Ryan Tubridy
Encyclopedia
Ryan Tubridy affectionately known as "Tubs", is an Irish broadcaster and writer, a presenter of live shows on radio and television in Ireland
. He has been described as "one of Ireland's most gifted broadcasters". One of the youngest presenters on the books of Raidió Teilifís Éireann
(RTÉ), he is the current host of long-running TV chat programme The Late Late Show
and a weekday morning radio show called Tubridy. He was also a pioneering member of the Twitter
ati before he departed in August 2011.
Tubridy previously presented RTÉ 2fm
breakfast radio show The Full Irish
, which at its end was the second most popular radio programme in Ireland. For five seasons from 2004 until 2009, he presented the Saturday night TV chat show Tubridy Tonight
on RTÉ One
. He later left RTÉ 2fm for a number of years to present weekday morning radio programme The Tubridy Show
on RTÉ Radio 1
, but returned to RTÉ 2fm in 2010 to present his current weekday morning radio show from 09:00 to 11:00, following the termination of The Gerry Ryan Show
with the presenter's sudden death
. He has also hosted the Rose of Tralee
contest on two occasions.
More recently, Tubridy has embarked on a career as a writer, having composed JFK in Ireland
, a profile of U.S. President
John F. Kennedy
's 1963 visit to Ireland as part of a two-book deal with HarperCollins
. He is currently working on a second book. Aside from broadcasting and writing, Tubridy's intense passion for U.S. politics is common knowledge, as, more recently, is a romance with Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin
, a romance which has been dubbed "RyBhinn".
Tubridy has several wins and nominations at the Meteor Awards
to his name, dating from his time as host of The Full Irish. The broadcaster was named one of ten "icons" of 21st century Ireland by the Sunday Tribune
s Derek O'Connor
in 2008. He was awarded Dubliner of the Year by The Dubliner magazine in 2009.
, while another maternal uncle, David Andrews, was an Irish Government
minister. His first cousin is Barry Andrews, a former T.D.
and former Minister of State
. Tubridy's ancestor was revealed on Who Do You Think You Are?
as King Edward III of England
, at odds with the Republican
background of his family.
Tubridy was educated at Blackrock College
and University College Dublin
(UCD), where he studied for his Bachelor of Arts
. He was a member of the Kevin Barry Cumann of Fianna Fáil
while in UCD and was active in the UCD Students' Union and Belfield FM, as well as the Dún Laoghaire branch of Ógra Fianna Fáil
. Two of his first cousins, Barry Andrews and Chris Andrews
, were formerly Fianna Fáil TDs, with the former being a Minister of State for Children in the coalition government of Brian Cowen
. His grandfather, Todd Andrews
, was a prominent associate of Fianna Fáil founder Éamon de Valera
and held a number of posts in semi-state companies. On the Tubridy side of the family, Ryan is the grandson of TD Seán Tubridy
.
One source says that Tubridy is a nephew of Dorothy (Dot) Tubridy née Lawlor, widow of Captain Michael Tubridy (d.1954). Michael Tubridy was an international showjumper from Moore Street, Kilrush, Co. Clare. Dot Tubridy, an anthropologist
, has long enjoyed a reputation as 'friend of the Kennedys
'.
show Poporama presented by Ruth Buchanan. He earned £25 per show. After leaving college he became a runner in RTÉ, initially working on The Gerry Ryan Show
as maker of tea and coffee. Tubridy said at the death of Gerry Ryan
that “The moment I set foot in RTÉ, he put his wing around me and said: ‘I like what you do. I like what you are. I’m going to look after you.’” He credits Ryan for his kindness "in a place which is so full of ego and bizarre resentment". Tubridy was also influenced by the "nerd made good" style of British broadcaster Chris Evans.
Later he worked as a reporter for Today with Pat Kenny
, as well as occasionally presenting the radio news show Five Seven Live
.
In the summer of 1999 Tubridy presented Morning Glory on RTÉ Radio 1
and in July 2000 he moved to The Sunday Show. From 2002 until 2005 he presented RTÉ 2fm's morning breakfast show, The Full Irish. The move to the morning by Head of 2fm John Clarke was seen as risky, with station insiders disapproving and Hot Press
publishing a double page editorial with the headline "station in turmoil". Within one year its ratings had soared and Tubridy was given a major award. When The Full Irish ended it was the second most popular radio programme in Ireland, after Morning Ireland
. Clarke later described moving Tubridy to the morning as the best decision of his 25-year career in radio.
In 2006 Tubridy commenced presenting The Tubridy Show
, on weekday mornings on RTÉ Radio 1
.
He previously wrote a column for the Sunday World
in which he expressed amongst other things his support for Barack Obama
, "one of his favourite singers" Fionn Regan
and the success of Kenny Egan, a silver medal
winning
boxer
at the 2008 Summer Olympics
. He later interviewed Said Obama, the uncle of U.S. President Barack Obama
for The Tubridy Show. Tubridy has hinted that he would consider making the move to new pastures if the opportunity arose.
After the death of Gerry Ryan
, Tubridy's friend and colleague, Turbridy was the subject of rumours by various newspapers that he would be succeeding him in the RTÉ 2fm slot, becoming RTÉ's top earner with a salary of 1 million. On 10 June 2010, RTÉ confirmed that Tubridy would in fact fill that slot from August 2010, presenting a programme from 09:00 to 11:00. His salary was to remain unchanged. In an RTÉ press release, he was quoted as saying: "In my new role on RTÉ 2fm I will be presenting a programme that will be very different, with a different time slot, and a different style of presenting." To allow for presenting The Late Late Show, his show is only 2 two hours long, compared to the 3 hours that Gerry Ryan's show lasted.
However JNLR figures released in July 2011 reveal Tubridy has lost over 110,000 listeners since the move.
After finishing The Tubridy Show on 16 July 2010, he began presenting Tubridy on RTÉ 2fm on 20 August 2010, surprising listeners by starting the programme three days earlier that what was originally scheduled for 23 August. His first guest on the programme was Bono
. His RTÉ Radio 1 slot was filled by John Murray
. Tubridy became synonymous with declining listenership figures, a 40% collapse of which by 2011 coincided with increased listenership figures for its rival The Ray D'Arcy Show
.
