Radio review: Plodding Jack Chambers makes Paschal Donohoe sound like an unhinged Donald TrumpRadio review: With robust public finances allowing Ministers a Teflon complacency, the fireworks of old are missing from the post-budget airwavesFri Oct 04 2024 - 05:00
Listening to Seán Moncrieff would chip away at your national prideRadio: There are a few queasy moments in what turns out to be an oddly digestible smorgasbord from the Newstalk hostFri Sept 27 2024 - 05:00
Radio review: Oliver Callan 'insults everybody equally' as his rapid-fire jokes fall flatRadio: RTÉ Radio 1 host sounds like neither the satirical impressionist he is nor the chatshow host he has become. Instead he resembles a stand-up comic flailing around for quick laughsFri Sept 20 2024 - 05:40
Radio review: Ray D’Arcy reveals sharp political eye and skewers Government on €13bn Apple caseRadio: RTÉ Radio 1 surely captures the public mood of irritated bewilderment that the Apple windfall should be anything other than good newsFri Sept 13 2024 - 05:00
Manchán Magan on living with cancer: ‘Death is something I’ve always been very comfortable with’The presenter and self-described ‘oddball loner’ is bursting with energy despite his ‘more serious than normal’ prostate cancerSun Sept 08 2024 - 06:00
Sickening but essential listening as victims tell radio shows about sexual abuse at religious-run schools Radio: The Hard Shoulder and Liveline hear harrowing stories from former pupils while the Leinster House bike shed continues to exercise listenersFri Sept 06 2024 - 05:58
Andrea Gilligan listens intently but is powerless to help parents dogged by back-to-school guiltRadio: On Newstalk, Andrea Gilligan moves easily from light to shade, imbuing her folksy style with compassion and honestyFri Aug 30 2024 - 05:00
‘If I’m intimidated, that’s a problem’: Fireworks fly as Joe Duffy hears tales of teenage delinquencyRadio: Liveline callers paint a grim portrait of urban dystopia, while Nell McCafferty’s legacy is vividly remembered across the airwavesFri Aug 23 2024 - 05:00
Radio review: Newstalk’s Ciara Kelly left floundering as cohost Shane Coleman sidesteps Olympics dutyRadio: Ciara Kelly and Shane Coleman host awkward chats and gratuitous squabbles as Fiachna Ó Braonáin signs off with feelingFri Aug 02 2024 - 05:00
Radio review: Flustered Eamon Ryan and harried Pearse Doherty grilled by Drivetime’s forbidding interrogatorsRadio: RTÉ Drivetime hosts Sarah McInerney and Cormac Ó hEadhra give their current-affairs magazine zip and snapFri Jul 26 2024 - 05:00
Radio review: Pat Kenny keeps his cool as spluttering reporter is doused in pepper spray at anti-immigration protestRadio: Henry McKean’s raw account of ‘really ugly scenes’ in Coolock captures how quickly an anti-immigration protest descends into chaosFri Jul 19 2024 - 05:00
Rory Gallagher guitar auction causes Liveline listeners to cry blasphemyKatie Hannon deftly oversees a lively discussion that would surely cause the famously low-key Irish rock star to blushFri Jul 12 2024 - 05:00
Oliver Callan swaps the laughs for a harrowing tale with a powerful messageRadio review: Comic-turned-presenter shows his serious side during powerful interview with rape survivor Bláthnaid RaleighFri Jul 05 2024 - 05:00
Claire Byrne shows you don’t have to spice things up to have some biteRTÉ host’s low-key approach is quietly effective, while Kieran Cuddihy is left speechless by Gazan horrorsFri Jun 28 2024 - 05:00
Joe Duffy’s Liveline conversation seems designed to play on men’s worst fearsRadio: If the Liveline conversation seems designed to play on men’s worst fears, it ultimately eschews sensationalism in favour of salutary adviceFri Jun 14 2024 - 05:00
Claire Byrne and Mary Lou McDonald come unexpectedly close to a shouting matchRadio 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 indignationFri Jun 07 2024 - 05:00
