Gay Byrne, TV star who 'challenged Irish society', di aged 85 | Ireland | The Guardian

Contents:

• GAY BYRNE'S FT MOMENTS ON THE LATE LATE SHOW
• GAY BYRNE: HIS TOP 10 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS ON AIR
• IN PICS: GAY BYRNE’S FAL LATE LATE SHOW AFTER 37 YEARS AS HOST
• GAY BYRNE OBUARY: THE LEADG IRISH BROADSTER OF HIS ERA
• GAY BYRNE, TV STAR WHO 'CHALLENGED IRISH SOCIETY', DI AGED 85
• GAY BYRNE
• THE WOMEN BEHD GAY BYRNE’S SUCCS: WHO THEY WERE AND WHAT THEY DID
• BEHD THE SCEN OF GAY BYRNE’S LATE LATE SHOW
• IT STARTED ON THE LATE LATE SHOW: GAYBO'S MOST NTROVERSIAL MOMENTS
• GAY BYRNE OBUARY
• GAY BYRNE OBUARY: THE MATRO OF IRISH BROADSTG
• WHO ARE GAY BYRNE'S DGHTERS CRONA AND SUZY? ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW AS THEY APPEAR ON RTE'S LATE LATE SHOWHERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE DGHTERS OF ONE OF IRELAND'S MOST LOVED BROADSTERSIRISHMIRRORBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSSHOWBIZBYCOL BRENNAN15:52, 21 MAY 2021BOOKMARKVIO LOADGVIO UNAVAILABLECLICK TO PLAYTAP TO PLAYTHE VIO WILL TO-PLAY SOON8CANCELPLAY NOWWANT ALL THE LATT SHOWBIZ NEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOX? SHARE YOUR EMAIL FOR NEWS, GOSSIP AND MOREMORE 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 WANT ALL THE LATT SHOWBIZ NEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOX? SHARE YOUR EMAIL FOR NEWS, GOSSIP AND MOREINVALID 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, VETERAN IRISH BROADSTER, AD AT 85
• THE GAYBO REVOLUTN : HOW GAY BYRNE CHALLENGED IRISH SOCIETY

GAY BYRNE'S FT MOMENTS ON THE LATE LATE SHOW

As Ryan Tubridy prepar for his swan song as Late Late Show host, is takg a look back at Gay Byrne’s fal show as host.

Gay Byrne’s fal Late Late Show saw him joed by the lik of Christie Moore, Mary McAlee, Mike Murphy, Val Doonin and many more. However, the show will be famoly remembered for the gift which was given to Gaybo by U2 members Larry Mullen and Bono. Gay Byrne wh his wife Kathleen, his dghter Crona and special assistant Mra Connolly at the end of the show.

Image source, Getty ImagGay Byrne, or Gaybo, as he was almost universally known, was the leadg Irish broadster of his anchor of the Late Late Show, he steered the dience through the highs and lows of Irish Ballybunn to Buncrana, he was a faiar and ntroversial face on Irish screens every Friday night, pridg over the shiftg moods of the Republic of Ireland.

GAY BYRNE: HIS TOP 10 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS ON AIR

Image source, Inpennt News and Media/getty imagImage ptn, Gay Byrne his famo terview wh Gerry AdamsIn the 1960s, Byrne, famo for his tchphrase "and there's one for everyone the dience", was the talk of the well as givg out ee gifts to the dience, the programme and s host were creded wh fluencg Irish attus towards many show provid a platform for an unmarried mother to expla her posn at a time when to be such a suatn was still eply owned an terviewer, Byrne was very much his own man, he did not thk twice about sldg one gut who appeared unr the fluence while on another ocsn, he refed to shake the hand of former Sn Fé print Gerry Adams. Unnists were outraged and, shortly afterwards, the secretary of state Late moments:•Amerin woman Annie Murphy: the mother of Bishop Eamonn Casey's son, tells her story•NI Secretary Peter Brooke sgs O My Darlg Clemente wh hours of an IRA bomb •The Gerry Adams/Gay Byrne terview•Irish journalist Terry Keane tells of her affair wh former Taoiseach (Prime Mister) Charlie HgheyIt was not jt policians who had their feathers ffled by Byrne, but prits too. Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Late Late Show hosts Pat Kenny, Gay Byrne and Ryan Tubridy celebratg 50 years of the show 2012Bishop of Clonfert, Dr Thomas Ryan, protted vigoroly at the ntent of the Late Late ed natnal outrage and led some to clare the show was "filthy dirty" and "smut" 1993, his terview wh Amerin woman, Annie Murphy, who had a child wh Bishop of Galway Eamonn Casey, end very remarked that Eamonn Casey's son would be fe, if he was "half the man his father" rponse, Ms Murphy icily retorted: "I'm not so bad eher, " before she got up and walked off was not jt Ms Murphy who had been later, her son said he had wanted to "ck" Byrne for the way he had treated his source, RTÉImage ptn, In more recent years Gaybo had a much lower profileAnother notable affair of the heart to be shared wh the Irish public was an terview wh journalist Terry Keane spoke to Byrne about her long-standg relatnship wh former Taoiseach (Irish prime mister) Charl Hghey.

Image source, Inpennt News and Media/getty imagImage ptn, On his last Late Late Show Larry Mullen and Bono om U2 gave Gay a Harley DavidsonAfter biddg his fal "goodnight" to viewers May 1999 after 37 years on the show, Byrne said he planned to "do nothg" for six months.

