Gay Byrne obuary | Televisn & rad | The Guardian

Contents:

• GAY BYRNE WAS ‘DOG HIS JOB’ DURG NTROVERSIAL LATE LATE SHOW TERVIEW, EX BISHOP CASEY FLAME ANNIE MURPHY SAYS
• GAY BYRNE: IN HIS OWN WORDS
• GAY BYRNE, TV STAR WHO 'CHALLENGED IRISH SOCIETY', DI AGED 85
• GAY BYRNE'S MOST MEMORABLE LATE LATE SHOW MOMENTS
• GAY BYRNE: HIS TOP 10 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS ON AIR
• GAY BYRNE WAS A LOYAL, IF QUTNG CATHOLIC ALL HIS LIFE
• GAY BYRNE: THE GREATT SHOWMAN
• GAY BYRNE OBUARY
• GAY BYRNE OBUARY: THE MATRO OF IRISH BROADSTG
• IT STARTED ON THE LATE LATE SHOW: GAYBO'S MOST NTROVERSIAL MOMENTS
• GAY BYRNE, WHO TACKLED TABOOS AS IRELAND’S TV HOST, DI AT 85
• LARISSA NOLAN: MURPHY MISJUDGMENT ASI, GAY BYRNE GAVE WHAT WE WANT
• THE LIFE AND TIM OF LEGENDARY LATE LATE SHOW PRENTER GAY BYRNE WHO HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 85IN HIS 85 YEARS HE SWEPT OM A MOST BEGNG TO FAMY, WHILE MANAGG TO REMA LOVED AND ADMIREDDUBLLIVEBOOKMARKSHARENEWSBYJILLY BEATTIE18:08, 4 NOV 2019UPDATED15:39, 5 NOV 2019BOOKMARKVIO LOADGVIO UNAVAILABLECLICK TO PLAYTAP TO PLAYTHE VIO WILL TO-PLAY SOON8CANCELPLAY NOWNEVER MISS A BEAT OM DUBL AND BEYOND BY SIGNG UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTERMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 NEVER MISS A BEAT OM DUBL AND BEYOND BY SIGNG UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTERINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!

GAY BYRNE WAS ‘DOG HIS JOB’ DURG NTROVERSIAL LATE LATE SHOW TERVIEW, EX BISHOP CASEY FLAME ANNIE MURPHY SAYS

THE FORMER lover of Bishop Casey, Annie Murphy has said that Gay Byrne was "jt dog his job" durg her ntroversial Late Late Show terview. But Gaybo's fence, late newspaper edor Pl Dry said "All Gay had been dog was reflectg the mood of the Irish people - most of whom, back then, still had an enormo rpect and affectn for Dr Casey. At the time, Byrne was cricised by some for his handlg of the terview, but Murphy has said she believ that Gay had a right to say what he said.

GAY BYRNE: IN HIS OWN WORDS

"But [Gay] did his job, what he felt she should do and I jt said I'm gog to leave bee there is no more sense hangg around.

It was poor polil judgment on his part sofar as the imprsn given by the anti-Byrne falange was that Gay Byrne, this awful ogre... " – In terview wh Róisín Ingle for her Irish Tim Róisín Meets podst, Febary 2015 On cricism of his show "There were special unty uncil meetgs lled together to discs The Late Late Show and Gay Byrne.

You mt remember, that I lived through people walkg out of the dience of The Late Late Show bee we were discsg the possibily of crimalisg homosexualy.

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

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. ChairgateSiubhan Maloney and Gay on the Late Late wh the chair that would end up at the centre of a urt seThe Sunday World was at the centre of one of the most memorable moments the Late Late's history.

Gay's terview wh Annie MurphyGay Byrne terviews Annie MurphyOne of Gay's most memorable terviews was wh Annie Murphy - and not always for the right reasons. Followg a sometim terse terview, Gay wrapped by sayg: "If your son is half as good a man as his father, he won't be dog too badly. Bishop and the NightieIt seems amg now, but way back 1966 Ireland was a very different place, and a lighthearted quiz end up sndalisg the natn and beg nmned om the started as a fun em where Gay picked a married uple om the dience and asked them qutns about each other out of earshot.

Marian Fune the host's chairMarian Fune tak to the host’s chairMarian Fune and Gay ma women across the untry cheer when she appeared on the Late Late an em on women the media, the two discsed a report given to the RTE Authory which said she would never get to host the show. Gay stood up and gave her his seat, promptg gut Nell McCafferty to dramatilly clare: "At last, ee at last, thank God we're ee at last.