Kieran Cuddihy is far better at landing punches than punchlines, which is bad news for Stephen Donnelly Radio: Newstalk presenter mercifully ditches the flat gags, subjecting the Minister for Health to an onslaughtFri May 31 2024 - 05:00
First Doireann Garrihy, now the 2 Johnnies and Jennifer Zamparelli: why are so many stars leaving 2FM?Radio: If losing one big-name broadcaster from RTÉ’s second station can be regarded as misfortune and two as carelessness, what does four count as?Fri May 24 2024 - 05:30
Grumpy boomer bingo: Cliches abound as Pat Kenny plays to stereotypeRadio review: Unfortunately, the Newstalk host stops short of mentioning ‘snowflakes’, so denying listeners a full houseFri May 17 2024 - 05:00
No news is bad news: Morning Ireland proves daunting but necessaryRadio: Radio 1 flagship dutifully covers the RTÉ crisis as Colm Ó Mongáin and Oliver Callan give cause for optimismFri May 10 2024 - 05:00
Brendan O’Connor brings his contrary streak to a cosy conversation about immigration Radio: Even at his most factually minded, the RTÉ presenter can’t resist his mischievous sideFri May 03 2024 - 05:00
Joe Duffy’s snap judgment on Simon Harris’s Stardust apology somehow captures the wider moodRadio review: the Liveline host’s snap judgment on Simon Harris’s State apology somehow captures the wider moodFri Apr 26 2024 - 05:00
Wake-up call on Newstalk Breakfast as inflammatory language on immigration goes mainstreamRadio: Shane Coleman and Ciara Kelly run the gamut from children’s sleepovers to John McGuirk’s bellicose languageFri Apr 19 2024 - 05:00
A sense of foreboding descends on Liveline. Then Joe Duffy takes an unexpected turnRadio: Talk of saints and babies has the RTÉ broadcaster in flighty mood. Over on Today FM, Matt Cooper has the better showFri Apr 12 2024 - 05:00
The 2 Johnnies might act like jokers, but they’re laughing all the way to the bankRadio: 2FM’s drivetime duo, who turn raucous rural references into ratings, know their listeners – and the value of their brandFri Apr 05 2024 - 05:00
Newstalk host Kieran Cuddihy isn’t easily silenced, even when his mouth is fullRadio: Newstalk host tucks into burgers while taking on bigger issues, as Ray D’Arcy earns dad rock cachetFri Mar 29 2024 - 05:00
A rogue Ivan Yates returns to the airwaves and takes aim at Leo VaradkarThe former Fine Gael minister displays little loyalty for his old party during his snap analysis of Leo Varadkar’s shock resignation as TaoiseachFri Mar 22 2024 - 05:00
Claire Byrne’s question about happiness seems particularly pertinent right nowRadio: Today with Claire Byrne, Drivetime and Liveline all hear why so many people voted against the Government’s proposed changes to the ConstitutionFri Mar 15 2024 - 05:00
Barely a month into his talkshow, Oliver Callan’s nearly asleep at the wheelThe presenter’s RTÉ Radio 1 morning show is beginning to follow a definite pattern, though at this early stage it’s hard to say if it’s a groove or a rutFri Mar 08 2024 - 05:00
Pat Kenny goes from dropping clangers to a raw conversation about a distressing subjectRadio: The Newstalk host draws out detail rather than showily sympathising when he speaks to Mary about her experience of reporting historical abuseFri Mar 01 2024 - 05:00
‘We’re so middle class’: Ciara Kelly and Shane Coleman don’t hide their familiarity with bourgie lifestyle clichesRadio review: In being themselves, the Newstalk Breakfast hosts leave a distinctive stamp on their morning showFri Feb 23 2024 - 05:30
Sarah McInerney’s lethally loaded question leaves her guest flummoxed for an answerRadio review: Drivetime host’s approach is tested by Gazan horrors, while Stephen Rea is a sinister presence on Drama On OneFri Feb 16 2024 - 05:00
Feeling unwanted by RTÉ, Joe Duffy shows his value with a heartbreaking programmeRadio: When on form he is unparalleled at drawing out personal stories that illuminate wider truthFri Feb 09 2024 - 06:01
