Sean O’Rourke
This morning/afternoon.
Sean O’Rourke will finish on Today with Sean O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio 1 on Friday, May 8.
Via RTÉ:
Sean O’Rourke has announced that he is to retire from his role as presenter of RTÉ Radio 1’s Today programme in May. Sean has presented the top 10 rating show since taking over as the new presenter in 2013.
His departure will mark the end of over 25 years as a presenter of daily news and current affairs on RTÉ Radio 1.
The former News at One and The Week in Politics presenter is a multiple winner of the PPI News Journalist of the Year Award, and grew listeners to the flagship morning show to a high of 354,000 listeners each day.
Sean O’Rourke said:
“For nearly seven years now it’s been my great privilege to sit in the best current affairs chair in Irish broadcasting. But nothing is forever. I’m going to be 65 in May. And that’ll be as good a time as any to end the great adventure of Today SOR.
I’ve had an absolute ball – daily interviews, debates, elections, referendums, a memorable encounter with the Donald in Doonbeg… some great music and song, and the odd bit of hand-to-hand studio combat.
All of it with a light dusting of fun, as we promised you at the very start. And all made possible by really talented, hard-working and loyal colleagues, to whom I’ll be forever grateful.”
Pic: RTÉ
Update:
Breaking: @SarahAMcInerney is to replace @TodaySOR until the Autumn on @RTERadio1 while a permanent replacement is found #iestaff
— McConnellDaniel (@McConnellDaniel) April 21, 2020
Bye.
Wonder which woman will replace him !
Sisters are doing it for themselves :-)
Ah is that what it is! There was me thinking it was equality :-)
Wonder Woman? Or Claire Byrne.
thank God for that. The Irish haven’t had a public figure to mancrush over since Holohan on Friday night. This is the distraction they all need. I have no doubt there will be a rush to canonise his memory by the time the 11 o clock news is over.. the Irish love a good mancrush, makes them feel all tingly inside. it’s that easy with them lol
A total professional. When Kenny left I thought there would be a big gap, but SOR made it seamless and made it his own.
Sure he did. No better man for lobbing softballs at the suits and putting a shine on the spin.
gobpoo – did you ever listen to his show? His interview 100% led to Maria Bailey being deselected.
…think Maria Bailey may have played a small role in that herself…
He played his part as he was told to do. Anyway, easy with the personal insults robbie. We aint all in the gutter.
So, fine for you to question a man’s integrity as a journalist, but then get your feelings hurt when you get called up over it? Grow up.
Sean O Rourke was fairly OK.
The only issue I’d have with your post though is the ‘integrity as a journalist’ part if you’re making that a sweeping statement about journalists, that the profession is known for integrity.
Is gobpoo a personal insult?
No loss. Genuflecting to the powerful made for bad radio.
Nothing to do with RTÉ now in need of a bailout of course
He did an interview of an Australian journalist on the Pell case recently. Broadsheet would love it….it’s available on podcast….how to make a not guilty verdict seem like a guilty verdict.
Let us hope he is replaced with somebody whose spouse and nuclear family are not TDs or advisers to government ministers.
That’s a tiny pool of RTE presenting staff to be fair.
Sean O Rourke is just another in a long line of establishment stooges. Hers a link to the time RTE got caught out by handing pre interview questions to Minister for Finance Michael Noonan. A charade perpetrated by SOR he did not tell the audience this of course, until after they were caught rapid. Suddenly its “standard practice” according to RTE. disgraceful is what it is. Daily lies and spin, anyone who thinks otherwise should have heard Sean interview a Sinn Feiner, no softballs there just rabid mud slinging.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rte-says-yes-minister-as-politicians-run-the-show-t87znlfjhwv
https://www.thejournal.ie/rte-budget-phone-in-2390153-Oct2015/
His obvious bias when interviewing anyone from SF was a disgrace.
Check out his “interview” with Bertie Aherne regarding all the moolah that Bertie was given by his “friends” to educate his kids. Bertie cried crocodile tears, everything was made to sound plausible and Paddy swallowed the garbage, hook, line and sinker. You could not make it up.
gringo, was that the Dobson interview?
Given the libel laws in this country SoR does a fair job. But I suppose a sectarian halfwit from the hard left genepool would be interesting. For a while.
Noonan is a bad sort
He brought the Vulture Funds to this country
RTE made a documentary about it
Called The Great Irish sell off
“I’ve had an absolute ball – daily interviews, debates, elections, referendums, a memorable encounter with the Donald in Doonbeg… some great music and song, and the odd bit of hand-to-hand studio combat.
All of it with a light dusting of fun, as we promised you at the very start. And all made possible by really talented, hard-working and loyal colleagues, to whom I’ll be forever grateful.”
It was a political and current affairs programme he was meant to be in control of. Not A Beakers Buddies Broadcast.
“The odd bit of hand-to-hand studio combat”. WTF!!!
As news at one anchor during Fianna Fails ruination of the nation period, he gave them a free ride.
He was obviously the perfect fit for the most important news and current affairs show of the day.
Seven years holding no one to account on anything. In the middle of the harshest austerity measures possible. A pure establishment toll of the highest order.
He is cashing in his chips now before RTE are forced to cut his massive sallary of €290000 +.
Don’t be surprised to see him turn up as PR Spinster for Fine Gael. He’ll hardly follow the Mrs over to the Department of ‘Justice’.
I’ve noticed that hard working people who have no time or intetest in listening to the national broadcaster aka ‘Goebbelsbox’, are now forced to listen to it, for updates re lockdown and the crisis.
The silent majority cannot believe how quasi fascist this country really is.
There is absolutely no msm to speak of.
In this time of misinformation and ‘false facts’ the only news that people can be sure of, is complete communication break down.
I think Sarah McInerney can potentially be fit for the job. She has a few months to prove herself.
We really need a credible journalist on the national airwaves to have the bluffers, stuffers and liars accountable.
It’s not even a difficult job when you think about it.
A very important one though.