Gay Byrne

:"This article is about the Irish television presenter. See Gabriel Byrne for the Irish actor."Infobox Celebrity
name = Gay Byrne


image_size =
caption =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1934|8|5
birth_place = Ireland
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Television personality, Chairman of the "Road Safety Authority"
spouse = Kathleen Watkins
children = Suzy, Crona
website =
footnotes =

Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne (born 5 August, 1934) is an Irish broadcaster. He was the presenter of the "Late Late Show", from 1962 to 1999 except for one year. [ [http://www.rte.ie/tv/latelate/history.html RTÉ Television - The Late Late Show] ] He also presented a regular morning radio show on RTE. He is credited with being a catalyst in the transformation of Irish Society since the 1960s. [ cite web |date= | title = The Impact of RTÉ 1962-1972 | url = http://www.scoilnet.ie/lookathistory/Video2.aspx?FolderId=1&Id=491&ref=3 | format = HTML | publisher = ScoilNet| accessdate = 2006-12-17 ] He broke many Irish social taboos by discussing many topics like contraception, homosexuality, and abortion.

Background and early life

Byrne is the son of Edward Byrne, who died in 1953. Edward Byrne joined the Irish Guards (British Army) in 1912, but was transferred to the 19th Hussars, Infantry Division, when World War 1 (1914-1918) broke out. He fought throughout most of the War, including at the Battle of the Somme and at Ypres. [Byrne, "The Time of My Life", p. 5.] Shortly after the War, Edward Byrne was employed by Guinness' St. James's Gate Brewery where he worked for most of the rest of his life. He worked on the barges that operated on the river Liffey, transporting wooden casks from St. James's Gate Brewery to ships at the North Wall, Dublin. [Byrne, "The Time of My Life", pp 6 - 7, & pp 11 - 12.] Edward Byrne was the son of Alexander Byrne, a coachman to the Earl of Meath, who lived at a lodge on the Earl's estate near Kilruddery, Co. Wicklow. [Byrne, "The Time of My Life", p. 5.]

Byrne's father, Edward, married his mother, Annie Carroll (from Bray), at Belfast, in 1917, when briefly home on leave from the War. The two had met near Bray just before the War began. Gay Byrne is the youngest of six children from that marriage. However, one child, his brother Joseph, died as a one-week old infant. Listed in descending order (according to age), the other children are Edward, Al, Ernest, and Mary.

Byrne was born and grew up in Dublin. He was born 5 August, 1934. [Byrne, "The Time of My Life", p. 18.] [ [http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2004/08/05/story819334807.asp Irish Examiner, Thursday, August 05, 2004] (The Irish Examiner is an Irish newspaper).] He first lived with his family at 17 Rialto Street, Rialto, Dublin, before his parent's moved to 124 (later renumbered 512) South Circular Road, Dublin, in 1944.

Byrne attended Rialto National School (since closed) and a number of other schools for short periods. Subsequently, he was educated by the Irish Christian Brothers at Synge Street CBS. After this he worked at the North Strand cinema. He subsequently became a clerk in an insurance company. He then worked as a sales representative. He also met foreign dignitaries at Dublin Airport, and welcomed them to Ireland.

Byrne's mother, Annie, died in late 1964. [Byrne, "The Time of My Life", p. 89.]

Early career

In 1958 he moved over to broadcasting when he became a presenter on Radio Éireann. He also worked with Granada Television and the BBC in England. While at Granada, Byrne became the first person to introduce The Beatles on television when they made their small screen debut on local news programme "People and Places".In 1961 Telefís Éireann (later RTÉ) was set up. He finally worked exclusively for the new Irish service after 1969. He introduced many popular programmes with his most popular and successful programme being "The Late Late Show".

