Kathryn Thomas: ‘People just assume that when you're on the TV, you're loaded. I want to be able to provide for my family the way my parents did for me'
The Q102 broadcaster on life on the airwaves, her No Frontiers days and being carried off stage at the Iftas
Kathryn Thomas. Photo: Marc O'Sullivan
Aoife Rooney Today at 03:30
Kathryn Thomas is a broadcaster and television presenter from Co Carlow. She previously hosted Operation Transformation and travel show No Frontiers while working at RTÉ. She now hosts a radio show on Dublin's Q102. She lives in Dublin with her husband Padraig, their daughters Ellie and Grace, and two dogs.
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Extra.ie
2 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Lights, Gaeilge, Action! - Irish filmmaker on his family legacy of shooting movies
A young filmmaker whose debut short premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh this week is extending an established family legacy of shooting as Gaeilge – and working with legendary Hollywood director Ridley Scott. Oíche Chultúir – a boy racer-themed action short that is set in Gaeltacht-area Connemara – was well received in Galway, almost 50 years after writer/director/star Oisín Fleming's grandfather broke the mould for Irish language cinema. Bob Quinn's 1978 film Poitín, set in the same part of the world, was the first full-length feature shot entirely in the Irish language. Quinn, now 89, ran an independent cinema from his home, later immortalised in the 2004 documentary Cinegael Paradiso, directed by his son Robert and also screened in Galway this week. A young filmmaker whose debut short premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh this week is extending an established family legacy of shooting as Gaeilge. Pic: Sean Dwyer Fleming said he hasn't given much thought to the evolution of life in rural Ireland between his grandfather's film about illicit alcohol production and his own Kneecap-soundtracked caper, which deals in harder substances. But the 26-year-old has 'definitely thought about' the similarities between the films. 'I suppose it's interesting how we both made a crime film with a car chase, and kind of similar cheeky dialogue,' he explained to Fleming, who comes from Bray in Co. Wicklow, has two 'very proud grandparents' in Bob and his wife Helen, who 'helped write Bosco', so filmmaking 'definitely runs deep' in the family. Fleming, who comes from Bray in Co. Wicklow, has two 'very proud grandparents' in Bob and his wife Helen, who 'helped write Bosco', so filmmaking 'definitely runs deep' in the family. Pic: RTÉ That is true even before considering he is the son of Vikings: Valhalla director Hannah Quinn and cinematographer Tim Fleming, whose credits include Gladiator, Once and the Netflix smash Fate: The Winx Saga (which was directed by Quinn). In fact, both his parents worked on Gladiator, where the infant Fleming first shared a set with legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott, though it turned out that it would not be the last time. Fleming was a trainee assistant director on the 2021 historical epic The Last Duel, starring 'absolute gent' Matt Damon. 'I definitely was inspired by how direct he was and how calm he was and how simple it was,' Fleming said of working with Scott. 'Just don't overcomplicate it. Direct and clean [instruction] is just always better. You don't want to confuse anybody.' The emerging filmmaker has learned from his parents, too, and doesn't play down the head start he got over less-connected peers. Pic: Supplied One day of the shoot 'really sticks out', he remembered. 'It's a massive scene, 150 extras in the middle of this medieval battle. And over the walkie-talkie, they're like, 'Right, stand by, rolling.' 'And then he goes, 'Okay, wait, wait, let it cook.' And he just waits for 30 seconds, just lets the tension build just to get more out of the performance – just little things like that. 'He'd also set up a shot and say over the walkie: 'I'm painting a Vermeer.' He's an amazing artist. He's always referencing shots or paintings that he wants to recreate. I just love that.' 'I won't lie; it makes my life a lot easier because [my parents are] so well-liked. And I've actually worked with a lot of these people in my career now, that I'd been on set with as a kid. So I'm so lucky. Pic: Supplied The emerging filmmaker has learned from his parents too, and doesn't play down the head start he got over less-connected peers. 'I won't lie; it makes my life a lot easier because [my parents are] so well-liked. And I've actually worked with a lot of these people in my career now, that I'd been on set with as a kid. So I'm so lucky. 'I don't take it for granted. I've had every opportunity to move up in the industry, and I never, ever complain. I just keep my head down and work on it. When I get the nepo baby accusations, I just take it on the chin.' Fleming said he abandoned plans to go to film school after hearing from enough graduates that they 'wish they'd just started working'. Pic: Sean Dwyer Some 60 credits into a career that began at 16, his parents would appear correct in telling him they have 'only brought me to the door'. 'If I'm not good enough, there's no way I'd make it to 60 credits, I suppose,' he added. Fleming said he abandoned plans to go to film school after hearing from enough graduates that they 'wish they'd just started working'. 'They wished that they just learned on the job, because there's only so much film school can teach you, I think. And then people come out of film school maybe and they get a shock to the system, because the industry can be pretty brutal.' Both his parents contributed to Oíche Chultúir, and have mentored their son on their own jobs. 