Declan Lynch: ‘In the future, everyone will host Liveline for 15 minutes'
A few weeks ago, Philip Boucher-Hayes was the first out of the proverbial landing craft and on to the beaches, starting the battle to become the full-time presenter of Liveline (RTÉ1, weekdays, 1.45pm).
It was always going to be Boucher-Hayes taking the full blast of the early fighting. He has that unruffled presence which has perhaps worked against him – sounding so relaxed, it's assumed he'll also be relaxed about leading the charge.
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Sunday World
12 hours ago
- Sunday World
Anna Daly admits she's in the running to replace Joe Duffy as Liveline host
TALK TO ANNA | The TV and radio presenter admits she's thrown her hat into the Liveline ring, but the broadcaster says there'll never be another Duffy. 'I did, I certainly did,' she replies as to whether she applied for Ireland's most coveted radio gig, after RTÉ's king of chat hung up his mic after 27 years of Liveline at the end of June. 'I'd imagine there's stiff competition going on, but listen, I've a lot of live TV and now radio experience, so why not? 'It's gone through my own agent, and then they put out the expression of interest, so I imagine that cast the net wider again. If people hadn't been in the mix previously, that would have invited more names to come in … it'll be very interesting to see who gets [the job].' Already, the broadcaster is proving a popular stand-in for seasoned presenters including Anton Savage and Andrea Gilligan on Newstalk this summer, having also made the leap from Virgin Media to RTÉ television in recent years fronting shows such as Hospital Live. Anna will be at the Supercar Weekend later this month With Katie Hannon still the bookies' hot favourite for new host of the phone-in show, however, followed by more Montrose heads like Sarah McInerney and Philip Boucher-Hayes, Anna agrees that Duffy's successor has impossible boots to fill. 'There will never be another Joe,' says Anna, who started out in marketing at TV3, as it was then, before getting her big break on the small screen with the channel. 'I've listened to Joe for years and I think he is a genius in terms of how he'll pare something back, and get so much more out of the guests than you would ever anticipate at the start. 'I think he's just brilliant, so the new person, whoever takes over, will [have to] put their stamp on it and it will be a new era. 'I don't think you can try and copy someone's style like that, it doesn't work,' she continues. 'I've been covering Lunchtime Live in Newstalk, and then over the summer, I've been covering for Anton over the weekends … and you can't try and be that person. 'I'm conscious that Anton has a particular style, he has a particular way of doing the show, and I don't want to try and emulate that. You just have to be yourself, I suppose.' Anna will be at the Supercar Weekend later this month Today's News in 90 Seconds - August 21st It's a policy that's thus-far served the Dubliner well, as she pivoted from plugging programmes to presenting them, as well as between commercial and public service broadcasting, from leaving Ireland AM in 2021 through to joining RTÉ's Future Island in 2022, on top of emcee duties, brand ambassadorships and charity work. Yet, even now, Anna, who's a mum to three boys ranging in age from 8 to 14, Rhys, Euan and James, admits the Fear-with-a-capital-F felt by every freelancer is never too far behind. 'You can kind of panic every so often, being a freelancer, especially in Ireland you go, 'there aren't that many opportunities',' explains the 48-year-old, who shared the Ireland and Weekend AM couches with Simon Delaney, Karen Koster and Mark Cagney, among others. 'And maybe it's because I [was] used to 17 years of security, a pensionable job, and a salary guaranteed with Virgin; so it is a different world, and I would often talk to Simon about that, he's a jobbing actor and, like that, he could be in LA living his best life one week, and then spend three months at home waiting for the next casting to come in, and that's when you get a bit panicky, I suppose. Anna filling in on Newstalk 'You can be busy one week and you think everything is great and thriving, and there's not a care in the world, but there's other weeks where it's quiet and you're like, 'Oh God'. I suppose I'm three years now of freelance, so I'm starting to realise not to panic about the quiet periods,' adds Anna, who, on the upside, is now free to go 'wherever the work is', 'which is kind of a novelty still'. 'I was with Virgin for so long that any opportunity that came in I couldn't look at, whereas now I'm like, 'Where do you want me? I'll go anywhere!'' she laughs. All roads currently lead to Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin, where secret revhead Anna, whose first car was a 'good solid' Volkswagen Polo, will be appearing at the Supercar Weekend running from August 30-31, showcasing up to 100 motors ranging from rare vintage models right up to the latest hybrids including a €2m Mercedes 300SL Gullwing. 