In March 2011, Majella O'Donnell
, the wife of singer Daniel O'Donnell
, spoke about her battles with depression. In May 2011, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland upheld a complaint against Tubridy who called a paedophile a "monster" and "creature" and then said: "From what I gather these guys cannot be quote unquote cured ... only one way to deal with them, and that's physiological ... these guys should have bits taken off."
to present a summer filler for Jonathan Ross
's BBC Radio 2
programme. He turned down the offer citing preparations for The Late Late Show and after the death of Gerry Ryan. However, it was confirmed that Tubridy would present the slot for 8 weeks from 23 July 2011, covering for Ross' replacement, Graham Norton
.
Tubridy sacrificed his Christmas holidays in 2011 to work for the BBC again, this time as a replacement for Ken Bruce
on Radio 2. Amid constant media criticism related to declining listenership and viewership figures, he has been receiving support from Chris Evans and has been defended by Vincent Browne
.
Tubridy attracted criticism for his refusal to take a pay-cut in early 2009 even when colleagues such as Pat Kenny
and Marian Finucane
approved of their own salary cuts. He was soon the subject of a hate campaign on social networking site Facebook
but later opted to take a 10% pay cut. He is not an RTÉ employee, but is a contract employee and pays himself €283,756 a year from his production company, Tuttle Productions.
, in 2003 and 2004. Also in 2003 and 2004, he presented the Rose of Tralee
competition. In 2003 and 2004 he presented a game show called All Kinds of Everything
. He presented the RTÉ People in Need
Telethon in 2004 and 2007.
In October 2004, Tubridy Tonight
began, his own live Saturday night chat show seen as a successor to Kenny Live
(formerly Saturday Night Live). Tubridy's colleague Pat Kenny
(former presenter of Kenny Live and then host of The Late Late Show) queried Tubridy's fast-paced lifestyle and recommended he slow down. Tubridy initially announced his intention to take over the hosting of The Late Late Show from Pat Kenny but he later stated that he would remain as host of Tubridy Tonight, describing it as his "Jim'll Fix It
job" and "little fun-size legacy".
It was announced on 11 May 2009 that Tubridy would indeed succeed Pat Kenny
as host of The Late Late Show. He vowed to bring back Gay Byrne
's "one for everybody in the audience" catchphrase, described by Will Hanafin
in the Irish Independent
as an attempt to "dig up more old relics than archaeologists would on an excavation", in reference to Tubridy's passion for history. Tubridy said he was "very taken aback" to learn he had been selected, describing it as "a humbling honour to be asked to present such an iconic programme". He described Tubridy Tonight as "quite the odyssey".
Tubridy's first guest as host of The Late Late Show was then Taoiseach
Brian Cowen
, with the episode attracting over 1.6 million viewers. His role as host allowed him to fulfill a childhood ambition — presenting The Late Late Toy Show
— "I know this is the one that I always wanted. I love the fact that children are uncontaminated by the reality of adulthood". His time as host has also led to clash with his guests, including Gordon Ramsay
("a bit, em, British for my liking"), Louis Walsh
(giving Jedward
a "hard time" on the aforementioned edition of The Late Late Toy Show), and Sinéad O'Connor
(the "crazy performing monkey" incident). The original host of The Late Late Show, Gay Byrne, was one of Tubridy's guests on the 18 December 2009 edition of the programme. In May 2011, a former director of television at RTÉ said of the The Late Late Show, “If I was back in charge of RTÉ, you wouldn’t see this utter shite on Friday night”.
Also in 2009, Tubridy took part in the second series of Who Do You Think You Are?
whereupon his relationship to Edward III was unearthed.
signed Tubridy as part of a two-book deal. They wanted an autobiography but he persuaded them otherwise. Tubridy's first book, the 302-page long JFK in Ireland
, was launched at the Mansion House, Dublin
on 27 October 2010. While researching the book, he discovered that Éamon de Valera
had part of John F. Kennedy
's speech to Dáil Éireann
erased from the record after finding its content offensive. Tubridy is currently working on a second book.
Tubridy co-wrote the title track, "We Are Where We Are", of Paddy Cullivan's extended play
, released in October 2010. The writer and broadcaster commented: "Paddy is a pal and we would have conversations a lot over a pint of Guinness
". He also sang a song on The Late Late Toy Show
in 2010, becoming the first host to do such a thing.
initiative in May 2009. The jumper he wore on his debut as host of The Late Late Toy Show was later auctioned for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
on the radio programme Money
. The jumper raised €1,050. On 25 October 2011, Tubridy dressed up for Barnardos as Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz and broadcast Tubridy from Teresa's House in County Wexford
. On 2 November 2011, he was MC and guest of honour for the launch of the Irish Film Archive Preservation Fund at the Irish Film Institute
. The following month he helped switch on the Christmas lights on Grafton Street.
, County Galway
. The engagement was announced in the Irish Times
with the words "Ella Tubridy is delighted to announce the engagement of her parents Ryan and Anne Marie". Tubridy and Power separated in 2006. They have two children, Ella and Julia. He
Whilst host of Tubridy Tonight, the presenter spoke of the public's perception of him:
Tubridy is/was involved with Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin
, a presenter of radio and television. He expressed his dissatisfaction when photos of the couple on a stroll at Powerscourt Waterfall
were used by the press and was frustrated by subsequent claims that the photos were a publicity stunt. He later told the Evening Herald
(in the week approaching his début as host of The Late Late Show) that Ní Shúilleabháin was "great support" and had transformed his life. In 2010 he told the same newspaper she was "my rock" since the death
of friend and colleague Gerry Ryan
.
". Podge and Rodge
, a televised
puppet
chat show
, commented on his "stupid awkward eyes, he reminds me of the undead" and introduced him as "South Dublin on a stick" when he appeared on their TV show.
In one incident Dermot Whelan, Dave Moore and Siobhan O'Connor of radio station 98FM rewrote the Steps song "Tragedy
" to include lyrics which make personal references to Tubridy before playing it on their morning radio show. The song pokes fun at his famous ears as well as his hairstyle with the line: "His ears stand up like the FA Cup
, he sits in his chair chatting with Holy Communion
-style hair". Tubridy himself rang the show to congratulate Dermot, Dave and Siobhan on their achievement of "taking the mick out of him" with a song of "pure ego" that caused him to "burst out laughing when I saw it". He was less pleased when Gordon Ramsay
, appearing as a guest on The Late Late Show, poked fun at his ears and weight; Tubridy later remarked on The Ray D'Arcy Show
: "I thought he was a bit, em, British for my liking. I won’t be buying the books [Ramsay was promoting]. In fact, I didn't take the free one".
