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'I hate to go, but I'm afraid I'll have to leave': Bryan Dobson signs off on his final Six One

Dobson has presented RTÉ’s Six One News since 1996.

Updated 7.50pm

BROADCASTER BRYAN DOBSON co-presented RTÉ’s Six One News for the final time this evening, before his move to RTÉ Radio.

After an emotional tribute from his co-anchor Sharon Ní Bheoláin, and a highlights reel showing the pivotal moments in recent Irish and world history that Dobson covered over the years, he said that “it’s been a blast”.

I hate to go, but I’m afraid I have to leave. So thank you, and goodnight.

https://www.facebook.com/rtenews/videos/1851964174832576/

His colleague Sharon Ní Bheoláin took a moment at the end of tonight’s broadcast to pay tribute to her friend ‘Dobbo’ – getting a little bit teary in the process.

You’ve been a rock to us, figuratively and literally… I not going to look at you now because I know I’m going to get all teary. From my point of view, you’ve been a great friend and mentor and I’m sure the whole country joins me this evening in wishing you the very best.

After 21 years presenting RTÉ’s Six One News, Dobson will join the team of presenters on RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland on 1 November.

In addition to presenting Morning Ireland, Dobson will continue to be a presenter for RTÉ’s television coverage of special state events, such as the upcoming Budget 2018.

Dobson joined RTÉ in 1987 as a reporter with RTÉ Radio One’s This Week programme. Later that year, he was appointed RTÉ’s business correspondent, as well as presenting the television business programme Marketplace.

In 1991, he became a presenter of RTÉ’s One O’Clock News and later moved to present the Nine News programme before being appointed anchor of the Six One News in 1996.

Speaking about the move in recent weeks, Dobson said:

“I will greatly miss Six One News, but there comes a time to move on and grasp new opportunities. I am hugely looking forward to joining the Morning Ireland team and playing my part in serving our listeners.

Over many years presenting Six One News, it has been a privilege to work alongside so many talented and committed colleagues to deliver accurate, relevant and engaging news to our large audience.

“I thank our viewers for their loyalty and my colleagues for their professionalism and cheerfulness.”

The announcement of a new presenter for the Six One News is expected to be made shortly.

Dobson will join co-presenters Rachael English, Dr Gavin Jennings and Audrey Carville as a main anchor of the RTÉ Radio One programme.

With reporting from Sean Murray, Valerie Loftus

Read: RTÉ’s commercial income dropped 20% last year as sales of DVDs and CDs tumbled

More: A group of elderly Irish expats in Manchester are on a mission to save longwave radio

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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Oct 25th 2017, 2:00 PM

    I heard he has a company outside of RTE that coaches the likes of TD &Ministers on what to say when being asked questions.

    194
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    Mute Dj
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    Oct 25th 2017, 2:04 PM

    @Dave Byrne: Captain Birds Eye isn’t the only one who sells waffles.

    178
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    Mute Deano Cracow
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    Oct 25th 2017, 2:00 PM

    End of an era really. He was there a long time. Had a certain gravitas which I am sure his successor will lack.

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Oct 25th 2017, 9:21 PM

    @Deano Cracow: farewell was a bit of a damp squib given the expected eloquence for such an event

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    Mute Deano Cracow
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    Oct 26th 2017, 12:49 PM

    @Deano Cracow: Now I know I wasn’t wrong. Keelin Shanley. He will be missed.

    2
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    Mute Dara Smith
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    Oct 25th 2017, 1:46 PM

    I am still undecided whether or not I’ll miss him. He’s good at his job alright. Hope they give the job to Ray Kennedy. He’s great at it

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    Mute Gary Kavanagh
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    Oct 25th 2017, 1:55 PM

    @Dara Smith: He was a typical PC liberal who shut down discussion on any real topics

    208
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    Mute Dj
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    Oct 25th 2017, 1:57 PM

    @Dara Smith: Twink singing the news in pantomime? That extra bit of class makes all the difference.

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    Mute Grumpyoldtroll
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    Oct 25th 2017, 3:37 PM

    Any chance you could take Sharon and her Gordaí and Irish Warder stories with you Dobbo?

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    Mute Eric Gaffney
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    Oct 26th 2017, 7:51 AM

    @Grumpyoldtroll: haha, gordai. Brilliant.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Oct 25th 2017, 2:59 PM

    I will miss him every weekday evening. Best of luck.

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    Mute John O'Shea
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    Oct 25th 2017, 3:47 PM

    @Deborah Behan: I know Deborah, I know. Keep strong, your friends on the Journal are always here for you if you need to talk.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Oct 25th 2017, 9:24 PM

    @John O’Shea: eh thanks?

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    Mute Eric Gaffney
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    Oct 26th 2017, 7:52 AM

    @Deborah Behan: So you’re the viewer!!!

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    Mute Amy O Connor
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    Oct 25th 2017, 5:57 PM

    Fairwell, Dobbo. A true gent. A national treasure. Thank you for your service.

    121
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    Mute ed w
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    Oct 25th 2017, 2:04 PM

    And . This is not news. Bloke moves job

    114
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    Mute Elma Phudd
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    Oct 25th 2017, 2:21 PM

    @ed w: news about the news

    41
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    Mute Alan Curran
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    Oct 25th 2017, 10:44 PM

    @ed w: it’s about as good as the news gets on RTÉ I’m afraid channel 4 news is so much more informative

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    Mute Fred Jetson
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    Oct 25th 2017, 4:08 PM

    Oh God just please don’t make Sharon the lead anchor out of nod to political correctness. She’s hard to watch, trades on her “blond bombshell “persona, but remove the autocue, ask her to engage the brain and all of a sudden she starts tripping over her words. Plus, is English even her first language?