GAY BYRNE'S MOST MEMORABLE LATE LATE SHOW MOMENTS

Gay shows Ireland how to e a ndomGay shows Ireland how to e a ndomIn 1987, durg an em on the AIDs crisis and durg a lively bate wh panellists and the dience about the safe e of ndoms, Gay showed one to the natn. People fallg a swoon all over Ireland at the moment, lookg at that, " said Gay, as only Gay uld, as he took the ndom out of s then lked to an animated screen monstratn of their e by sayg: "If you pardon the exprsn, Roisín, would you roll there please?

GAY BYRNE: HIS TOP 10 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS ON AIR

Boyzone's First AppearanceBoyzone's first appearance on The Late Late ShowThey swore to Gay that they were gog to bee Ireland's answer to Take That - but the newly-formed Boyzone were a ltle green around the gills when they ma their very first Late Late Show appearance and bted some mov to a backg track, one bare-chted and dungare, to the bemement of the host and the dience.

"They've no talent whatsoever, they don't wre mic and they don't play stments, " said a disapprovg and unimprsed Gaybo. U2 ri to stud on a HarleyGenero goodbye: U2 ontman Bono givg Gay a prent of a Harley Davidson durg his last Late Late Show 1999Gay's last show was always gog to be a dramatic and emotnal one, but Bono and Larry Mullen ro to the stud on a Harley Davidson - a surprise gift for the host. One of the great ironi about Gay Byrne is that, while so many believe he was the wedge which opened a narrow, sular Ireland to the wir world, he himself remaed the boy shaped by a very tradnal Irish Catholic was a creatn of those two immovable forc which shaped so many succsful Irish men the mid- to late-20th century – mother and Carroll, his mother, was om Bray, Co Wicklow, and married his father Edward 1917 while the latter was home on leave om fightg the Brish army durg the first World War.

GAY BYRNE WAS A LOYAL, IF QUTNG CATHOLIC ALL HIS LIFE

The day after her appearance on the Late Late Show, Annie Murphy attend a prs nference Dubl and rpond to cricism of her treatment on the show by host Gay Byrne and dience members.

She agreed wh a suggtn ma by Gay Byrne that her son would be alright if he turned out to be half the man Bishop Casey is and fend her somewhat abpt ex om the show. Annie Murphy, mother of Peter who was fathered by Eamonn Casey, spoke to Gay Byrne on the Late Late Show about her affair wh the then Bishop of Kerry. Gay Byrne prented his fal Late Late Show on 21 May 1999, and was replaced by Pat Kenny who hosted the show for ten years.

It would be fair to say that when Gay Byrne began hostg The Late Late Show, Ireland wasn't jt black and whe terms of s televisn verage. Gay Byrne wasn't que the social csar some have labelled him, but he knew a good story when he heard , and wasn't aaid to ph thgs a ltle. Gaybo knew that some people need to be prodd and provoked, while others would open up after a few words of fort or a pliment.

GAY BYRNE: THE GREATT SHOWMAN

When Annie Murphy, at the centre of a sndal when she ma public that she'd given birth to a son whose father was Eamon Casey, the then Bishop of Galway, appeared on the show, Gay seemed to si wh Casey, who had clearly taken advantage of a vulnerable young woman.

”Born Dubl, Gay (Gabriel) was the youngt of the four sons and one dghter of Edward Byrne and his wife Annie (nee Carroll). It's om an famo Late Late Show of April 1993 when Casey's former lover Annie Murphy was subjected to a relentls Spanish Inquisn by the stud dience and the host, Gay Byrne. Attemptg to close a harsh terrogatn on a fluffy note, Gaybo put to his wearied gut: "If your son is half as good a man as is his father, he won't be dog too bad.

GAY BYRNE OBUARY

""I'm not so bad eher, Mr Byrne, " she untered wh an icy glare, before walkg off the 's the b everyone remembers, but mut earlier there was another exchange which revealed even more about where Catholic Ireland's head was at as the secular world threatened to swallow Murphy at home a trailer park Riversi, CaliforniaAs her Late Late oral ground on, Murphy had been acced of spng a web of mistths by iends and supporters of the popular Bishop Casey, a fun-lovg Flash Harry who was the livg embodiment of a people long-tranged mother of his adult son Peter me across as anythg but a people person, and towards the end of a mostly hostile cross-examatn by Gay and the dience, she had bee unrstandably surly. Lettg his duty to play Devil's Advote get the better of his obligatns as morator, Gay rpond: "He would say he was dog that, Murphy, bee he didn't have fah your pacy to look after the child.