His favourite films include The Queen
and Frost/Nixon
. One of his heroes is the British
broadcaster Sir David Attenborough
; prior to interviewing him on Tubridy Tonight in March 2009, he spoke of how he "grew up watching his nature programmes". Noted for his passions for such things as lounge music
, US politics (he took time off work to cheer on Barack Obama
in the 2008 US presidential election
), Inspector Morse
box sets (whom he described as "the morose and melancholic opera lover who deals with an inordinate amount of bloodshed in Oxford"), "real turf, the John Hinde
donkey post card kind" and buying out-of-print history books on Amazon.com
, Tubridy also found Gerry Ryan
humorous. Appearing on Seoige and O'Shea
on 16 April 2008, Tubridy proclaimed his top three books of the previous year as The Road
by Cormac McCarthy
, Christine Falls
by Benjamin Black and Exit Ghost
by Philip Roth
. He also likes the fictional comic book character Ross O'Carroll-Kelly
.
, an online encyclopedia project, is "a fact-free bull run for any passing eejit to come along and add whatever fact or fiction they desire and up it goes onto the site". He prefers books instead.
Tubridy is a former user of Twitter
, and, with more than 60,000 followers, was described by the Irish Independent as "one of Ireland's most famous Twits". He left the social networking and microblogging
service on 9 August 2011, posting a late night farewell to his followers: "Dear Twitter, this is my last tweet. It's been lots of fun but I must leave. No drama, just not enough time. Thanks and take care. #goodbye. The Tubridy Radio Show and Late Late Show will have well attended Twitter accounts as I leave this curious social medium."
Tubridy won the Best Irish DJ category at the 2004 Meteor Awards
for his breakfast show, The Full Irish.
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| 2004
|| Ryan Tubridy || Best Irish DJ ||
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| 2005 || Ryan Tubridy || Best Irish DJ ||
TV Now Awards
Tubridy was named Best Male TV Presenter at the TV Now Awards
in 2009.
He collected the award for "Favourite Irish TV Show" from girlfriend Ní Shúilleabháin, won by The Late Late Show at the 2010 awards.
|-
| 2009 || Ryan Tubridy || Best Male TV Presenter ||
|-
| 2010 || The Late Late Show || Favourite Irish TV Show ||
|-
Other awards
His 19th place finish in the 2009 Remus Uomo 100 Sexiest Irish Men List made headlines when his brother Garrett unexpectedly finished ahead of him in 10th.
He was named 29th most influential person of 2009 by Village
.
He has been encased in wax and put on public display at a museum on Dublin's College Green
.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. He has been described as "one of Ireland's most gifted broadcasters". One of the youngest presenters on the books of Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
(RTÉ), he is the current host of long-running TV chat programme The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
and a weekday morning radio show called Tubridy. He was also a pioneering member of the Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
ati before he departed in August 2011.
Tubridy previously presented RTÉ 2fm
RTÉ 2fm
RTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's second national radio station. It broadcasts popular music programming aimed at a young Irish audience.- History :...
breakfast radio show The Full Irish
The Full Irish
The Full Irish was a radio breakfast show on RTÉ 2fm. It ran for three years from 2002 - 2005 and was on air from 7 - 9 am. Ryan Tubridy presented, though he wasn't the only voice to be heard. Shane O'Donoghue read out the leading news in sport and Avril Hoare read out the news. The "holy moley...
, which at its end was the second most popular radio programme in Ireland. For five seasons from 2004 until 2009, he presented the Saturday night TV chat show Tubridy Tonight
Tubridy Tonight
Tubridy Tonight is an Irish chat show hosted by Ryan Tubridy that aired for five series on RTÉ One between 2004 and 2009. The programme featured guest interviews , audience participation and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
on RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
. He later left RTÉ 2fm for a number of years to present weekday morning radio programme The Tubridy Show
The Tubridy Show
The Tubridy Show was an Irish talk-based entertainment radio programme presented by Ryan Tubridy. It was broadcast on Mondays to Fridays at 09:00 on RTÉ Radio 1....
on RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
, but returned to RTÉ 2fm in 2010 to present his current weekday morning radio show from 09:00 to 11:00, following the termination of The Gerry Ryan Show
The Gerry Ryan Show
The Gerry Ryan Show was RTÉ 2fm's mid-morning radio show...
with the presenter's sudden death
Death of Gerry Ryan
The sudden death of RTÉ broadcaster Gerry Ryan occurred on 30 April 2010. He was 53. Ryan had been presenting The Gerry Ryan Show since 1988 and at the time of his death had the largest audience on RTÉ 2fm...
. He has also hosted the Rose of Tralee
Rose of Tralee (festival)
The Rose of Tralee festival is an international competition which is celebrated among Irish communities all over the world. The festival takes its inspiration from a nineteenth century ballad of the same name about a woman called Mary, who because of her beauty was called The Rose of Tralee. The...
contest on two occasions.
More recently, Tubridy has embarked on a career as a writer, having composed JFK in Ireland
JFK in Ireland
JFK in Ireland: Four Days That Changed a President is the title of the first book written by Irish broadcaster Ryan Tubridy. Released in 2010, it is a profile of President of the United States John F. Kennedy's 1963 visit to Ireland....
, a profile of U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's 1963 visit to Ireland as part of a two-book deal with HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. He is currently working on a second book. Aside from broadcasting and writing, Tubridy's intense passion for U.S. politics is common knowledge, as, more recently, is a romance with Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin
Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin
Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin is an Irish schoolteacher, television personality, and singer from County Mayo, who won the 2005 Rose of Tralee contest. Ní Shúilleabháin graduated with a first-class honours degree in theoretical physics from University College Dublin in 2005 and won the Mayo Rose...
, a romance which has been dubbed "RyBhinn".
Tubridy has several wins and nominations at the Meteor Awards
Meteor Music Awards
The Meteor Ireland Music Awards are a group of music awards in Ireland...
to his name, dating from his time as host of The Full Irish. The broadcaster was named one of ten "icons" of 21st century Ireland by the Sunday Tribune
Sunday Tribune
The Sunday Tribune was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tabloid. Former editors include Conor Brady, Vincent Browne,...
s Derek O'Connor
Derek O'Connor (journalist)
Derek O'Connor is an Irish journalist, blogger, playwright and theatre and television director, perhaps best known by bloggers for his time editing the now-defunct satirical award-winning website blogorrah.com. He is a regular contributor to a variety of publications, including the Sunday Tribune...
in 2008. He was awarded Dubliner of the Year by The Dubliner magazine in 2009.
