Gay Byrne

Radio career

Byrne began his broadcasting career on radio. Radio Éireann gave him a 15-minute slot on Monday nights which he used to play Jazz recordings, his first broadcast for the station being in 1958.

Byrne featured on radio occasionally after retiring from The Gay Byrne Show – in 2006, he began presenting a weekly Sunday afternoon show entitled Sunday Serenade on RTÉ lyric fm. After 2010, he could be heard playing jazz on Sunday afternoons on lyric fm. Bishop of Galway Michael Browne called him "a purveyor of filth" after he asked a woman what colour nightie she wore on her wedding night and she had replied that she believed she'd worn nothing.

More than a decade after departing his role as host of The Late Late Show Byrne is remembered for conducting memorable interviews with former politician Pádraig Flynn and then Bishop of Galway Eamon Caseys lover Annie Murphy, among others.

Byrne and The Late Late Show were central to the development of the careers of figures such as Mary Coughlan.

He was noted for wearing a "Bing Crosby sweater" when presenting The Late Late Toy Show. Byrne returned to The Late Late Show as a guest twice during Tubridy's first season as the presenter, the latter appearance on the day of Gerry Ryan's death.

The Meaning of Life

In April 2009, RTÉ One began broadcasting a series called The Meaning of Life, during which Gay Byrne interviewed public figures about issues of meaning and life. He preferred not to discuss his own faith: I am not going to say, because it would compromise me in terms of the show if people knew I had a position. What you find is that they are all searching. No one has the truth. and Stephen Fry's denunciation of God during the tenth series.

Other television work In the 1960s, Byrne presented Let's Dance for Granada Television with popular singing star Marion Ryan. The programme was filmed in the Ballroom at Belle Vue, Manchester and also featured original Come Dancing stars Syd Perkin and Edna Duffield.

Byrne compèred the finals of the Castlebar Song Contest in 1966 and 1967. He also presented the Rose of Tralee festival for 17 years until 1994. Between 1989 and 2001, Byrne hosted the RTÉ People in Need Telethon several times.

After "retiring", Byrne hosted the Irish version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. He also hosted The Gay Byrne Music Show and Make 'Em Laugh, a series about comedy in Ireland, Gaybo's Grumpy Men and Class Reunion. was compared by some sources to This Is Your Life and featured special guests who were reunited with former classmates to recount stories from their schooldays. Guests on the show included Adi Roche and Pat Spillane.

Retirement Byrne did not completely retire and continued to feature occasionally on radio and television after leaving The Late Late Show and The Gay Byrne Show. He launched Joe Duffy's autobiography Just Joe in Harry's Bar in October 2011.

In March 2006, Byrne was appointed as the chairman of the Irish Road Safety Authority, a public body given the task of improving road safety in the Republic of Ireland. The role saw him visit hospitalised survivors alongside President of Ireland Mary McAleese.

Politics

Views In "retirement", Byrne continued to make his political views known, including questioning then Taoiseach Brian Cowen and "whether you can be Taoiseach and still sit up and have a pint in the local pub. You have to dignify the office". In later years he became known for his anti-EU stance. Bookmakers suggested Byrne might become Mayor of Dublin.

Presidential prospects

In August 2011, Byrne was approached by the once dominant political party Fianna Fáil as a possible independent nominee for that year's presidential election. The media advised Byrne, who had enjoyed an avuncular relationship with the public as a performer over many decades, against such a move. An editorial in the Irish Independent said: "This isn't some sort of a reality TV show but a contest for the highest office in the land." The Irish Times queried the distinction between Byrne as a performer versus Byrne as an individual. "But who is it that the Irish people really love? Is it Gaybo or Gabriel Byrne? Given they don't really know the man himself – a man who has retained his privacy throughout a lifetime of fame – the love is surely for the persona rather than the person." Byrne topped polls as the candidate people were most likely to vote for.

On 13 August 2011, Byrne announced that he would not be a candidate for the Presidency. Appearing later on TV3's Midweek programme he called Martin McGuinness, who was contesting the election as a representative of Sinn Féin, a "liar".

One-man show Byrne performed a one-man show in front of a sold-out audience at the Gate Theatre on 18 September 2011. The performance was part of a benefit night to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society. British Ambassador Julian King and Senator David Norris were among those in attendance.

Personal life Byrne was married to Kathleen Watkins, formerly a well-known harpist. Watkins was also the first continuity announcer to appear on-screen on the opening night of Telefís Éireann on New Year's Eve in 1961. Byrne first met Watkins, a native of Saggart, County Dublin, in 1957. They married in Saggart Catholic church in 1964. The couple had two daughters, Suzy and Crona.

His interests included jazz.

Health In later years, Byrne revealed he had hearing loss in one ear. He thought originally that it was due to working in the television and radio industry for over 50 years that caused his hearing loss, but later found out it was genetic as his mother, his sister and three brothers all had hearing problems.

In 2011, Byrne experienced a health scare at his home in Sandymount when he struggled to breathe. He was admitted to St Vincent's Hospital complaining his lungs felt as if they were "made of concrete" and there was "nothing going in" and that he expected to die. In 2015, after spending Christmas at home with his family, he had a heart attack and was readmitted to hospital.

On 20 November 2016, he revealed live on his Time Warp radio broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM that he was to begin treatment for prostate cancer, and that the cancer might have also spread to his lower back. He told listeners he would be taking a one-week break before returning to work. However, he did not return to the air. Byrne had been quoted by the Irish Mirror saying that "Ideally, I would like to get back to doing my Sunday afternoon radio show on Lyric FM, but my wife and daughters tell me I'm not ready and won't let me do it."

Death Byrne died on 4 November 2019 at his home in Howth, aged 85, after a three-year battle with prostate cancer. On 5 November 2019, a special live edition of The Late Late Show was broadcast on RTÉ One, with various tributes made to him.

His funeral took place on 8 November 2019 at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin and was shown live on RTÉ. After the mass, the hearse carrying Byrne's body made its way back to Howth and was greeted by fans along the route. He was laid to rest, privately at Saint Fintans Cemetery, Sutton.

Honours and awards In 1988, Byrne was awarded an honorary doctorate in letters from Trinity College Dublin. In 1999 he was granted the Freedom of the City of Dublin. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2007 from Irish Film and Television Network. He holds the record for the greatest number of Jacob's Awards received, winning a total of six for his radio and television work. He was appointed chairman of the Road Safety Authority in Ireland in 2006. Marking RTÉ's 50th anniversary in 2011, Byrne appeared on a postage stamp, part of a set of three that also featured Anne Doyle and Emma O'Driscoll. A wax figure of Gay Byrne has been put on public display at Wax Museum Plus on Dublin's College Green.

Legacy Credited with being a catalyst in the transformation of Irish society since the 1960s, Byrne broke several societal taboos by engaging in discourse on subjects like contraception, homosexuality, and abortion. but he was also described as solely "the most famous Irish broadcaster in history", A 1998 poll found Byrne level with notorious former Taoiseach Charles Haughey as the most hated public figure in the country, but the same poll also found Byrne to be the most popular public figure.