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TO MARK 2FM’s 40th birthday today, RTÉ is paying tribute to the late Gerry Ryan by re-opening the Ryan Line.
The show will air from 9am to 10am this morning.
Gerry’s daughter, Lottie Ryan, who is also a radio presenter, will introduce the one-off hour-long special presented by her father.
Ryan joined RTÉ as a DJ in 1979 and brought The Gerry Ryan Show to RTÉ Radio in March 1988. For three hours every weekday morning he invited listeners to call him with their stories, problems and opinions, right up to the day of his death in April 2010.
In a clip of today’s programme, Ryan says he remembers his first day working with the station, adding that he was very nervous.
One of the most memorable radio moments from the broadcaster was his interview with rape victim Lavinia Kerwick.
After her attacker was given a suspended sentence, Kerwick gave up her anonymity after her sister rang The Gerry Ryan Show in 1993.
Lavinia went on to appear on the show to tell her story, and became the first Irish rape victim to go public.
Gerry Ryan was credited with handling the issue and Kerwick credited him with helping her to tell her story.
Speaking about it on RTÉ’s Late Late Show this year, she said Gerry was the first person she told.
“It was like sitting beside him, I didn’t realise there were 100,000s of people listening. It was very personal, he was hugely compassionate. From start to finish, I did not hear him interrupt that conversation.”
Ryan died in April 2010 at the age of 53.
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Introduced by Lottie. No thanks RTE.
@Weldoninhio: That would be €140k year Lottie to you and me.
@Weldoninhio: i stopped listening to Breakfast republic once she got on it. She tried so hard to be funny but she’s just not. Reeks of desperation. I’m newstalk all the way now, they don’t try to be something they’re not.
@williethekid: sorry she is hardly getting paid that much??
@williethekid: nepotism and Charlie alive and well in our taxpayer funded state broadcaster it seems.
@Daniel Murray: Sean Moncrieff tries desperately to be funny though and fails miserably
@Tony Donoghue: I have to disagree, Moncrief can be very funny
@Tony Donoghue: moncrief very good and funny and satirical
@James Wallace: Only when he is trying to be intelligent !
@Daniel Murray: Classic hits 4fm all the way here.. None of yer D4 accents apart from one in the background who never stops talking about Squash. Even 96fm in cork has one now..
@Sirius: diet coke
@Pl O’neill: well said
@James Wallace: Totally agree. Moncrief is a very funny guy.
@Tony Donoghue: Moncrief is gas at times.
@Daniel Murray: Yip Newstalk don’t try to be something that they are not .. and that is an unbiased Radio Station.
They are the Blueist Radio Station of them all … all pro FG esp with Coleman, Dr pain in rear and ex FGer on a Ministerial pension Yates
@Tony Donoghue: I’m with you Tony, moncrief is about as funny as a mother in laws kiss
I hope he’ll be speaking out against the cocaine culture in Ireland and the many lives it continued to destroy after his….
@Hughie Lynch: The man was obese also you don’t need to do coke to have a heart attack, know a few just ate themselves to an early grave not even hitting 40.
Wasn’t a fan, a bit too mouthy, but always bright and even entertaining sometimes. At the end of the day he was just a guy who succeeded in some parts of life and failed in others. He doesn’t deserve to be ripped apart in comments
@Sega Yolo: Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone! I listened to the show this morning and thought it was enjoyable. Judging by some on here you’d sware he invented cocaine.
@Conor Heffernan: well said
@Midland Celt: why judge the man on his failings, the example given suggests he did a lot of good ?
@keano: Exactly. But this is Ireland. We love an aul whinge. Find the negative as quickly as possible and kick. Such an awful trait in our dna.
@keano: aren’t we all judged on both the good and bad things we do? Why should Ryan be any different ?
@Damien Barton: Who are “we” to judge anyone? Don’t judge. Live and let live.
@TellingItAsItIs: of course people are judged on the things they do in life be they be good or bad things that’s life . Live and let live sounds great but it’s not reality
@Damien Barton: It can be, not everyone is so judgmental
@Damien Barton: You should give it a try.
@Tony Donoghue: yes funny thing is that Gerry himself was fond of judging others and pontificating on the national airways. It’s ironic that people are now stating that his actions should not be judged. He himself made a living out of it.
@GrumpyAulFella: no he didn’t you fool.
@keano: ok but why resurrect him?
@Marg FitzGerald: Because he brought a lot of joy into peoples lives. Because nostalgia is not a bad thing. Because many people enjoyed his show. Because that’s what tv and radio stations do. Because it does nobody no harm. Because a lot of people we’ve moved this morning by the show. Because etc etc
@Tony Donoghue: so some people have no judgment or opinion an anything ? I’ve yet to meet them
@GrumpyAulFella: exactly poor ole tony can’t see that god love him don’t judge anyone no matter there crime is good ole Tony’s motto we should do away with the courts so no need for judges or jury’s who are they to judge
About time they stopped digging this guy up.
He wasn’t even liked among his co worker, he was rude and arrogant to all. Just because you heard his voice on the radio didn’t make him a nice guy
@Dermot Hayden: so you’ve questioned all his co-workers and they all agreed?
@Dermot Hayden: how do you know this snippet of info…. Talked to all personally or was it street talk?
How did Lottie Ryan get a job in 2fm ?
@Frank Lloyd wright: the answer lies within her surname
@Frank Lloyd wright: They advertised the job in the usual places, and, despite a highly qualified candidate pool, she shone through as the most qualified with the right mix of experience, ability and personality.
