‘Whether I have driven you around the twist or entertained you, thank you’: Claire Byrne signs off from RTÉ after 15 years
Byrne is set to replace Pat Kenny in his morning slot at Newstalk from early 2026
Byrne today signed off on her mid-morning show Today With Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1 which she has presented since August 2020 and attracted a daily 354,000 listeners.
In an emotional farewell, the 50-year-old reflected on her time at the helm of Irish radio.
“Because it is my last show in RTÉ, and it is time to hand over the baton, and I wanted to say to you that I’ve had the most wonderful 15 years here,” she began.
“I’ve had so many great opportunities. I’ve met the most inspiring people in this studio and in so many others over the years.”
She is moving to commercial radio station and airways rival Newstalk to take over the weekday 9am to noon slot soon to be vacated by Pat Kenny.
The move to Newstalk’s Marconi House early next year will be a reunion of sorts for Byrne, who worked for four years at the now Bauer-owned radio station between 2006 and 2010 as a morning breakfast presenter.
Claire Byrne. Photo: Andres Poveda
Today’s News in 90 Seconds, Friday October 31
She teed up her RTÉ colleague and “fierce nice fella” David McCullagh as her replacement going forward.
McCullagh joined RTE in 1993 as a reporter for RTÉ News and worked as an RTÉ News political correspondent for 12 years.
“I have made lifelong friends here in RTÉ, but David McCullagh is taking over, and I know he’s going to do an exceptional job.
“And to you who’ve listened to me over the years, whether I have driven you around the twist or I have entertained you, thank you very much for your company, and do take care. Have a lovely weekend.”
Earlier in the show, there was the revelation by People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett (58) that he has been given the all-clear to return to the Dáil following months-long treatment for throat cancer.
The Dun Laoghaire TD said he had had a scan “in the last week or so” that had shown the cancer had been “eliminated”.
“It’s as good a result for the treatment I got as you can get,” he said.
Byrne’s departure comes at a time of major change at the broadcaster, with other household names such as Joe Duffy and Ray D’Arcy also no longer on the RTÉ airwaves.
RTÉ’s annual report was published this week. It showed the highest-paid presenters last year were Duffy at €351,000 and Byrne at €280,000.
Others in the top 10 highest-paid presenters include Miriam O’Callaghan, Brendan O’Connor and D’Arcy.
Speaking about salaries later that day, RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst told Drivetime: “What I said was no one at RTÉ will earn more than the director general. One thing I can say is that by January 1 next year, that will be the case.”
