funeral mass was told
Róisín Ingle on Kathleen Watkins: She loved life, poetry and Gaybo. Conversation flowed from her like music
Kathleen Watkins was one of the most enthusiastic people I’ve ever met
Kathleen Watkins, broadcaster and author, has died aged 90
Tributes paid in Dáil to Watkins, who was the first continuity announcer on RTÉ and was married to Late Late Show host Gay Byrne
John Creedon: ‘I was always being sent away, not because they didn’t love me, but because they couldn’t cope’
Broadcaster and author reflects on an unusual childhood in Cork, constant low-level anxiety and presenting Winning Streak without understanding the rules
Collison brother buys period pile in heart of Dublin 4′s embassy belt
Plus: Dublin New Year’s Eve celebrations to be split in two across traditional city lines; Phil Hogan’s exclusive Brussels club; and the new plan for Terenure Synagogue
Ludwig review: David Mitchell is perfect as nerdy sleuth in comic thriller stuffed with laughs
Television: This agreeably chortle-filled show is the perfect midweek distraction
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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