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It's no joke: Hundreds of people have responded to this ad looking for the next Ray D'Arcy

A decision on Ray’s replacement isn’t expected before February. Interviews are set to take place in the New Year.

COMMUNICORP BOSSES HAVE been inundated with responses to the above ad seeking a replacement for Ray D’Arcy at Today FM.

The ad appeared in the Irish Independent and The Irish Times in the wake of the Kildare broadcaster’s departure from the station earlier this month.

And — in spite of the fact that the ad reads more as a love letter to D’Arcy than a standard recruitment notice — a spokesperson for Today FM said it wasn’t intended as a joke.

“I don’t really know what to say to that. The ad is the ad. It’s a recruitment ad that appeared in the national press.”

The station isn’t asking for much. Just…

  • An abundance of fearless opinions and the eloquence, intelligence and passion to express them
  • Not just to know but to be in tune with modern Ireland
  • To be able to enthrall and entertain a million people every week

Graham Hughes / Photocall Ireland! Graham Hughes / Photocall Ireland! / Photocall Ireland!

Alison Curtis has been hosting the mid-morning show following D’Arcy’s decision to return to RTÉ after 14 years in commercial radio. The Canadian, who’s stood in for Ray before, is one of several names being linked with the full-time gig.

Anton Savage and Paul McLoone have also covered for the popular broadcaster in the past. There’s also been speculation that Sean Moncrieff or Tom Dunne could make a sideways move from sister station Newstalk.

Comments by a guest on Savage Sunday the weekend before last sparked a rumour that MTV presenter Laura Whitmore could take over the hotseat. A spokesperson for the star said there was “no truth” in it.

The Today FM spokesperson said the recruitment process wouldn’t be moving forward until January, but that management were looking “both internally, at the station, and externally”.

Interviews are expected to take place in the New Year.

A radio industry source told TheJournal.ie that it would be February at the earliest before any decision is made.

Read: Ray D’Arcy is leaving Today FM for RTÉ >

More: 14 years after falling for Ireland, Alison becomes a citizen

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25 Comments
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    Mute Murph11
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    Dec 18th 2014, 8:22 AM

    Knowing how condescending and patronising darcy has become over the last couple of years, he definitely composed the ad!

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    Mute Jennie
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    Dec 18th 2014, 10:14 AM

    My hopes are on Anton Savage. I thought he covered Rays slot very well.

    121
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    Mute Patrick James Walsh
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    Dec 18th 2014, 3:02 PM

    Then again maybe not his mother, the Reverend Mother Terry Prone, that should be enough to drive listeners away even more than Darcy did.

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    Mute Séamus Ó Lochlainn
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    Dec 18th 2014, 11:00 PM

    Sean Moncrieff would be the best for the job if not a randomer I’d say.

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    Mute Francis Fakeman
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    Dec 18th 2014, 8:49 AM

    I have applied for this. If those idiots can do it I don’t see why aul Francis here couldn’t.

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    Mute CitizenSmith©
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    Dec 18th 2014, 8:18 AM

    Ray Who? Never heard of him, is he a priest or something?

    124
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    Mute Derek Smalls
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    Dec 18th 2014, 9:02 AM

    Hundreds of people whose dream it is to be the next vacuous, self-righteous, narcissistic, irritable little tw@t.
    That’s quite depressing.

    81
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    Mute joan donnellan
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    Dec 18th 2014, 1:21 PM

    Oh please please let the job go to an unknown with talent, and there are lots out there! We need a new voice/face on air.. not someone we already know and are familiar with.. Give someone else a chance to get started!

    78
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    Mute Dylan Kearns
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    Dec 18th 2014, 8:48 AM

    Laura Titmore, better to watch than listen to

    64
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    Mute Ave Tubridy
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    Dec 18th 2014, 10:16 AM

    Anyone is better than Alison curtis

    63
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    Mute Live Long
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    Dec 18th 2014, 9:48 AM

    “Not just to know but to be in tune with modern Ireland”….nearly choked on my coffee reading that one lol

    55
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    Mute John Mc Carthy
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    Dec 18th 2014, 12:24 PM

    Sean Moncrieff is the best of the lot.
    Great show on Newstalk

    37
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    Mute Larry L'Oiseau
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    Dec 18th 2014, 1:41 PM

    It’s always a little easier when mummy & daddy are well connected…

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    Mute lovelybeards
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    Dec 18th 2014, 10:54 AM

    We hope the presenter has a beard.

    32
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    Mute ed w
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    Dec 18th 2014, 11:39 AM

    It would be great if they got someone fresh in and not just off the usual merry go round.

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    Mute mrs b
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    Dec 18th 2014, 12:36 PM

    I miss ray!

    27
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    Mute pg
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    Dec 18th 2014, 11:47 AM

    If savage gets it ,I’ll never ever listen to today fm ever again … He’s absolutely awful !

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    Mute Stephen Carrick
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    Dec 18th 2014, 8:30 AM

    It has to be laura Whitmore she’s deadly

    18
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Dec 18th 2014, 8:41 AM

    Never heard of her.

    39
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    Mute Francis Fakeman
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    Dec 18th 2014, 8:50 AM

    She only got it because her eccentric Daddy owns that weird island.

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    Mute Donnacha Byrne
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    Dec 18th 2014, 10:37 AM

    She’s only deadly on the eye

    26
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    Mute Dave Spaine
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    Dec 18th 2014, 11:15 AM

    They already have the perfect replacement. Phil cawley is an excellent choice.

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    Mute Stephen Wallis
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    Dec 18th 2014, 8:42 PM

    Phil C has improved greatly in the last few years, and is a great afternoon/weekend music-&-chat DJ (and those programming slots have to be filled just as much as the breakfast/mid-morning/drive time ones), but he’s not the right (permanent) guy for the more ‘serious’ slots.

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    Mute Patrick James Walsh
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    Dec 18th 2014, 3:06 PM

    They claim that this show has a million listeners is misleading, 200,000 (maybe) daily might mean a million if you count the same listeners each day over 5 days that is.

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    Mute Raymond O' Neill
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    Dec 19th 2014, 11:20 AM

    I really hope Paul McLoone doesn’t get the gig. The last purveyor of great music on the station. To be neutered like that…
    It doesn’t bear thinking about.

    1
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