Early life
Tubridy was born in Blackrock, Dublin, in May 1973, one of five children. His mother is called Catherine. A maternal uncle was an MEPMember of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
, while another maternal uncle, David Andrews, was an Irish Government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
minister. His first cousin is Barry Andrews, a former T.D.
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
and former Minister of State
Minister of State (Ireland)
A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....
. Tubridy's ancestor was revealed on Who Do You Think You Are?
Who Do You Think You Are? (Irish TV series)
Who Do You Think You Are? is a six-part Irish genealogy documentary series that first aired on RTÉ One in 2008. In each episode, a popular Irish personality embarks on a journey to trace their family tree...
as King Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, at odds with the Republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
background of his family.
Tubridy was educated at Blackrock College
Blackrock College
Blackrock College is a Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in of grounds, it has an illustrious...
and University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
(UCD), where he studied for his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
. He was a member of the Kevin Barry Cumann of Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
while in UCD and was active in the UCD Students' Union and Belfield FM, as well as the Dún Laoghaire branch of Ógra Fianna Fáil
Ógra Fianna Fáil
Ógra Fianna Fáil is the youth wing of Fianna Fáil, a political party in Ireland. Within Fianna Fáil it is simply called Ógra . It was founded in 1975 by party leader Jack Lynch under the guidance of party general secretary, Séamus Brennan. In the Republic, it is active in some major Third Level...
. Two of his first cousins, Barry Andrews and Chris Andrews
Chris Andrews (politician)
Chris Andrews is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency from 2007 to 2011.-Family:He is the grandson of Todd Andrews, a leading figure in the early days of Fianna Fáil...
, were formerly Fianna Fáil TDs, with the former being a Minister of State for Children in the coalition government of Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
. His grandfather, Todd Andrews
Todd Andrews
Christopher Stephen "Todd" Andrews was an Irish political activist and public servant. He participated in the Irish War of Independence and Civil War as a political and military activist in the Irish Republican movement. Todd Andrews never ran for election and was never a government minister...
, was a prominent associate of Fianna Fáil founder Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
and held a number of posts in semi-state companies. On the Tubridy side of the family, Ryan is the grandson of TD Seán Tubridy
Seán Tubridy
Seán Tubridy was an Irish politician and medical practitioner. Tubridy was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for the Galway constituency at the June 1927 general election. He was re-elected at the September 1927 general election but lost his seat at the 1932 general...
.
One source says that Tubridy is a nephew of Dorothy (Dot) Tubridy née Lawlor, widow of Captain Michael Tubridy (d.1954). Michael Tubridy was an international showjumper from Moore Street, Kilrush, Co. Clare. Dot Tubridy, an anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, has long enjoyed a reputation as 'friend of the Kennedys
Kennedy family
In the United States, the phrase Kennedy family commonly refers to the family descending from the marriage of the Irish-Americans Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald that was prominent in American politics and government. Their political involvement has revolved around the...
'.
RTÉ
Tubridy started in broadcasting at the age of 12, reviewing books for the RTÉ 2FMRTÉ 2fm
RTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's second national radio station. It broadcasts popular music programming aimed at a young Irish audience.- History :...
show Poporama presented by Ruth Buchanan. He earned £25 per show. After leaving college he became a runner in RTÉ, initially working on The Gerry Ryan Show
The Gerry Ryan Show
The Gerry Ryan Show was RTÉ 2fm's mid-morning radio show...
as maker of tea and coffee. Tubridy said at the death of Gerry Ryan
Gerry Ryan
Gerard "Gerry" Ryan was an Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
that “The moment I set foot in RTÉ, he put his wing around me and said: ‘I like what you do. I like what you are. I’m going to look after you.’” He credits Ryan for his kindness "in a place which is so full of ego and bizarre resentment". Tubridy was also influenced by the "nerd made good" style of British broadcaster Chris Evans.
Later he worked as a reporter for Today with Pat Kenny
Today with Pat Kenny
Today with Pat Kenny is a current affairs magazine broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1, presented by Pat Kenny. The programme is broadcast weekdays, at 10:00 and ends at 12:00. As of 2008, the average audience for the show was 291,000....
, as well as occasionally presenting the radio news show Five Seven Live
Five Seven Live
Five Seven Live was an Irish radio rolling news programme, produced by RTÉ News and was aired each weekday evening on RTÉ Radio 1 between 17:00–19:00, between 1997 and 2006, the final edition being broadcast on 1 September 2006.-Programme format:...
.
In the summer of 1999 Tubridy presented Morning Glory on RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
and in July 2000 he moved to The Sunday Show. From 2002 until 2005 he presented RTÉ 2fm's morning breakfast show, The Full Irish. The move to the morning by Head of 2fm John Clarke was seen as risky, with station insiders disapproving and Hot Press
Hot Press
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007...
publishing a double page editorial with the headline "station in turmoil". Within one year its ratings had soared and Tubridy was given a major award. When The Full Irish ended it was the second most popular radio programme in Ireland, after Morning Ireland
Morning Ireland
Morning Ireland is the breakfast news programme broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1 in Ireland and is noted as that country's most listened to radio programme. It is broadcast each weekday morning between 07.00 and 09.00 and is presented by Aine Lawlor, Cathal Mac Coille, Rachael English and Aoife Kavanagh...
. Clarke later described moving Tubridy to the morning as the best decision of his 25-year career in radio.
In 2006 Tubridy commenced presenting The Tubridy Show
The Tubridy Show
The Tubridy Show was an Irish talk-based entertainment radio programme presented by Ryan Tubridy. It was broadcast on Mondays to Fridays at 09:00 on RTÉ Radio 1....
, on weekday mornings on RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
.