'I've always been a massive car fan,' she tells. 'I grew up around the auto industry, my dad is in it, my uncles — even on Ireland AM they would have sent me out to do all the Top Gear [type] stuff. 'It's a free event, which is lovely. I would have liked to try the vintage Ferrari, but the way they were parked up for the photocall there was no driving them out … and I wasn't sure if I was going to trust myself!' Read more One track the businesswoman, who wed fellow entrepreneur Ben Ward in Portugal in 2008, definitely won't be going down again, meanwhile, is retail, after recently stepping back from her clothing label, Little Bliss, due to spiralling costs. 'I have a grá for business, but I don't have a grá for business that is not going to have a future,' she puts it plainly. 'The whole idea of setting up a business is to make money, otherwise I'd be down playing padel every day, and it'd be a hobby. 'I'm actually in the process of selling Little Bliss, which is in itself very interesting. I've only recently realised that there's a value in the brand that I built. 'I'll definitely do other things, no doubt about it, [but] I won't do anything in retail because the costs have gone so high that it just doesn't make it commercially viable. 'I can't be arsed launching products that aren't going to contribute to my mortgage repayment, do you know what I mean?' An online following of 64k, in any case, leaves Anna plenty of scope to drum up support for Irish products and places that are close to her heart, with the presenter taking a similarly business-like approach to cutting her losses when it comes to the odd negative comment that comes her way. 'I mean, you'll get the same texts that used to come in to Ireland AM and I foolishly, in the early days, would have read those on a screen looking for critique, and then suddenly someone would say something awful and it changes your morning. 'It's exactly the same now — you'll have 50 lovely messages … and then you'll get one random dickhead who'll say something completely inappropriate. 'One stupid comment from one absolute idiot with an address that's, y'know '12345' or something ridiculous like that, doesn't even have a name nevermind a photograph, is not going to change my day these days. Or an inappropriate picture, for that matter, is not going to have me dropping the phone in shock — it's just: delete, block, delete, block, and move on. 'For the most part, I think it's really helpful for business, if I'm working with Newstalk for example. And I feel like [my] followers have followed me on various journeys over the course of my career in terms of different paths I've taken, and isn't it lovely that they follow you and listen to what you're going to be talking about or where you're going or whatever. 'They don't have to, that's the joy of social media as well — unfollow if it's not for you.'
Irish Independent
12 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Anna Daly admits she's applied to replace Joe Duffy as Liveline host
'I did, I certainly did,' she replies as to whether she applied for Ireland's most coveted radio gig, after RTÉ's king of chat hung up his mic after 27 years of Liveline at the end of June. 'I'd imagine there's stiff competition going on, but listen, I've a lot of live TV and now radio experience, so why not? 'It's gone through my own agent, and then they put out the expression of interest, so I imagine that cast the net wider again. If people hadn't been in the mix previously, that would have invited more names to come in … it'll be very interesting to see who gets [the job].' Already, the broadcaster is proving a popular stand-in for seasoned presenters including Anton Savage and Andrea Gilligan on Newstalk this summer, having also made the leap from Virgin Media to RTÉ television in recent years fronting shows such as Hospital Live. With Katie Hannon still the bookies' hot favourite for new host of the phone-in show, however, followed by more Montrose heads like Sarah McInerney and Philip Boucher-Hayes, Daly agrees that Duffy's successor has impossible boots to fill. 'There will never be another Joe,' says Daly, who started out in marketing at TV3, as it was then, before getting her big break on the small screen with the channel. 'I've listened to Joe for years and I think he is a genius in terms of how he'll pare something back, and get so much more out of the guests than you would ever anticipate at the start. 'I think he's just brilliant, so the new person, whoever takes over, will [have to] put their stamp on it and it will be a new era. 'I don't think you can try and copy someone's style like that, it doesn't work,' she continues. 'I've been covering Lunchtime Live in Newstalk, and then over the summer, I've been covering for Anton over the weekends … and you can't try and be that person. 