'We work really well together. My mum was definitely tough on me when she trained me first as an assistant director for my first few jobs, but I suppose she did that for a reason, to kind of shape me up. But I'd really love to work with them more.' His brother Jacob and half-brother Eoin are also pursuing film careers, following their father into cinematography. It was not his pedigree or Gaeilgeoir background that inspired Fleming to make films in Irish, but the international success of Colm Bairéad's Oscar-nominated An Cailín Ciúin – first noticed by Fleming while working on The Gone with his mother in Australia. 'All the Aussies I was with wouldn't stop going on about this little Irish film called The Quiet Girl, and I thought, 'Wow, I'm on the other side of the world, and we don't seem to be celebrating our own Irish language films as much as other people do.' 'On the way home, I did the [funding pitch for Screen Ireland] with the Kneecap track [H.O.O.D] in mind, having not known there was going to be this massive Kneecap explosion.' The band were 'reasonable' in licensing the track for use in the film, while fellow Irish-language rapper Súil Amháin requested a donation to the charity ACALI' Palestine in place of a fee. Fleming said the feedback so far has confirmed his belief that the 'tone of the Irish just feels better than the English' in his film. 'I like the cadence when you write it, and I just like the cadence of my film. I'd love to play around with that more.'
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kathryn Thomas says Liveline gig is "an amazing opportunity"
TV and radio star Kathryn Thomas has said the new Liveline host shouldn't be 'afraid to stir the pot'. RTE bosses are trialling presenters to take over the RTE Radio 1 show after Joe Duffy retired after 37 years at the station and 27 at the helm of Liveline. But the Q102 breakfast presenter, 46, thinks while age shouldn't be a factor in the new host, they should have enough experience and should be able to stir the pot when it comes to national debate. She told us: 'I think it's an incredible opportunity for anyone who gets to sit in that seat that Joe has manned immaculately and amazingly for the last number of years. 'They are huge shoes to fill and whoever goes in there needs to bring their own personality. 'You know people wanted to talk to Joe and now whoever goes in there is going to want to build a connection with the audience. It is going to take time as well. 'I do think it is an amazing opportunity. It's the line to Joe Public. 'I don't think age comes into it. Like you definitely need experience on the mic especially when you are dealing with live calls. I mean that is what the production team are there for as well, but you do need experience in terms of manning those calls from a legal perspective as well.' But the Carlow star said the new presenter needs to be a great communicator. She added: 'But also, it is connection and communication. You have to be a great communicator. You can be a great communicator at 30 or 40 or you can be a great communicator at 70 or 80. 'I really think it boils down to the right person behind the mic who will connect with the audience and trust, empathy and communication. 'That is what people loved about Joe and he was always on their side so it is about that person who has that connection and likability as well. And is not afraid to stir the pot.' Five hosts are taking over the lunchtime slot temporarily until the show announces its permanent host in August. Philip Boucher-Hayes proved to be a hit with audiences when he took over the reins for two weeks. Meanwhile, Kathryn will return to our RTE screens in August for the Rose of Tralee with co-host Daithi O Se. The pair are set to host the Kerry festival on August 18 and 19. It will be a family affair for Kathryn as she is set to present in front of her mum and her husband Padraig, who will be in the audience. She added: 'He's never been and my mam has never been because she's always left minding children so we're giving her a night out so she'll be there on the Tuesday. 'She's from Kerry, born in Kenmare, she left and is now back living there now. The Rose of Tralee would be a big one for her so I'm looking forward to having her there.' Reflecting on her career, the mum-of-two says her mother knew she wasn't 'daft' for dropping out of college, where she was studying accountancy, when she landed the role of main presenter of No Frontiers. Kathryn added: 'I think back in the day it was definitely doing No Frontiers because I dropped out of college and they were up and arms at what I did. 'I kept saying that I could go back after a year and I'll go and become an accountant, which I was never going to become but I'll go and do something with a piece of paper. 'But then when the show took off the way it did and it became the show that it became and I was made the lead presenter, I think mam realised I wasn't as they all thought I was. 'And the fact that I'm still working in what I said was only going to be a temporary job 25 years later.' Kathyrn was speaking at the launch of Uisce Eireann's national appeal which is encouraging the public to protect supplies by adopting simple water-saving practices at home, in the garden, and at work. The aim is to remind the public saving water doesn't have to be difficult. It says by making small adjustments, we can contribute to managing it more efficiently. Kathryn added: 'It is important that we all consider our water usage habits not just during the summer months but all year round. Simple changes can have a real impact and collectively we can all help maintain our water resources. 'Ellie, my seven-year-old, like in the last year or two… they're really teaching kids in school about water conservation, and she'll say things like 'mam turn off the tap' if I'm brushing my teeth. Any water that's running, she is much more aware of it than I would've been at that age.'