He previously wrote a column for the Sunday World
Sunday World
The Sunday World is an Irish newspaper published by Sunday Newspapers Limited, a division of Independent News and Media. It is the largest selling "popular" newspaper in the Republic of Ireland and is also sold in Northern Ireland .-Origins:The Sunday World was Ireland's first tabloid newspaper...
in which he expressed amongst other things his support for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, "one of his favourite singers" Fionn Regan
Fionn Regan
Fionn Regan is an Irish singer-songwriter and artist from Bray, County Wicklow, who came to prominence in 2006 with the release of his Mercury-nominated debut album, The End of History...
and the success of Kenny Egan, a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
winning
Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics
The boxing program of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China was held at the Workers Indoor Arena.Medals were awarded in eleven events, with each event corresponding to a recognized weight division of male boxers...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. He later interviewed Said Obama, the uncle of U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for The Tubridy Show. Tubridy has hinted that he would consider making the move to new pastures if the opportunity arose.
After the death of Gerry Ryan
Death of Gerry Ryan
The sudden death of RTÉ broadcaster Gerry Ryan occurred on 30 April 2010. He was 53. Ryan had been presenting The Gerry Ryan Show since 1988 and at the time of his death had the largest audience on RTÉ 2fm...
, Tubridy's friend and colleague, Turbridy was the subject of rumours by various newspapers that he would be succeeding him in the RTÉ 2fm slot, becoming RTÉ's top earner with a salary of 1 million. On 10 June 2010, RTÉ confirmed that Tubridy would in fact fill that slot from August 2010, presenting a programme from 09:00 to 11:00. His salary was to remain unchanged. In an RTÉ press release, he was quoted as saying: "In my new role on RTÉ 2fm I will be presenting a programme that will be very different, with a different time slot, and a different style of presenting." To allow for presenting The Late Late Show, his show is only 2 two hours long, compared to the 3 hours that Gerry Ryan's show lasted.
However JNLR figures released in July 2011 reveal Tubridy has lost over 110,000 listeners since the move.
After finishing The Tubridy Show on 16 July 2010, he began presenting Tubridy on RTÉ 2fm on 20 August 2010, surprising listeners by starting the programme three days earlier that what was originally scheduled for 23 August. His first guest on the programme was Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
. His RTÉ Radio 1 slot was filled by John Murray
John Murray (broadcaster)
John Murray is an Irish journalist and broadcaster. He currently presents The John Murray Show on RTÉ Radio 1, "focus[ing] on lifestyle and entertainment items", filling the slot from 09:00 to 10:00 previously occupied by Ryan Tubridy, who moved to RTÉ 2fm....
. Tubridy became synonymous with declining listenership figures, a 40% collapse of which by 2011 coincided with increased listenership figures for its rival The Ray D'Arcy Show
The Ray D'Arcy Show
The Ray D'Arcy Show is Today FM's weekday mid-morning radio show presented by Ray D'Arcy. It is on air from 09:00–12:00 midday, competing with RTÉ 2fm's Ryan Tubridy, RTÉ Radio 1's Pat Kenny and Newstalk's Tom Dunne .The production team of Jenny Kelly, Will Hanafin and Mairead Farrell and...
.
In March 2011, Majella O'Donnell
Majella O'Donnell
Majella O'Donnell is a businesswoman, singer, reality television star and the wife of entertainer Daniel O'Donnell. She is a native of Thurles, County Tipperary....
, the wife of singer Daniel O'Donnell
Daniel O'Donnell
Daniel or Danny O'Donnell may refer to:* Daniel O'Donnell, Irish singer* Daniel O'Donnell , American legislator from the state of New York* Danny O'Donnell * Danny O'Donnell...
, spoke about her battles with depression. In May 2011, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland upheld a complaint against Tubridy who called a paedophile a "monster" and "creature" and then said: "From what I gather these guys cannot be quote unquote cured ... only one way to deal with them, and that's physiological ... these guys should have bits taken off."
BBC
In July 2010, Tubridy's agent Noel Kelly confirmed that Tubridy was offered by the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
to present a summer filler for Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
's BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
programme. He turned down the offer citing preparations for The Late Late Show and after the death of Gerry Ryan. However, it was confirmed that Tubridy would present the slot for 8 weeks from 23 July 2011, covering for Ross' replacement, Graham Norton
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton , is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist...
.
Tubridy sacrificed his Christmas holidays in 2011 to work for the BBC again, this time as a replacement for Ken Bruce
Ken Bruce
Kenneth Robertson Bruce is a British broadcaster known for his programme on BBC Radio 2, which is broadcast on weekdays from 9:30am until 12 noon.-Early life and career:...
on Radio 2. Amid constant media criticism related to declining listenership and viewership figures, he has been receiving support from Chris Evans and has been defended by Vincent Browne
Vincent Browne
Vincent Browne is an Irish print and broadcast journalist. He is a columnist with The Irish Times and The Sunday Business Post and a part time barrister....
.
RTÉ pay-cut controversy
In 2008 Tubridy was the RTÉ presenter on the fourth highest salary, having received a 50 per cent increase in his salary from the previous year.Tubridy attracted criticism for his refusal to take a pay-cut in early 2009 even when colleagues such as Pat Kenny
Pat Kenny
Patrick "Pat" Kenny is an Irish broadcaster and former disc jockey and continuity announcer. He is employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is their highest paid presenter. He presents Today with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday morning between 10:00 and midday...
and Marian Finucane
Marian Finucane
Marian Finucane is an Irish broadcaster with Raidió Teilifís Éireann . She has worked with the national broadcaster since in 1976, starting as a continuity announcer. She was the first presenter of Liveline...
approved of their own salary cuts. He was soon the subject of a hate campaign on social networking site Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
but later opted to take a 10% pay cut. He is not an RTÉ employee, but is a contract employee and pays himself €283,756 a year from his production company, Tuttle Productions.
Television career
Tubridy hosted the EsatBT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition at the Royal Dublin SocietyRoyal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
, in 2003 and 2004. Also in 2003 and 2004, he presented the Rose of Tralee
Rose of Tralee (festival)
The Rose of Tralee festival is an international competition which is celebrated among Irish communities all over the world. The festival takes its inspiration from a nineteenth century ballad of the same name about a woman called Mary, who because of her beauty was called The Rose of Tralee. The...
competition. In 2003 and 2004 he presented a game show called All Kinds of Everything
All Kinds of Everything (TV series)
All Kinds of Everything is an Irish popular culture-based quiz show hosted by Ryan Tubridy and featuring Mario Rosenstock. The show was broadcast on RTÉ One for two series in 2003 and 2004. The show's name is taken from Dana's song All Kinds of Everything, the winning entry from Ireland in the...