'I'm conscious that Anton has a particular style, he has a particular way of doing the show, and I don't want to try and emulate that. You just have to be yourself, I suppose.' It's a policy that's thus-far served the Dubliner well, as she pivoted from plugging programmes to presenting them, as well as between commercial and public service broadcasting, from leaving Ireland AM in 2021 through to joining RTÉ's Future Island in 2022, on top of emcee duties, brand ambassadorships and charity work. Yet, even now, Daly, who's a mum to three boys ranging in age from 8 to 14, Rhys, Euan and James, admits the Fear-with-a-capital-F felt by every freelancer is never too far behind. 'You can kind of panic every so often, being a freelancer, especially in Ireland you go, 'there aren't that many opportunities',' explains the 48-year-old, who shared the Ireland and Weekend AM couches with Simon Delaney, Karen Koster and Mark Cagney, among others. 'And maybe it's because I [was] used to 17 years of security, a pensionable job, and a salary guaranteed with Virgin; so it is a different world, and I would often talk to Simon about that, he's a jobbing actor and, like that, he could be in LA living his best life one week, and then spend three months at home waiting for the next casting to come in, and that's when you get a bit panicky, I suppose. 'You can be busy one week and you think everything is great and thriving, and there's not a care in the world, but there's other weeks where it's quiet and you're like, 'Oh God'. I suppose I'm three years now of freelance, so I'm starting to realise not to panic about the quiet periods,' adds Daly, who, on the upside, is now free to go 'wherever the work is', 'which is kind of a novelty still'. 'I was with Virgin for so long that any opportunity that came in I couldn't look at, whereas now I'm like, 'Where do you want me? I'll go anywhere!'' she laughs. All roads currently lead to Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin, where secret revhead Anna, whose first car was a 'good solid' Volkswagen Polo, will be appearing at the Supercar Weekend running from August 30-31, showcasing up to 100 motors ranging from rare vintage models right up to the latest hybrids including a €2m Mercedes 300SL Gullwing. 'I've always been a massive car fan,' she tells. 'I grew up around the auto industry, my dad is in it, my uncles — even on Ireland AM they would have sent me out to do all the Top Gear [type] stuff. 'It's a free event, which is lovely. I would have liked to try the vintage Ferrari, but the way they were parked up for the photocall there was no driving them out … and I wasn't sure if I was going to trust myself!' One track the businesswoman, who wed fellow entrepreneur Ben Ward in Portugal in 2008, definitely won't be going down again, meanwhile, is retail, after recently stepping back from her clothing label, Little Bliss, due to spiralling costs. 'I have a grá for business, but I don't have a grá for business that is not going to have a future,' she puts it plainly. 'The whole idea of setting up a business is to make money, otherwise I'd be down playing padel every day, and it'd be a hobby. 'I'm actually in the process of selling Little Bliss, which is in itself very interesting. I've only recently realised that there's a value in the brand that I built. 'I'll definitely do other things, no doubt about it, [but] I won't do anything in retail because the costs have gone so high that it just doesn't make it commercially viable. 'I can't be arsed launching products that aren't going to contribute to my mortgage repayment, do you know what I mean?' An online following of 64k, in any case, leaves Anna plenty of scope to drum up support for Irish products and places that are close to her heart, with the presenter taking a similarly business-like approach to cutting her losses when it comes to the odd negative comment that comes her way. 'I mean, you'll get the same texts that used to come in to Ireland AM and I foolishly, in the early days, would have read those on a screen looking for critique, and then suddenly someone would say something awful and it changes your morning. 'It's exactly the same now — you'll have 50 lovely messages … and then you'll get one random d***head who'll say something completely inappropriate. 'One stupid comment from one absolute idiot with an address that's, y'know '12345' or something ridiculous like that, doesn't even have a name nevermind a photograph, is not going to change my day these days. Or an inappropriate picture, for that matter, is not going to have me dropping the phone in shock — it's just: delete, block, delete, block, and move on. 'For the most part, I think it's really helpful for business, if I'm working with Newstalk for example. And I feel like [my] followers have followed me on various journeys over the course of my career in terms of different paths I've taken, and isn't it lovely that they follow you and listen to what you're going to be talking about or where you're going or whatever. 'They don't have to, that's the joy of social media as well — unfollow if it's not for you.'