"It was an credible thg to even thk of askg, given that almost a year earlier, after the sndal first broke May 1992, Casey had admted that Peter was his son, together wh the fact that he'd siphoned off some $100, 000 of church funds to pay for Peter's upkeep and tth was that Gaybo - followg his famed tun for tappg to the mood of his dience - was reflectg a nservative Catholic Middle Ireland crisis and ep Murphy wh her partner artist Thad HechonThe early 1990s were an -between time. Dpe the vigoro and often shrill protts of Youth Defence, the Society For The Protectn Of Unborn Children (SPUC) and the short-lived Christian Prcipl Party, new acts crimalisg homosexualy and liberalisg ndom sal would pass to law durg Murphy's time the ltle victori for the tradnalists beme ever smaller. Stills: The Irish Tim/ As creded Gay Byrne Born: Augt 5th, 1934 Died: November 4th, 2019Gay Byrne, who has died at the age of 85, was the undisputed leadg figure the history of Irish broadstg, and played a hugely fluential role the transformatn of attus the latter part of the 20th a reer that spanned six s, he was father figure, nfsor, quisor and entertaer, all rolled to one.

Both parents were om Co Wicklow, his father om Kildry (where Gay Byrne’s grandfather was achman to the Earl of Meath) and his mother om Bray. She was termed that her children would better themselv and sent Gay to sendary regular e om Guns’s ma the fay more fortunate than many others.

GAY BYRNE OBUARY: THE MATRO OF IRISH BROADSTG

Mr Moynihan was so pleased wh young Gay Byrne’s performance that he gave him a threepenny those the stud thought of the boy who, the future, would revolutnise Irish broadstg, remas unknown. She had promised to go to Mass and Communn every day if her hband me back safely om the first World War – they had married Belfast 1917 – which he daily Mass-gog eventually chafed wh the young Gay Byrne and at the age of 14 or 15 he had a ser row wh his mother durg which he said some extremely solent thgs to her.

By the time the uple fally married Saggart Parish Church 1964, their weddg was a celebry event, wh a crowd of more than a thoand gatherg the Dubl village to tch a glimpse of the newlyweds, who need a Garda rt to get to their a broadster, Gay Byrne, or Gaybo, as he me to be known, saw his populary as fickle and as somethg that uld disappear at the whim of the dience. The girls who flocked to the ballrooms uld, if they beme pregnant, fd themselv shut to a mother and baby home for up to two years, spendg their time scbbg floors and workg the kchens, their nam changed, their right to munite wh the outsi world cut off, their babi taken om them to be sent to Ameri on a few hours’ Gay Byrne – who was very well aware of the existence of that other Ireland – chipped away and away at , lethally on The Late Late Show, brgg on, for stance, guts who champned the right of unmarried mothers and their babi to be treated cently by the the old Ireland stepped – and had plenty of reprentativ RTÉ, polics and the civil service – to sist that The Late Late Show stick to “safe” entertament, the story of Gay Byrne would probably be of ltle tert to today.

Neverthels, his survival was a remarkable achievement for the boy who got a ser beatg over givg cheek to his mother bee he didn’t want to go to great ntradictn of Gay Byrne, of urse, was that so many of his views he was nservative, though he did so much to unrme the very nservative approach which had characterised Irish life well to the 1960sHe did make one apology which he regretted was the Bishop and the Nightie affair, when he asked a woman the dience what she had worn on her weddg night. But he didn’t feel good about and he cid he would never aga apologise when he had done nothg enough, he was probably the only one who remembered years later that he had apologised: all the public remembered was that a bishop had ma a fool of himself over a harmls joke by a woman about her weddg Gay Byrne Show, the rad programme which brought him to the natn’s kchens every weekday morng, started 1972 and ran until 1998. They ntaed the prevly untold, heartrendg experienc of many women Ireland at the great ntradictn of Gay Byrne, of urse, was that so many of his views he was nservative, though he did so much to unrme the very nservative approach which had characterised Irish life well to the took the view, for stance, that the untry was gog to the dogs enomilly and that State spendg was too high.