. He presented the RTÉ People in Need
People in Need Trust
The People in Need Trust is a charity in Ireland.Its main fundraiser, the RTÉ People in Need Telethon, has been broadcasted by RTÉ since 1989, and is supported by Eircom...
Telethon in 2004 and 2007.
In October 2004, Tubridy Tonight
Tubridy Tonight
Tubridy Tonight is an Irish chat show hosted by Ryan Tubridy that aired for five series on RTÉ One between 2004 and 2009. The programme featured guest interviews , audience participation and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
began, his own live Saturday night chat show seen as a successor to Kenny Live
Kenny Live
Kenny Live is an Irish weekly chat show on RTÉ that was hosted by Pat Kenny. The show debuted in 1988 and aired every Saturday night, except during the summer months, directly after the main evening news...
(formerly Saturday Night Live). Tubridy's colleague Pat Kenny
Pat Kenny
Patrick "Pat" Kenny is an Irish broadcaster and former disc jockey and continuity announcer. He is employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is their highest paid presenter. He presents Today with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday morning between 10:00 and midday...
(former presenter of Kenny Live and then host of The Late Late Show) queried Tubridy's fast-paced lifestyle and recommended he slow down. Tubridy initially announced his intention to take over the hosting of The Late Late Show from Pat Kenny but he later stated that he would remain as host of Tubridy Tonight, describing it as his "Jim'll Fix It
Jim'll Fix It
Jim'll Fix It was a long-running British television show, broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1994. It was presented by Jimmy Savile. It was produced by Roger Ordish, who also worked on other BBC shows, including A Bit of Fry & Laurie...
job" and "little fun-size legacy".
It was announced on 11 May 2009 that Tubridy would indeed succeed Pat Kenny
Pat Kenny
Patrick "Pat" Kenny is an Irish broadcaster and former disc jockey and continuity announcer. He is employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is their highest paid presenter. He presents Today with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday morning between 10:00 and midday...
as host of The Late Late Show. He vowed to bring back Gay Byrne
Gay Byrne
Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne is a veteran Irish presenter of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of The Late Late Show over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999...
's "one for everybody in the audience" catchphrase, described by Will Hanafin
Will Hanafin
William 'Will' Hanafin is an Irish journalist, a researcher, television producer and radio presenter from Youghal, County Cork. He can currently be heard on The Ray D'Arcy Show on Today FM, largely in the background offering advice to listeners but he sometimes presents the show solo. He has been...
in the Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
as an attempt to "dig up more old relics than archaeologists would on an excavation", in reference to Tubridy's passion for history. Tubridy said he was "very taken aback" to learn he had been selected, describing it as "a humbling honour to be asked to present such an iconic programme". He described Tubridy Tonight as "quite the odyssey".
Tubridy's first guest as host of The Late Late Show was then Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
, with the episode attracting over 1.6 million viewers. His role as host allowed him to fulfill a childhood ambition — presenting The Late Late Toy Show
The Late Late Toy Show
The Late Late Toy Show—also known as The Toy Show— is an annual iconic and influential Irish institution, an edition of the world's longest-running chat show, The Late Late Show broadcast on RTÉ One in Ireland each Friday evening. The Toy Show, as it is referred to, is broadcast in late...
— "I know this is the one that I always wanted. I love the fact that children are uncontaminated by the reality of adulthood". His time as host has also led to clash with his guests, including Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
("a bit, em, British for my liking"), Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
(giving Jedward
Jedward
John Paul Henry Daniel Richard Grimes and Edward Peter Anthony Kevin Patrick Grimes are an Irish hip pop duo. They are identical twins and perform under the name Jedward...
a "hard time" on the aforementioned edition of The Late Late Toy Show), and Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
(the "crazy performing monkey" incident). The original host of The Late Late Show, Gay Byrne, was one of Tubridy's guests on the 18 December 2009 edition of the programme. In May 2011, a former director of television at RTÉ said of the The Late Late Show, “If I was back in charge of RTÉ, you wouldn’t see this utter shite on Friday night”.
Also in 2009, Tubridy took part in the second series of Who Do You Think You Are?
Who Do You Think You Are? (Irish TV series)
Who Do You Think You Are? is a six-part Irish genealogy documentary series that first aired on RTÉ One in 2008. In each episode, a popular Irish personality embarks on a journey to trace their family tree...
whereupon his relationship to Edward III was unearthed.
Writing
For more than €100,000 HarperCollinsHarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
signed Tubridy as part of a two-book deal. They wanted an autobiography but he persuaded them otherwise. Tubridy's first book, the 302-page long JFK in Ireland
JFK in Ireland
JFK in Ireland: Four Days That Changed a President is the title of the first book written by Irish broadcaster Ryan Tubridy. Released in 2010, it is a profile of President of the United States John F. Kennedy's 1963 visit to Ireland....
, was launched at the Mansion House, Dublin
Mansion House, Dublin
The Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin since 1715.-Features:The Mansion House's most famous features include the "Round Room", where the First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 to proclaim the Irish Declaration of Independence...
on 27 October 2010. While researching the book, he discovered that Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
had part of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's speech to Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
erased from the record after finding its content offensive. Tubridy is currently working on a second book.
Tubridy co-wrote the title track, "We Are Where We Are", of Paddy Cullivan's extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, released in October 2010. The writer and broadcaster commented: "Paddy is a pal and we would have conversations a lot over a pint of Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
". He also sang a song on The Late Late Toy Show
The Late Late Toy Show
The Late Late Toy Show—also known as The Toy Show— is an annual iconic and influential Irish institution, an edition of the world's longest-running chat show, The Late Late Show broadcast on RTÉ One in Ireland each Friday evening. The Toy Show, as it is referred to, is broadcast in late...
in 2010, becoming the first host to do such a thing.
Philanthropy
Tubridy is a UNICEF ambassador. He launched a breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
initiative in May 2009. The jumper he wore on his debut as host of The Late Late Toy Show was later auctioned for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
on the radio programme Money
Mooney (radio programme)
Mooney is an Irish radio programme broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1. Presented by Derek Mooney, the programme airs Monday to Friday from 15:00 to 16:30....
. The jumper raised €1,050. On 25 October 2011, Tubridy dressed up for Barnardos as Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz and broadcast Tubridy from Teresa's House in County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
. On 2 November 2011, he was MC and guest of honour for the launch of the Irish Film Archive Preservation Fund at the Irish Film Institute
Irish Film Institute
The Irish Film Institute is both a film theatre and a national body that supports Irish Film heritage. It maintains an archive of Irish films and provides education in film culture. It shows independent and foreign language films overlooked by commercial multiplexes at its cinema in the Temple Bar...