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Carl Mullan on being a Rose of Tralee escort: ‘I swear to god it was the hardest work I have ever done'
Kicking off at 8pm this evening on RTÉ 1, 32 Roses and escorts will take the stage at MTU's Sports Academy in Kerry for this year's Rose of Tralee . The variety show/beauty pageant/lovely girl competition's first selection night will see 18 roses performing, followed by another 17 taking to the stage tomorrow night. Both the winning rose and the winning escort will be announced at the end of tomorrow night's broadcast. [ Rose of Tralee judge Dr Clare Kambamettu: A 'tiny but loud minority' drives racism in Ireland Opens in new window ] Radio and social media star Carl Mullan, who will perform the role of Master of Ceremonies at the 2025 Rose of Tralee Festival, says being an escort in the 2016 iteration was 'the hardest work I have ever done'. READ MORE 'I remember you'd get to bed at 2 o'clock in the morning having just been fulfilling your escort duties and then you would be up at 7 o'clock in the morning', the 2fm host says. 'Everyone thinks you are off having the craic in town – but I remember thinking: 'Where is the time for this? There is none!'" Mullan acted as an escort for both the 2016 Donegal Rose and the Scotland Rose, as that year the organisers hosted 65 roses from each Rose Centre rather than the customary 32 which rotate among Rose Centres. 'I used to work on the Nikki and Jenny show on 2fm as a reporter and we did a segment called Crash Test Dummy. 'I used to do all kinds of everything. I ate the world's hottest chicken wings, I did a downhill ice-skating event, I did a downhill mountain-biking race. I would throw my hat into anything and as a joke one year it came up in conversation: 'You should try and apply to be a Rose escort and see how far you get.' 'I went as an escort/reporter in 2016, but listen, I was a fully fledged escort. Let me tell you everyone thinks that those lads are down here for a jolly and that they are doing nothing. I did it once, never again. It was way too much work than I was able for. I was exhausted after dealing with it.' [ 'I had cancer but was sent home with paracetamol': The 2025 Roses on their health histories Opens in new window ] However, in spite of his hard work, the presenter looks back on his time as an escort fondly: 'It was lovely getting to know all the people and seeing the inner workings of the Rose of Tralee. I only knew it as a TV show but actually coming down and realising it is a festival and that there is such a community element to it; the parades and seeing the joy that it brings to people, was amazing.' 'I think we should always make space for something like that' Mullan says. Like the Sistine Chapel Hailing from San Francisco, Leo McFadden is thoroughly enjoying his experience as an escort. 'It's incredibly hard to describe [being an escort] without experiencing it. It's like going to a major historical site like the Sistine Chapel: you walk in to the room. You can't really describe the feeling but when you go in there it is incredible. 'It is something that hits you in a way that you can't experience without doing it. 'That's the best way I can describe it honestly,' says the security contractor. Leo McFadden the 2025 escort of the Queensland Rose Mr McFadden was inspired by his sister who was the 2023 San Francisco Rose, saying 'seeing it from a third-person view was absolutely incredible'. In terms of how he views the role of escort, Mr McFadden says: 'If the roses are the flowers, I think we [the escorts] are the stem. 'We do what we can to support them so they can flourish, and each rose is unique. Each escort has to have a unique approach to do that, but it's an absolutely once-in-a-lifetime experience. I wouldn't trade it for the world.' Also from California is Seamus Ruiz-Earle, a venture capitalist and the escort to the 2025 Luxembourg Rose. Mr Ruiz-Earle says he stumbled on the festival 'out of the blue' while visiting family in Kildare in August last year. He looked up what was happening in Ireland during that month and came across the Rose of Tralee. 'The more I did research, the more I wanted to be involved and being an escort seems like the best possible way to do that,' the CEO says. Seamus Ruiz Earle, escort of the 2025 Luxembourg Rose In terms of trying to describe the festival to American friends, Mr Ruiz-Earle says: 'No one understands. From an American perspective, there isn't anything like it.' However, the appeal of being an escort for Forbes 30 under 30 tech alum is in making connections with Irish people his own age, rather than just family members. 'I come back two or three times a year to visit family but I've never had friends in the country.' 'The opportunity to call each of the 32 lads, and now the 32 Roses friends, is really something that I look forward to.' He says he is also excited to be 'able to shoot a message into a group chat and go out and have a great time when I'm back in the country and make even more memories'. With so many young men keen to apply to be escorts, would there ever be an argument for a gender-flipped Rose of Tralee? Mullan says that such a competition would 'probably a lot less inspiring'. 'But listen maybe they should give it a go. I can guarantee I would not be applying to take part in that myself.'
