Gay Byrne: how he broke taboos and shook up nservative – and liberal – Ireland – The Irish Tim

Contents:

• GAY BYRNE'S FT MOMENTS ON THE LATE LATE SHOW
• GAY BYRNE
• GAY BYRNE: HIS TOP 10 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS ON AIR
• HOW GAY BYRNE MA THE LATE LATE TOY SHOW AN 'ACCINTAL H'
• GAY BYRNE, TV STAR WHO 'CHALLENGED IRISH SOCIETY', DI AGED 85
• THE WOMEN BEHD GAY BYRNE’S SUCCS: WHO THEY WERE AND WHAT THEY DID
• GAY BYRNE'S DGHTERS REMEMBER WHEN HE 'MORTIFIED' THEM
• GAY BYRNE: HOW HE BROKE TABOOS AND SHOOK UP NSERVATIVE – AND LIBERAL – IRELAND

GAY BYRNE'S FT MOMENTS ON THE LATE LATE SHOW

Gay Byrne (1934-2019) a rad and televisn broadster was born Dubl and he joed Rad Éireann 1958. From 1973 to 1998, he prented 'The Gay Byrne Hour' on Rad 1. In a televisn and rad reer spanng almost 60 years, Gay Byrne had plenty of memorable moments to choose om - we've whtled them down to 10 no particular orr.

When Gaybo asked Richard what lour nightie his wife wore on honeymoon, Richard said was transparent, while his new wife said she uldn’t remember; perhaps she’d not worn any at all. In the weeks after her ath, hundreds of Irish women wrote to Gay Byrne outlg the vastatg impact of their own secret pregnanci, some of which were a rult of sexual abe, ct or rape. Gay broadst the letters to a stunned natn on his morng rad show on Rad One, markg the start of a new nversatn about teenage pregnancy which ultimately helped dispel the stigma and shame3.

GAY BYRNE

When she told Gay Byrne who her Sweetie really was, the natn was agog and Hghey went to hidg om the media as a rult. Hghey never spoke to Terry Keane Keane talks to Gay Byrne on The Late Late ronan lang8.

Gaybo told Casey’s former lover: ‘If your son is half as good a man as is his father, he won’t be dog too bad.

Stephen FryLong after his years on the Late Late Show, Gay Byrne uld still draw lns of viewers. While beg terviewed on The Meang of Life, Gay asked Fry what he would say to God if he had a chance.

GAY BYRNE: HIS TOP 10 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS ON AIR

They reflect an Ireland stgglg to emerge om the post-pennce social and enomic doldms, where the Catholic Church led and there appeared to be a natnal obssn wh was perhaps bt summed up by the lourful Fe Gael polician Oliver J Flanagan who, wh a ser face, told Gay Byrne there was no sex Ireland until televisn me 1966, when the most famo ntroversy of the show’s long n, relatg to what beme known as “the Bishop and the Nightie”, beme a natnal talkg pot, the show had ceased to be the light summer filler planned when was lnched Byrne, then 43, pere of The Late Late show sce 1962, photographed 1979 at RTÉ. Photograph: RTE Stills Library Fola Doyle O’Neill, her book, The Gaybo Revolutn, How Gay Byrne Challenged Irish Society, revealed the then Archbishop of Dubl, Dr John Charl McQuaid, add his weight to the cricism when he wrote privately to the then RTÉ director general Kev McCourt. In the early years, the clud the well-known theatre figure Michael Mac Liammóir, who was volved at the time an openly gay relatnship wh lleague Hilton Edwards.

HOW GAY BYRNE MA THE LATE LATE TOY SHOW AN 'ACCINTAL H'

“It would appear that Gay Byrne do not show much ncern for future parents and lears of our untry, ’’ wrote an angry Byrne hostg The Late Late Show 1986. It was said there was no sex Ireland until the The Late Late Show, and for that a natn owed thanks to Gay Byrne.

Generatns grew up watchg the host of RTÉ’s long-nng chatshow blend light entertament wh current affairs and taboo-shatterg moments, a cultural renzvo that domated Friday night viewg and praged a new Gay Byrne era officially end on Monday when he died at home Dubl, surround by fay, aged 85.

”Ireland had braced for the ath of Uncle Gaybo, as many lled him, sce he revealed he had prostate ncer hosted The Late Late Show om 1962 to 1999, one of the world’s longt chatshow ns, as well as a rad show and other gigs such as the Rose of Byrne 1962. “Gay brought two unique gifts. Most importantly Gay was a listener.

GAY BYRNE, TV STAR WHO 'CHALLENGED IRISH SOCIETY', DI AGED 85

Was there an army of women Gay Byrne’s rner? Any further e of this image mt be re-negotiated separately wh RTÉ Mra ConnollyGay Byrne’s special assistant and programme executive 1968-1999Mra Connolly worked wh Gay Byrne for more than 30 years, a role enpassg rearcher, artist liaison, stage manager, dience warm-up, troublhooter.

“Gay would always, verg an em, give a cred on air to the producer who rearched , mentng Pan or Mary or Colman. Money rolled towards the surgery (cludg quiz entrants sendg a £1 each; “we lled him the ln dollar kid”, and the remag money started the Gay Byrne Show Fund). I had to sell to Gay, and eventually he went for .

THE WOMEN BEHD GAY BYRNE’S SUCCS: WHO THEY WERE AND WHAT THEY DID

Audrey Hepburn was another he got ill, “Gay said I don’t want to talk about .

GAY BYRNE'S DGHTERS REMEMBER WHEN HE 'MORTIFIED' THEM

They were a tower of strength to Gay. In a highly creative environment, tempers n go, but Gay was not that sort of person.

GAY BYRNE: HOW HE BROKE TABOOS AND SHOOK UP NSERVATIVE – AND LIBERAL – IRELAND

”Gay Byrne prentg his fal Late Late 1999. Eventually Sbhán sat down and I shed on to the set shoutg to you, ‘Gay quick! Photograph: RTÉ Stills Library Colette FarmerProductn assistant, later director, of the Late Late Show, between 1964 and 1999Gay Byrne’s regular ll-out on the Late Late, “Roll there Colette”, beme a tchphrase and passed to Irish idm.