. The following month he helped switch on the Christmas lights on Grafton Street.
Personal life
Tubridy met his wife, the producer Anne Marie Power at RTÉ in 1997 when he spotted her in a recording studio. He later spoke of the moment they met:She was going in to make a programme, I was going out. My head turned and my life changed. I pursued her relentlessly. She used to sashay down the corridor and I was quite taken by her. She was very erudite and she made documentaries on flamencoThe couple had a daughter, Ella, and later married in 2003. Tubridy proposed in the Abbeyglen Hotel (a "favourite haunt" of his) in ClifdenFlamencoFlamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
. She was much brighter than I am and continues to be, which isn't that hard really if you digDig-Music:* Dig , an American rock bandAlbums* Dig , or the title song* Dig * Dig * Dig , or the title song* Dig...
deep enough, and I asked her out.
Clifden
Clifden is a town on the coast of County Galway, Ireland and being Connemara's largest town, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". It is located on the Owenglen River where it flows into Clifden Bay...
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
. The engagement was announced in the Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
with the words "Ella Tubridy is delighted to announce the engagement of her parents Ryan and Anne Marie". Tubridy and Power separated in 2006. They have two children, Ella and Julia. He
Whilst host of Tubridy Tonight, the presenter spoke of the public's perception of him:
"I think I am a victim of my own image. I think it's been cultivated by others for me. I live in a very ordinary semi-detached house. People only ever see me on a Saturday night on TV and I'm in a smart suit with a book-lined backdrop so that's what they think - you're Johnny smart suit with a book-lined backdrop."Referring to the type of woman he would like, Tubridy said:
"I like intelligence, I like a good conversation. I like elegance, I like a girl who is feminine without being vain, I like a little retro in terms of fashion and look and sprinkle it with a little sense of humour. I also love a girl who appreciates darkness. I'm a lot darker than people think - plenty of dark humour."
Tubridy is/was involved with Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin
Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin
Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin is an Irish schoolteacher, television personality, and singer from County Mayo, who won the 2005 Rose of Tralee contest. Ní Shúilleabháin graduated with a first-class honours degree in theoretical physics from University College Dublin in 2005 and won the Mayo Rose...
, a presenter of radio and television. He expressed his dissatisfaction when photos of the couple on a stroll at Powerscourt Waterfall
Powerscourt Waterfall
Powerscourt Waterfall is a waterfall near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, in Ireland, located in a valley surrounded by Djouce Mountain and the Great Sugar Loaf...
were used by the press and was frustrated by subsequent claims that the photos were a publicity stunt. He later told the Evening Herald
Evening Herald
The Evening Herald is a mid-market tabloid evening newspaper published in Dublin, Ireland by Independent News & Media. It is published Monday-Saturday, and has three editions — City Edition, City Final Edition and National Edition...
(in the week approaching his début as host of The Late Late Show) that Ní Shúilleabháin was "great support" and had transformed his life. In 2010 he told the same newspaper she was "my rock" since the death
Death of Gerry Ryan
The sudden death of RTÉ broadcaster Gerry Ryan occurred on 30 April 2010. He was 53. Ryan had been presenting The Gerry Ryan Show since 1988 and at the time of his death had the largest audience on RTÉ 2fm...
of friend and colleague Gerry Ryan
Gerry Ryan
Gerard "Gerry" Ryan was an Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
.
Physical appearance
Tubridy has been subject to commentary about his physical appearance. He describes himself as a "young fogeyYoung Fogey
The term young fogey was humorously applied, in British context, to some younger-generation, rather buttoned-down writers and journalists, such as Simon Heffer, Charles Moore and, for a while, A. N. Wilson...
". Podge and Rodge
Podge and Rodge
Pádraig Judas O'Leprosy and Rodraig Spartacus O'Leprosy are the two central characters on A Scare at Bedtime, an Irish adult comedy televised puppet show. Created and performed by Ciaran Morrison and Mick O'Hara, more recently, the brothers have presented The Podge and Rodge Show, a chat show in...
, a televised
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
chat show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, commented on his "stupid awkward eyes, he reminds me of the undead" and introduced him as "South Dublin on a stick" when he appeared on their TV show.
In one incident Dermot Whelan, Dave Moore and Siobhan O'Connor of radio station 98FM rewrote the Steps song "Tragedy
Tragedy (song)
"Tragedy" is a song recorded by the Bee Gees, included on their 1979 album Spirits Having Flown. The single reached number one in the UK in February 1979 and repeated the feat the following month on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...
" to include lyrics which make personal references to Tubridy before playing it on their morning radio show. The song pokes fun at his famous ears as well as his hairstyle with the line: "His ears stand up like the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, he sits in his chair chatting with Holy Communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
-style hair". Tubridy himself rang the show to congratulate Dermot, Dave and Siobhan on their achievement of "taking the mick out of him" with a song of "pure ego" that caused him to "burst out laughing when I saw it". He was less pleased when Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
, appearing as a guest on The Late Late Show, poked fun at his ears and weight; Tubridy later remarked on The Ray D'Arcy Show
The Ray D'Arcy Show
The Ray D'Arcy Show is Today FM's weekday mid-morning radio show presented by Ray D'Arcy. It is on air from 09:00–12:00 midday, competing with RTÉ 2fm's Ryan Tubridy, RTÉ Radio 1's Pat Kenny and Newstalk's Tom Dunne .The production team of Jenny Kelly, Will Hanafin and Mairead Farrell and...
: "I thought he was a bit, em, British for my liking. I won’t be buying the books [Ramsay was promoting]. In fact, I didn't take the free one".
List of interests
Tubridy supports Liverpool F.C.Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
His favourite films include The Queen
The Queen (film)
The Queen is a 2006 British drama film directed by Stephen Frears, written by Peter Morgan, and starring Helen Mirren as the title role, HM Queen Elizabeth II...
and Frost/Nixon
Frost/Nixon (film)
Frost/Nixon is a 2008 historical drama film based on the 2006 play by Peter Morgan which dramatizes the Frost/Nixon interviews of 1977. The film was directed by Ron Howard and produced for Universal Pictures by Howard, Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working...