IT STARTED ON THE LATE LATE SHOW: GAYBO'S MOST NTROVERSIAL MOMENTS

”This renred the loss of his money the Rsell Murphy affair all the more shockg – when emerged after Murphy’s ath 1984 that the acuntant had taken all the money which he had managed on Gay Byrne’s behalf and had left him bt. Worse, Murphy had been a close iend and Gay Byrne had seen him almost as a father blow was a grievo one to a man who nfsed to havg a sense of secury about his e, spe his great succs. He ntued to appear on televisn, prentg the Irish versn of Who Wants to Be a Millnaire?, along wh seri such as The Gay Byrne Mic Show and Make ’Em Lgh (about edy Ireland), Gaybo’s Gmpy Men and Class beme a tirels and forceful advote for savg liv, appearg equently on rad and televisn, durg a perd which saw a dramatic fall road traffic fataliHis long-nng terview seri The Meang of Life clud a number of remarkable moments, cludg actor Gabriel Byrne’s admissn that he had been abed as a child and Stephen Fry’s nunciatn of God.

“I am not gog to say, bee would promise me terms of the show if people knew I had a posn, ” he 2006, he also prented Sunday afternoon shows on Lyric FM, where he displayed his encyclopaedic knowledge and ep love of classic jazz while lightg his substantial dience wh curmudgeonly asis about the state of 2014, he prented a documentary, Gay Byrne: My Father’s War about his father Edward’s service the 19th Royal Hsars durg the first World War, and his return to Ireland afterwards. Photograph: David Sleator Gay Byrne was diagnosed wh prostate ncer 2016 and he wrote and spoke publicly about the gellg nature of the chemotherapy treatment regime he was recently due to receive the Ireland-US Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award om Print Michael D Higgs, but was unable to attend the ceremony due to a broken wrist and cht fectn.

GAY BYRNE, WHO TACKLED TABOOS AS IRELAND’S TV HOST, DI AT 85

Print Higgs paid tribute to him at the event, sayg: “Controversial, outspoken, and unaaid to break new ground, has been said that, throughout his many s on televisn and rad, Gay Byrne’s role the shapg and craftg of morn-day Ireland has been profound. The show beme a fom where ntroversial topics such as the fluence of the Catholic Church, ntraceptn, AIDS, homosexualy, abortn, and divorce uld be openly Bishop and the NightieThe first major ntroversy emerged 1966 what has bee known as The Bishop and the Nightie affair.

Gay Byrne later issued a statement sayg had not been the show’s tentn to embarrass poted out that was a late-night show signed for adult viewg. Markg 500 episos, he terviewed Gay about the last 17 years of the was about to announce a gut lled ‘Dana Andrews’, when Eamonn Andrews appeared on set to Gay’s surprise.

Prottors gathered to rece s of the rosary, sg hymns as the show got 's First AppearanceIn 1983, U2 ont man Bono talked to Gay Byrne about makg the vio for ‘New Year’s Day’, playg the Danln Market Dubl and why he thought dgs were borg. ”The Lambo IncintIn 1987, the late broadster Gerry Ryan and a group of volunteers spent time the untrysi of Connemara as part of The Gay Byrne Show.

LARISSA NOLAN: MURPHY MISJUDGMENT ASI, GAY BYRNE GAVE WHAT WE WANT

Birmgham SixIn 1991 Gay terviewed three of The Birmgham Six who were wrongly sentenced to life imprisonment 1975 for a Birmgham pub bombg.

THE LIFE AND TIM OF LEGENDARY LATE LATE SHOW PRENTER GAY BYRNE WHO HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 85IN HIS 85 YEARS HE SWEPT OM A MOST BEGNG TO FAMY, WHILE MANAGG TO REMA LOVED AND ADMIREDDUBLLIVEBOOKMARKSHARENEWSBYJILLY BEATTIE18:08, 4 NOV 2019UPDATED15:39, 5 NOV 2019BOOKMARKVIO LOADGVIO UNAVAILABLECLICK TO PLAYTAP TO PLAYTHE VIO WILL TO-PLAY SOON8CANCELPLAY NOWNEVER MISS A BEAT OM DUBL AND BEYOND BY SIGNG UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTERMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 NEVER MISS A BEAT OM DUBL AND BEYOND BY SIGNG UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTERINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!

Gay chose a panel of public figur - Jim Kemmy, Dermot Ahern, Michael McDowell, Hugh Leonard and At himself refed to shake hands wh Adams but the SF lear proved more skillful at bate than was expected.

Durg the terview Gay Byrne remarked that: “If your son is half as good a man as his father, he won’t be dog too badly.