Oliver Callan doesn’t sound totally at home with lifestyle-oriented conversations that have traditionally filled 9am slotRadio: 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’Fri Feb 02 2024 - 07:33
Oliver Callan’s first day on his new RTÉ Radio 1 show: Presenter will need to do more to make a big impressionRadio: Despite occasional barbs, the impressionist turned presenter plays it safe as he begins his new programme in Ryan Tubridy’s old slotMon Jan 29 2024 - 12:56
Newstalk’s Kieran Cuddihy is on top form but not everything that comes out of his mouth is palatableRadio: ‘If I was walking the dog, no one around, I’d hock up a big spit and fire it into the air,’ he announcesFri Jan 26 2024 - 05:55
Oliver Callan: ‘Accidental presenter’ now fulltime in Ryan Tubridy’s old slot needs to reinvent showAs he takes over the RTÉ Radio 1 morning show the comedian and mimic faces new challenges as a chat show hostSun Jan 21 2024 - 14:29
Stark differences between Seán Moncrieff and Pat Kenny in tackling immigration debate When it comes to immigration and the Irish, it’s the same old storyFri Jan 19 2024 - 05:00
‘It’s the talk of the country’: Joe Duffy aims at radio rivals’ cash cowRadio: There’s a frisson of payback as Liveline host’s concerns about Bauer Media’s Cash Machine game are shared by the Drivetime teamFri Jan 12 2024 - 05:00
Marty Morrissey’s flamboyant good cheer provides an unexpected highlight of the weekRadio: RTÉ presenter’s idiosyncratic broadcasting persona is imbued with a quirky sincerity, as well as a welcome bonhomieFri Jan 05 2024 - 05:00
Ryan Tubridy’s new radio show review: Buttery charm, frothy good humour and A-list interviews on Virgin Radio UK debutRadio review: While the midmorning show represents a fresh start for the former RTÉ presenter, his shtick remains largely the sameTue Jan 02 2024 - 16:23
2023 in radio: Tubridy fallout lingers over RTÉ as rival stations look like safer optionsRadio 1 and 2FM are shaken but still standing after the Montrose payments scandal as Pat Kenny’s strong Newstalk performance symbolises changed landscapeSat Dec 23 2023 - 05:15
‘When people keep getting away with arson, they’ll keep doing it’Radio: Anti-immigrant attitudes worry Hard Shoulder host, while his Newstalk colleague is wary of seasonal speedbumpsFri Dec 22 2023 - 05:00
When Ray D’Arcy tackles knotty topics, he comes into his ownRadio: D’Arcy’s spikily affable yet naturally inquiring persona make him a versatile broadcaster, but his talents can seem underutilisedFri Dec 15 2023 - 05:00
Newstalk Breakfast duo preside over fractious debate as Shane MacGowan’s widow shares fond memories on RTÉ Radio review: Fault lines trump fairy tales as Newstalk Breakfast duo do their own thingFri Dec 08 2023 - 05:00
Shane MacGowan: From céilí-punk rebel to feted genius, addict to national institution Despite the many medical challenges of his final years, he retained an admirably cussed streak to the endFri Dec 01 2023 - 06:00
Ian Dempsey and Dave Moore lay on a welcome five hours away from the woes of the worldRadio: Today FM morning hosts’ shows segue seamlessly into each other as Moore shows there’s plenty of life in him now that he has left the Dermot & Dave double act behindFri Dec 01 2023 - 05:00
Inquisitor general or Inspector Gadget? Matt Cooper finds his fun sideRadio: Today FM host is unconvincing as a tech goods showman, while Sean Moncrieff can’t stay serious for too longFri Nov 24 2023 - 05:00
Claire Byrne and Joe Duffy assiduously avoid talking about the salary capClaire Byrne seems blindsided by leaked news of Kevin Bakhurst’s ‘strategic vision’Fri Nov 17 2023 - 05:00
An incredulous Pat Kenny keeps his cool at Israeli ambassador’s ‘hollow-sounding’ concern for PalestiniansRadio: The Newstalk host is perplexed by the diplomat’s unbending stance on a conflict that also dominates RTÉ Radio 1′s DrivetimeFri Nov 10 2023 - 05:15
