‘Icon of broadcasting’ Joe Duffy to retire from RTE

RTE presenter Joe Duffy has announced his retirement after 37 years at the station.

The Ballyfermot broadcaster made the announcement on Thursday as he signed off on his radio programme Liveline, which he has presented for 27 years.

The 69-year-old will present his final Liveline programme on Friday June 27.

“After 37 wonderful years here in RTE, and 27 years presenting Liveline, it has been an incredible honour and privilege to be part of a programme that relied entirely on trust: the trust of our listeners,” he said.

“People felt they could pick up the phone, ring Liveline and share their lives, problems, stories – sad, bad, sometimes mad and funny – their struggles, and their victories.

“I never took that for granted, not for a single minute. RTE has been a great place to work. Public service has always been at its heart.

“And now, after many happy years, I’ve decided the time has come to move on.

“I would like to thank you, the listener, for tuning in each and every day, it has been an honour to sit in this seat and hear your stories.”

Duffy joined RTE originally as a radio producer in 1989 and came to prominence as a reporter on the Gay Byrne Show.

He presented programmes like Soundbyte before taking over Liveline in 1998, and has attracted some 400,000 listeners to the call-in programme.

RTE director-general Kevin Bakhurst paid tribute to Duffy as “an icon of broadcasting”.

He added: “Whether breaking stories like the first powerful moments of the 9/11 attacks in the US, or helping the nation navigate the often heart-breaking challenges of a global pandemic, Joe Duffy’s Liveline doesn’t just have its fingers on the pulse, it is the pulse of the nation.

“Joe navigated controversies, unearthed scandals, exposed scams, fought misinformation and shone a light on topics long ignored, from historical abuse to the menopause and healthcare reform.

“Joe was always the guide, never the story. His journalistic insights were perfectly in balance with his human instincts, and Liveline under Joe became both a sanctuary for those seeking justice, and a public square of which Joe was in full control.

“Joe Duffy is an icon of broadcasting, and will be hugely missed by his listeners, his colleagues, and all who picked up the phone to the nation’s hotline.

“I’d like to wish Joe all our best for his retirement and extend my warmest wishes to June and to Joe’s family. He might be hanging up on the Liveline, but our loss is surely his family’s most welcome gain.”

RTE said it would “run a process” over the coming months to appoint Duffy’s successor and make an announcement in the autumn.