. One of his heroes is the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
broadcaster Sir David Attenborough
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
; prior to interviewing him on Tubridy Tonight in March 2009, he spoke of how he "grew up watching his nature programmes". Noted for his passions for such things as lounge music
Lounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
, US politics (he took time off work to cheer on Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in the 2008 US presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
), Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
box sets (whom he described as "the morose and melancholic opera lover who deals with an inordinate amount of bloodshed in Oxford"), "real turf, the John Hinde
John Hinde (photographer)
John Wilfrid Hinde was an English photographer whose idealistic and nostalgic style influenced the art of postcard photography and was widely known for his meticulously planned shoots....
donkey post card kind" and buying out-of-print history books on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, Tubridy also found Gerry Ryan
Gerry Ryan
Gerard "Gerry" Ryan was an Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
humorous. Appearing on Seoige and O'Shea
Seoige
Seoige was an Irish television chat show. The show, hosted by sisters Gráinne and Sile Seoige, was broadcast live on weekdays at 16:30 on RTÉ One, with a hiatus in the summer months. Episodes were repeated at 08:20 the following weekday morning on the same channel.The programme was originally...
on 16 April 2008, Tubridy proclaimed his top three books of the previous year as The Road
The Road
The Road is a 2006 novel by the American author Cormac McCarthy.The Road may also refer to:* The Road , a 2001 Kazakhstani film* The Road , a 2009 film adaptation of the McCarthy novel...
by Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy is an American novelist and playwright. He has written ten novels, spanning the Southern Gothic, Western, and modernist genres. He received the Pulitzer Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction for The Road...
, Christine Falls
Christine Falls
Christine Falls is a waterfall on Van Trump Creek in Pierce County, Washington. The falls are feet high and are best known for having a bridge spanning the lower drop. The upper drop is high and is almost impossible to film in tandem with the oft-photographed lower tier...
by Benjamin Black and Exit Ghost
Exit Ghost
Exit Ghost is a 2007 novel by Philip Roth. It is the ninth, and Roth says his last, novel featuring Nathan Zuckerman.-Plot summary:The plot centers on Zuckerman's return home to New York after eleven years in New England. The purpose of Zuckerman's journey, which he takes the week before the 2004 U.S...
by Philip Roth
Philip Roth
Philip Milton Roth is an American novelist. He gained fame with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of Jewish-American life that earned him a National Book Award...
. He also likes the fictional comic book character Ross O'Carroll-Kelly
Ross O'Carroll-Kelly
Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is a fictional wealthy "D4" rugby union player created by journalist Paul Howard.The character first appeared in a January 1998 column in the Sunday Tribune newspaper and later transferred to The Irish Times...
.
Views on the Internet
Tubridy has expressed his disdain of self-described "anonymous cowards on the internet", those who "grab [...] under the shadowy cover of names like Catman or Twenty Rothmans or whatever", and believes WikipediaWikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
, an online encyclopedia project, is "a fact-free bull run for any passing eejit to come along and add whatever fact or fiction they desire and up it goes onto the site". He prefers books instead.
Tubridy is a former user of Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, and, with more than 60,000 followers, was described by the Irish Independent as "one of Ireland's most famous Twits". He left the social networking and microblogging
Microblogging
Microblogging is a broadcast medium in the form of blogging. A microblog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregate file size...
service on 9 August 2011, posting a late night farewell to his followers: "Dear Twitter, this is my last tweet. It's been lots of fun but I must leave. No drama, just not enough time. Thanks and take care. #goodbye. The Tubridy Radio Show and Late Late Show will have well attended Twitter accounts as I leave this curious social medium."
Awards
Meteor AwardsTubridy won the Best Irish DJ category at the 2004 Meteor Awards
2004 Meteor Awards
The 2004 Meteor Music Awards were held on Monday 1 March 2004, hosted by comedian Dara Ó Briain. It was the fourth edition of Ireland's national music awards. At the ceremony Damien Dempsey was presented with two awards, Best Folk/ Traditional Act and Best Irish Country/Roots Artist...
for his breakfast show, The Full Irish.
|-
|-
| 2004
2004 Meteor Awards
The 2004 Meteor Music Awards were held on Monday 1 March 2004, hosted by comedian Dara Ó Briain. It was the fourth edition of Ireland's national music awards. At the ceremony Damien Dempsey was presented with two awards, Best Folk/ Traditional Act and Best Irish Country/Roots Artist...
|| Ryan Tubridy || Best Irish DJ ||
|-
| 2005 || Ryan Tubridy || Best Irish DJ ||
TV Now Awards
Tubridy was named Best Male TV Presenter at the TV Now Awards
TV Now Awards
The TV Now Awards is an annual awards ceremony which takes place in Ireland...
in 2009.
He collected the award for "Favourite Irish TV Show" from girlfriend Ní Shúilleabháin, won by The Late Late Show at the 2010 awards.
|-
| 2009 || Ryan Tubridy || Best Male TV Presenter ||
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| 2010 || The Late Late Show || Favourite Irish TV Show ||
|-
Other awards
- 2009—Dubliner of the Year Award (1)
His 19th place finish in the 2009 Remus Uomo 100 Sexiest Irish Men List made headlines when his brother Garrett unexpectedly finished ahead of him in 10th.
He was named 29th most influential person of 2009 by Village
Village (magazine)
Village is an Irish current affairs magazine founded by Vincent Browne. It was launched in October 2004 and was published weekly. In January 2007, it was announced that Village Magazine would be published monthly...
.
He has been encased in wax and put on public display at a museum on Dublin's College Green
College Green
College Green is a three-sided "square" in the centre of Dublin. On its northern side is a building known today as the Bank of Ireland which until 1800 was Ireland's Parliament House. To its east stands Trinity College Dublin, the only constituent college of the University of Dublin. To its south...
.
External links
- Official website
- Ryan Tubridy's best tweets at FavstarFavstarFavstar is an online service which tracks Twitter and Twitter usage. Favstar uses data from user "favorites" - or when a Twitter post is bookmarked by individual users. As posts, or tweets, are given more stars, specific posts move up in rankings according to different criteria, including recent...
- Video interview at RTÉ.ieRte.ieRTÉ.ie is the brand name and home of RTÉ's online activities, located at the URL http://rte.ie. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. According to RTÉ, it operates on an entirely commercial basis, receiving none of the licence fee which funds much of RTÉ's activity. The site, it says, is funded...
before first edition of The Late Late ShowThe Late Late ShowThe Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...