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    Mute Keelan O'neill
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    Oct 25th 2017, 4:32 PM

    @Fred Jetson: why would it be PC to give her the job? She’s be there for years, more qualified than anyone else.

    67
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    Mute Fred Jetson
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    Oct 25th 2017, 4:41 PM

    @Keelan O’neill:

    Typical public service mentality…just because you’ve been in the job for years, doens’t mean you’re good at the job!

    118
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    Mute Rita McCabe
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    Oct 25th 2017, 4:00 PM

    He’s gonna be a huge loss, he’s a brilliant 6pm anchor, are we going to have Sharon every night because if we are, i’m tuning out can’t abide her method of broadcasting,

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    Mute Sean
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    Oct 25th 2017, 9:06 PM

    @Rita McCabe: what, her trademark method of looking at the camera while reading from the autocue, like newsreaders the world over. Yeah, that’s some method she’s got there. She invented that all by herself.

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    Mute Vincent Sharpe
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    Oct 25th 2017, 2:33 PM

    News readers that make personal comments when reading the news should be dismissed .

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    Mute EoinM
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    Oct 25th 2017, 2:39 PM

    @Vincent Sharpe: ….. ok.

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    Mute DK
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    Oct 25th 2017, 3:25 PM

    I’m Ron Burgundy???

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    Mute Derek
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    Oct 25th 2017, 6:02 PM

    @DK:!?!

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    Mute Joseph Dempsey
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    Oct 25th 2017, 2:51 PM

    I will actually miss him, I wonder who wind up the robotic Sharon? What I can’t figure out is his move to morning Ireland? although by all accounts a handy gig, most of the current presenters seem to only work 3 mornings a week god bless them.

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    Mute Brian O Reilly
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    Oct 25th 2017, 5:06 PM

    Won’t miss him ,wish Sharon Ni Balloon was going with him ,

    63
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    Mute David Huston
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    Oct 25th 2017, 1:54 PM

    Guy who started on illegal radio station lands top radio job, Some may say.

    49
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    Mute Ne
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    Oct 25th 2017, 3:20 PM

    He’s going to be p1ssed when he finds out Morning Ireland gets shown on TV every morning.

    38
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    Mute Enda Reynolds
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    Oct 25th 2017, 8:14 PM

    Man moves from one office block to another one across the field in the same company

    35
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    Mute Bairéid Rísteard
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    Oct 26th 2017, 6:28 AM

    @Enda Reynolds: lol

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    Mute Raymond Romantschuk
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    Oct 25th 2017, 10:46 PM

    Bryan “I better not ask Bertie a difficult question” Dobson.

    29
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    Mute Tony Talbot
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    Oct 25th 2017, 10:26 PM

    He reads the news , he is overpaid , he is getting a demotion and people are crying about him . Why do you need 2 people to read it anyway and he is going to a job that appears to have 4/5 people involved .They seem to work 3 days on 2 days off and we pay for it . Lets be realistic

    33
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    Mute Jan O'Sullivan
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    Oct 25th 2017, 6:39 PM

    Ahh grew up seeing him on the tv ,will miss him,used think he was quite handsome in his early years

    18
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    Mute damien o brien
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    Oct 25th 2017, 3:26 PM

    Heard the girls are organising a whip around so he can buy himself something nice with the cash.

    26
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    Mute Damien Geoghegan
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    Oct 25th 2017, 9:55 PM

    Lovely man. Met him in Dunne’s stores once. Real gent. Enjoy radio dobbers.

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    Mute David Murphey
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    Oct 25th 2017, 2:50 PM

    I will greatly miss Six One News, which is a really cushy number.

    14
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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Oct 25th 2017, 9:19 PM

    Sharon looks like she will miss him judging by her reaction to his final farewell

    All was nay rosy in said garden for many a season and the pruning may nout yield rewards come harvest time

    12
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    Mute john kennedy
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    Oct 25th 2017, 9:29 PM

    Yawn yawn yawn

    12
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    Mute Shane Cormican
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    Oct 25th 2017, 6:16 PM

    Poor Sharon won’t get her pay increase now!!

    14
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    Mute Michael Fehily
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    Oct 25th 2017, 10:17 PM

    Irrelevant non news…

    10
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    Mute Father Hody Commody
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    Oct 25th 2017, 8:28 PM

    The next stop is Soylent Green

    8
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    Mute Vincent Sharpe
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    Oct 25th 2017, 11:25 PM

    Good Riddence.

    9
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    Mute Murf
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    Oct 28th 2017, 3:45 PM

    @Vincent Sharpe: can we get rid of Ray Darcy as well? What a boring individual with the silly laugh, what a waste of tax payers money

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    Mute Casper
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    Oct 25th 2017, 11:25 PM

    The six one news will never be the same with out you Dobbo.

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Oct 26th 2017, 2:18 AM

    Dobson Who?

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    Mute YouHaveGotToBeJoking
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    Oct 26th 2017, 10:46 AM

    Christ – he was getting €193,610 P/A – How can a news anchor be getting such a wage?!

    3
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    Mute Murf
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    Oct 28th 2017, 3:48 PM

    @YouHaveGotToBeJoking: definitely not worth that money, Kate Egan is my favourite she’s just class & ultra pretty

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    Mute Andrew Mockler
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    Oct 26th 2017, 11:55 AM

    200k a year for reading. that’s double what an astronaut earns. just let that sink in.

    3
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    Mute Brian O Reilly
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    Oct 25th 2017, 8:55 PM

    That old lick Paschal had to get his bit in ,unlike me.

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    Mute Declan Bowe
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    Oct 26th 2017, 3:09 PM

    Never liked him ,always seemed cock sure of himself and full of it ,I won’t be listening on radio either

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