When Claire Byrne confronts Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary on RTÉ, the atmosphere is seriously tetchy
Radio 1 host clashes with airline boss over high airfares, while Ray D’Arcy captures a frazzled festive atmosphere
Claire Byrne
2024 in radio: chaotic exodus of Doireann Garrihy, Jennifer Zamparelli and the 2 Johnnies hangs over 2FM
Many presenters left RTÉ's pop station but Radio 1 had a much more stable year and Newstalk sailed serenely on. The online sphere and the threat of podcasts looms ever larger
A darkly farcical incident on Liveline ends up exposing a hot-button issue
Radio: The Liveline host gleefully performs the audio equivalent of nudges and winks after a general-election weekend that leaves him hoarse
Ben Dunne leaves €30m estate in will and writes off son’s €4m debt
Seen & Heard: Claire Byrne moves on from ‘super-agent’ Kelly; Conglomerates vie for Galway media outlets; Waterford Distillery founder vows to save business
Plodding Jack Chambers makes Paschal Donohoe sound like an unhinged Donald Trump
Radio review: With robust public finances allowing Ministers a Teflon complacency, the fireworks of old are missing from the post-budget airwaves
Ray D’Arcy reveals sharp political eye and skewers Government on €13bn Apple case
Radio: RTÉ Radio 1 surely captures the public mood of irritated bewilderment that the Apple windfall should be anything other than good news
RTÉ reports €9.1m deficit last year as Liveline host Joe Duffy highest paid with €351,000 package
Chairman Terence O’Rourke described 2003 as a ‘difficult and damaging year’ in annual report
Pat Kenny keeps his cool as spluttering reporter is doused in pepper spray
Radio: Henry McKean’s raw account of ‘really ugly scenes’ in Coolock captures how quickly an anti-immigration protest descends into chaos
Claire Byrne shows you don’t have to spice things up to have some bite
RTÉ host’s low-key approach is quietly effective, while Kieran Cuddihy is left speechless by Gazan horrors
Pat Kenny’s conversation with Michael O’Leary turns the air sulphuric
Radio: As one of Ireland’s most experienced interviewers, Pat Kenny is forensic in his questioning. But not, seemingly, with Michael O’Leary this week
Claire Byrne and Mary Lou McDonald come unexpectedly close to a shouting match
Radio review: The reliably poised RTÉ Radio One presenter gets into tetchy exchange with Sinn Féin leader. On Today FM, Matt Cooper swaps ballot-box coverage for indignation
A sense of foreboding descends on Liveline. Then Joe Duffy takes an unexpected turn
Radio: Talk of saints and babies has the RTÉ broadcaster in flighty mood. Over on Today FM, Matt Cooper has the better show
Claire Byrne’s question about happiness seems particularly pertinent right now
Radio: Today with Claire Byrne, Drivetime and Liveline all hear why so many people voted against the Government’s proposed changes to the Constitution
Oliver Callan doesn’t sound totally at home with lifestyle-oriented conversations that have traditionally filled 9am slot
Radio: RTÉ's Claire Byrne shows she can get riled with the best of them as she urges her guest Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary to stop the ‘personal insults’
Newstalk’s Kieran Cuddihy is on top form but not everything that comes out of his mouth is palatable
Radio: ‘If I was walking the dog, no one around, I’d hock up a big spit and fire it into the air,’ he announces
2023 in radio: Tubridy fallout lingers over RTÉ as rival stations look like safer options
Radio 1 and 2FM are shaken but still standing after the Montrose payments scandal as Pat Kenny’s strong Newstalk performance symbolises changed landscape
Claire Byrne and Joe Duffy assiduously avoid talking about the salary cap
Claire Byrne seems blindsided by leaked news of Kevin Bakhurst’s ‘strategic vision’
TikTok told to be ‘100% certain’ before requesting meeting with Coveney after it postpones two
RTÉ seeks sponsor for Claire Byrne radio show, Ryanair’s dividends, Colm Kelleher’s new role, the Barne Estate and Cromwell, Lawless brothers team up again, Web Summit publicity, and Boohoo Irish chief’s pay
‘Say that again?’ Katie Hannon can’t believe what she hears in budget brouhaha
Radio: Liveline’s stand-in host hears foster parents speak of strain, while Pat Kenny shows his wonky side
The Money List review: Quizmaster Baz Ashmawy is in his element as people compete for thousands of euro
Television: It has everything you’d want from a prime-time quiz - psychological torture, knife-edge tension and strangers locked together in sound-proof booths
Claire Byrne’s grim cocktail leaves a bitter taste
Radio: The RTÉ presenter discusses crises big and small, from Libya and Morocco to RTÉ and dodgy Greek hooch
What will Ryan Tubridy’s exit mean for his fellow RTÉ presenters?
A significant drop in earnings is on the cards under a new regime that holds all the cards
Claire Byrne: ‘I had lived an adult life up to the age of 38 not having had children, so I know what that freedom is like’
Parenting in My Shoes: Broadcaster was child-free until age 38, but now adores having youngsters
Tubridy tumult saturates RTÉ: ‘The consequences are felt every hour in this building’
Radio 1 presenters relentlessly cover hidden payments controversy, as Oliver Callan sounds like someone making himself comfortable in the Ryan Tubridy slot
RTÉ current affairs staff feared speaking up over problems with gender balance and transparency
Audit found women in division seen as having fewer promotional opportunities
RTÉ pay crisis: Inquiries into hidden payments to Ryan Tubridy face pushback from Forbes
Day of drama sees RTÉ director general resign while three top stars declare pay in full
Ryan Tubridy controversy prompts Claire Byrne and Joe Duffy to disclose their RTÉ deals on air
Miriam O’Callaghan joins fellow RTÉ presenters in publicly discussing remuneration from broadcaster
RTÉ pay crisis: Day of drama as Dee Forbes resigns while Claire Byrne and other presenters reveal salaries
Controversy stemming from secret payments to Ryan Tubridy appears to be worsening as week of hearings dawns
RTÉ and the Government: What we learned from Leo Varadkar’s comments today
Taoiseach calls on stars at broadcaster to publish details of their pay
‘I was wrong’: Dave Fanning apologises for ‘bad’ comments about Christy Dignam
Dave Fanning admits remarks on RTÉ radio about recently deceased Aslan singer were ‘incredibly ill-timed’
Kieran Cuddihy asks if ‘Ireland is full’, a phrase now seemingly normalised on Newstalk
Cuddihy’s showy spirit runs through the Hard Shoulder: no sacred cow is safe
Patrick Kielty confirmed as new host of The Late Late Show
Co Down broadcaster and comedian will succeed Ryan Tubridy on RTÉ flagship chatshow from next season
The economics of the Late Late Show: The perils of reinventing a €6m cash cow
Shortening the runtime or the season length could help modernise the RTÉ chatshow but would mean leaving money on the table
Laura Slattery: What the Late Late needs now is the total chaos of guest hosts
Patrick Kielty, Brendan O’Connor and Jennifer Zamparelli would be decent picks, but one season of revolving presenters could be amazing
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