"Late Late Show"

On 6 July, 1962, the first episode of the "Late Late Show" was aired. Originally the show was scheduled as an eight-week summer filler. The programme, which is still broadcast, has become the world's longest running chat show. The show became a forum where controversial topics such as the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, contraception, AIDS, unemployment, homosexuality, clerical sexual abuse, divorce, and other hitherto taboo subjects were discussed openly in Ireland, alongside book reviews, celebrity visits, and music acts like the Boomtown Rats, U2, Sinéad O'Connor, Boyzone, and Noel Gallagher. Other guests included Presidents of Ireland, successive Archbishops of Armagh, minor members of the British Royal Family, politicians, actors, authors and countless others.

On 21 May, 1999, he presented his last "Late Late Show". From September 1999 the show has been presented by Pat Kenny.The show had much to do in shaping the new Ireland that was emerging from the 1960s. Indeed it was famously said by politician and Papal Knight Oliver J. Flanagan that, "there was no sex [Public discussion of.] in Ireland before television." However, Byrne saw himself as a presenter, not a radical social reformer, and his style was less challenging than the style of the current "Late Late Show" presenter Pat Kenny [ [http://www.rte.ie/tv/latelate/pat.html RTÉ Television - The Late Late Show ] ] .

During the early years of Byrne's time hosting "The Late Late Show", prior to about 1978 when the second national Irish TV channel was launched, he was employed by RTÉ on a continuously renewing 3-month contract, lest his employer might want to fire him any time they choose. [RTÉ television documentary aired in March 2007]

Radio broadcaster

Byrne was also a radio broadcaster. He is best remembered for his two hour morning show, "The Gay Byrne Hour", later renamed "The Gay Byrne Show" (1972 - 1999). Joe Duffy was a reporter on "The Gay Byrne Show" and subsequently succeeded him as presenter. Byrne presented the annual Rose of Tralee festival for 17 years until 1994.

Retirement

Byrne has not completely retired and continues to feature occasionally on radio and television. He has hosted for one season, the Irish version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". He also hosted "The Gay Byrne Music Show" and "Make 'Em Laugh", a series about comedy in Ireland, "Gaybo's Grumpy Men" and a series "Class Reunion". He has featured on radio occasionally, in 2006 presented a weekly Sunday afternoon show entitled "Sunday Serenade" on Lyric FM.In March 2006 Byrne was appointed as the Chairman of the Irish Road Safety Authority [http://www.nsc.ie/] , a public body given the task of improving road safety in the Republic of Ireland.

Byrne published his autobiography co-written with Deirdre Purcell. [The Time of My Life: An Autobiography Author: Byrne, Gay & Deirdre Purcell. Published by Gill & Macmillan Dublin 1989. ISBN 0-7171-1615-8.

Personal life

Byrne is married to Kathleen Watkins, formerly a well-known harpist and they have two daughters (both adopted). [ [http://www.dcu.ie/trust/trustees.shtml#gaybyrne CU Educational Trust - board of trustees] ] They lived in Howth, but then moved to Sandymount, in Dublin. Byrne first met Kathleen Watkins in 1957 and married her in 1964. [Byrne, "The Time of My Life", p. 99.]

Byrne relied on an accountant friend, Russell Murphy, to manage his finances, and was personally distraught when upon the accountant's death in 1986, it was found that most of his savings had been squandered, and this had been hidden from him. [( This is referenced on the Irish Independent website at http://www.independent.ie/national-news/the-day-a-cheque-for-pound1m--was-left-on-gays-table-372932.html , search google for more references - http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=%22Russell+Murphy%22+%2B+%22gay+byrne%22&btnG=Google+Search&meta= ),]

Other work

Byrne hosted The RTÉ People in Need Telethon several times from 1988 to 2001.

Honours and awards

*In 1988, Byrne was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Literature from Trinity College, Dublin. ["The Irish Times", "TCD to honour leading Dubliners for millennium", October 30, 1987]
*In 1999 he was granted the Freedom of Dublin City. ["The Irish Times", "Dublin honours one of its favourite sons with freedom of the city", May 12, 1999]
*He received a Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2007. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6349987.stm]
*He holds the record for the greatest number of Jacob's Awards received, winning a total of six for his radio and television work.
*He was appointed chairman of the road safety authority in Ireland in 2006. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobs_Awards]

ee also

* List of people on stamps of Ireland

References