Not.
@Frank Lloyd wright: beats me
@Frank Lloyd wright: Entitlement
@Frank Lloyd wright:
@Frank Lloyd wright: Guess
If Gay Byrne was the Beatles, Gerry was the Stones.
@jamesdecay: Brian Jones?
@jamesdecay: Gerry was a stones
@jamesdecay: what if Gay Byrne was Milli Vanilli?
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: you have me there…
Credit where its due. Way back in 2003 my son went missing and in desperation I rang the Ryan Line. Gerry was a huge help to us and kept in touch until he was found. I for one will not fault him.
@Dermot Browne: Jimmy Savile was estimated to have raised £40 million for charity, just because someone dose something nice dose not make them a nice person!
@Brian Kelleher: wow. A new variant of Godwin’s Law. Have you given it a name yet?
@jamesdecay: Savile’s law
I knew him. He was an excellent presenter and host on radio and tv but his private life was a mess so drugs was his way to cope.
In the end drugs destroy everyone regardless of class
@Paul: his private life was probably a mess because of his drug use
@Damien Barton: u don’t say
@Paul: wood da reel cherry rye Ann puleeze stand up ….
@Paul: Nope. Drugs can and are taken recreationally by a large percentage of the population and the majority are doing just fine.
@anthony o cathain: I do say can you not read ,poor soul ha ha
Love him or loath him (& most would claim the latter), there’s still to this day a huge Gerry Ryan sized hole in Irish radio.
He may have been “of his time” but Nobody has been able to fill the gap he left.
@sequoia: Thats because you have to “know” someone in RTE to get in. How do you think the talentless Lottie strolled straight in.
@Weldoninhio: Would you like salt n vinegar on that?
@sequoia: he wasn’t, he just copied an American radio host with the soft porn talk
@Weldoninhio: : >
@sequoia: vacuum always filled. Idiot
@sequoia: that says less about Gerry Ryan and more about the people who are presenting at 2fm today he was average and the rest are pure shite not hard give the best at anything when your surround buy clowns
I only met Gerry Ryan once. My school was featured on School Around the Corner. He struck me as very genuine and was an excellent presenter of the program. He displayed a wonderful conscientiousness, consideration and appreciation of the children both while they were on the show and off it. He made time for them and had a lovely sense of welcome about him. His attitude towards the children was very positive and he put them at their ease. Any child or audience on that show no doubt remembers him with joy and affection.
@Micheal S. O’ Ceilleachair: disagree
Great to hear Gerry again,
They should do this every Friday. He was such a fantastically entertaining broadcaster. V natural, empathetic and witty.
@Keelinover: idiot
Glorifying a cokehead…
@Sirius: plenty of coke heads getting glorified all over the world every day.
@Sirius: agree
@Rob Cahill: two wrong don’t make a right
@Brian Kelleher: that was only one wrong though…
Journal It doesn’t make sense to show comments on midnight Celt if you removed his comment.
Listening without interrupting- that’s something that Tubs could do better for sure. His program sounds like he’s been given instructions to avoid any empty air space.
Legend
@Linda Deere: idiot
@anthony o cathain: whom are you referring to?
Probably the best radio broadcaster Ireland has ever had. His private life is and was kind of irrelevant.
@J: idiot
@J: that’s not saying much like saying a irish politician was the greatest we ever had there all shite just some worse than others
Ironic the tag line is “Ryan line” considering how he died….
@Keith Grant: many have died from the devils dandruff trying to keep up with the expectations that the public had of them
The stench of chips on the thread is alarming…yet typical.
@TellingItAsItIs: just telling it as it is. Don’t like it, don’t read it.
@GrumpyAulFella: Read again. I am telling it like it is. Would you like some vinegar on that chip?
@TellingItAsItIs: no chips. I’m on a diet Groucho.
@GrumpyAulFella: that explains your mood so
@Midland Celt: you need a smack in the head pal , hows ur perfect Life going , no need for that comment .
@Declan g: Any time , Smack Head Lover….
@Declan g: major knead fer dat comment. Idiot
Very sad. Too young to die.
@Midland Celt: get off yer pedestal
@Midland Celt: well aren’t you lucky to have a a stress free worry free life. With not an ounce of sadness or depression in you. You lucky troll
Discraced Coke head, really shows how poor RTE are. And having his talent vacccum daughter on shows this.
Best ever was “Gerry, Do you know what it’s like to be a woman in her mid forties?? .. Eh well yes.. Actually I do.”
Gerry Ryan deserves no tribute, he helped fund criminal gangs, if he was a poor working class man from Darndale, he would be seen as a drug addict, everyone can agree drugs are a blight on our society, Gerry Ryan is no better than those drug dealers.
Graveyard gravitas with a large tinge of Red Top Radio….., yer only man!
Is pretentious condescending junkie too harsh? Nah
Great hearing Gerry again there will never be anyone like him again
Gerry probably single handed started the coke wars
@Conor Thorne: nah he too much of a mouth to do that prob just took it I’d say that’s all
it must have been lovely for the family
@Midland Celt:
I missed that but I use to enjoy the BBC’s Gerry Anderson and David Dunseith. I thought Gerry Anderson was far more funny…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrwp5/episodes/downloads
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dunseith
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-13985089
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-37304389
Marty Whelan was the walrus
@FastBuck: the Walrus was Paul
have your say