IN PICS: GAY BYRNE’S FAL LATE LATE SHOW AFTER 37 YEARS AS HOST

His employers, RTÉ, said after his parture that the door would "always be open for a return for Gaybo" more recent years he has had a much lower profile, but still prented rad and televisn programm and was the chairman of Ireland's Road Safety Authory. Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Gay and his wife Kathleen Watks pictured 2015He briefly flirted wh the ia of nng for the Irish princy before cidg agast . It was said there was no sex Ireland until the The Late Late Show, and for that a natn owed thanks to Gay Byrne.

GAY BYRNE OBUARY: THE LEADG IRISH BROADSTER OF HIS ERA

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. 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).

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

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. Colette was Colette Farmer, productn assistant, and an visible prence, through Gaybo’s reference, on the show for many years. In 1991, Farmer beme a TV director, workg on shows om Cursai to Simply Delic, and directed the Late Late Show om 1992 to 1999, cludg Byrne’s last Late “Roll there Colette”, beme “Roll there Rois”, when Rois Hark was image of Gay Byrne projected on to Cy Hall Dubl, as part of the St Patricks day Ftival 2007.

Photograph: David Sleator/The Irish Tim Alice O’SullivanGay Byrne Show rearcher 1989-97; Late Late rearcher 1999. ”She rells briefg Byrne before he terviewed Graham Norton, explag he was the new boy, that the big al growg up Bandon was not that he was gay but that he was prottant; mentng that he was nervo. Gay Byrne Show rearcher 1990-1994; producer of Byrne's s Sunday Jazz programme on Lyric FM 2013-2016Ehne Hand, who worked briefly on the Late Late Show, on Byrne’s rad show and on his Lyric show, don’t thk he had any particular affy for women’s issu but “he wanted as many people as possible to listen to that show.

GAY BYRNE

It was the producers and the rearchers who cid what was on the programme each morng” says: “Gay told me very recently that he learned almost all he ever knew about women’s rights and femism om June Leve, ” when she was a Late Late rearcher.

We weren’t tryg to be a woman’s programme but Gay had a voice and a style that appealed, the listeners loved him, wanted to tell him all sorts of thgs, and they were mostly women. Rearcher on Gay Byrne Show for a year the journalist observed 2014: "It is not to say, eher, that Byrne was ever a sat. ”This article was amend on November 11th, 2019, to clarify a reference to the “Roll there Colette” phrase ed by Gay Byrne.

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

Public service televisn to Gay was televisn that would serve all the Monday, he and I would pore over the ratgs. Gay sat and typed a letter to the head of Channel 4, Michael Gra, askg him to rchle se might damage our numbers, such was his passn for ratgs. The Gay who went to the room was a gmpy, bad-tempered worried fellow, the Gay that me out 45 mut later was the epome of lm, rolve and steely prence.

I ed to thk that Gay had left his body so that he uld effectively be a vsel or a channel for the next few hours. And Gay did thatHe regard the talk show as an art form where each of the elements, om the wele to the goodnight, were like pearls on a necklace.

BEHD THE SCEN OF GAY BYRNE’S LATE LATE SHOW

They all knew about Gay – this legend who sisted on gog live for two hours every week, whout tocue or earpiece and get dience shar of 75 per cent regularly. We had many walks, lunch and dners sce, where we gossiped, griped and talked boats, relign and whatever else was the flavour of the everythg Gay Byrne gave me, and so many others, his iendship was his most valuable gift.

Sce 1999, every Christmas whout fail, Gay, his wife Kathleen and their dghters Crona and Sie would host the annual long, languid, love-filled lunch where about 20 of his broadstg lleagu would meet to nnect, remember and re-live.

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

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. Tradg PlacIn 1979 fellow broadster, Eamonn Andrews hi-jacked The Late Late Show, turng the tabl on Gay Byrne.

GAY BYRNE OBUARY

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.

The set-up was arranged by the Late Late Show crew, who asked Eamonn to e along to salute Gay and the show.

GAY BYRNE OBUARY: THE MATRO OF IRISH BROADSTG

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

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. "She then promptly thanked Gay Byrne for the terview and left the TiernanThe same year, edian Tommy Tiernan ed material on The Late Late Show, which many viewers felt poked fun at the Ccifixn.

WHO ARE GAY BYRNE'S DGHTERS CRONA AND SUZY? ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW AS THEY APPEAR ON RTE'S LATE LATE SHOWHERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE DGHTERS OF ONE OF IRELAND'S MOST LOVED BROADSTERSIRISHMIRRORBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSSHOWBIZBYCOL BRENNAN15:52, 21 MAY 2021BOOKMARKVIO LOADGVIO UNAVAILABLECLICK TO PLAYTAP TO PLAYTHE VIO WILL TO-PLAY SOON8CANCELPLAY NOWWANT ALL THE LATT SHOWBIZ NEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOX? SHARE YOUR EMAIL FOR NEWS, GOSSIP AND MOREMORE 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 WANT ALL THE LATT SHOWBIZ NEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOX? SHARE YOUR EMAIL FOR NEWS, GOSSIP AND MOREINVALID 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!

The performance was seen as very out of touch, at a time when hoe pric Ireland were risg dramatilly, His performance sparked Tom Gilmart's -operatn wh what was to bee the longt-nng tribunal the history of the Keane and 'Sweetie'On his send last show, Gay Byrne terviewed the gossip lumnist Terry Keane, who went on to reveal a long affair wh the former Taoiseach, Charl Hghey, scribg him as her 'sweetie'. ”Born Dubl, Gay (Gabriel) was the youngt of the four sons and one dghter of Edward Byrne and his wife Annie (nee Carroll). 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. 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.

GAY BYRNE, VETERAN IRISH BROADSTER, AD AT 85

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.

THE GAYBO REVOLUTN : HOW GAY BYRNE CHALLENGED IRISH SOCIETY

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. ”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.