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
Joe Duffy goes from public service broadcaster to private detective
It hasn't taken Joe Duffy long to throw off the shackles that came with being one of RTÉ's best-known figures for decades. With a tilt at the presidency ruled out soon after his 37-year stint in Montrose ended late last month, Duffy has now gone from being a public service broadcaster to a private detective of sorts as part of a promotion for retailer Lidl. In episode one of the 'Value Beyond Belief' series, Duffy, sporting a suit and hat, enters a Lidl store as a screechy film noir style score plays, though he's more like Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun than Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep. 'I promised myself I was out. No more talk. No more questions. Just an average Joe,' he says. 'But questions, they don't take no for an answer.' The 69-year-old, the highest-paid person at RTÉ in 2023, earning €351,000, is now free to pair up with brands as his extracurricular activities no longer fall under the broadcaster's Register of External Activities. Here he is unashamedly leaning into his past work as a consumer champion on Liveline. 'Come on, Veronica. Talk to Joe,' says Duffy in one clip posted on the retailer's social media accounts, as he sits over a polygraph machine interrogating a Lidl staff member about a consumer discount case. Duffy also investigates an 'an anonymous tip from a Ballinasloe woman named Margaret Mary O'Brien' who has reported value so good that it 'must be a conspiracy'. Kennedy Summer School chairwoman Eileen Dunne at the announcement of the event's programme for 2025. Photograph: Mary Browne Trump antagonist and Gatsby celebration coming to Wexford Another RTÉ alumnus has been demonstrating there is life after the State broadcaster, with Eileen Dunne serving as chairwoman of the Kennedy Summer School, which takes place in New Ross, Co Wexford next month. The former newscaster, who retired in 2022 after more than 40 years on our screens, left some people scratching their heads when she appeared in promotional photographs for the event. She donned a flapper dress and gloves to showcase an event, which generally focuses on global affairs, Irish politics and former US president John F Kennedy, who visited his ancestral home outside New Ross in 1963. However, the choice of outfit makes more sense on reading the programme, which this year includes sessions covering the centenary of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. 'Our 2025 line-up embraces ideas that cross borders and generations, inviting us to reflect on Irish identity, global affairs, literature, and the pressing challenges of our time,' Dunne said. 'In doing so, we honour the Kennedy family's legacy by fostering rigorous debate, cultural dialogue, and a spirit of civic curiosity.' A White House staff member reaches for the microphone held by CNN's Jim Acosta as he questions US president Donald Trump. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters The event will feature interviews with author Colm Tóibín and former CNN broadcaster/Donald Trump antagonist Jim Acosta; sessions on local journalism and Stem subjects; and discussions on the changing face of Irish America and the upcoming Irish presidential election. The summer school is still going strong in its 13th year, which would have delighted its founder, Noel Whelan, the barrister and Irish Times columnist who died aged 50 in 2019. Invincible Spirit's 'remarkable' career at the Irish National Stud came to an end in 2024. Photograph: Irish National Stud Ireland's biggest stud retires Cash cow is possibly not be the right term to use when talking about horses, but the Irish National Stud is seeking a new one after the retirement of a 'living legend' from covering duties. The Co Kildare operation incurred an operating loss after tax and depreciation of more than €1.8 million last year as Invincible Spirit's 'remarkable' run came to an end. According to his profile on the stud's website, the stallion was introduced at a fee of €10,000 but 'his ability to produce fast, durable racehorses' saw this rise to €35,000, €100,000 and then €120,000 before later becoming a private matter. The stud's 2024 annual report notes how Invincible Spirit, who sired 22 individual Group 1 winners, was in 2017 responsible for some '70 per cent of the entire company's revenue'. This fell to 40 per cent in 2020 and to less than 2 per cent last year as the 28-year-old's workload wound down. Progress has been made in finding a replacement, the stud says, 'but the reality is that investments in stallions ... take time to bear fruit'. Phoenix of Spain, now 'one of the most popular stallions in Ireland', covered 217 mares last year, 'testament to the excellent results of his first crop'. As for Invincible Spirit, the stud's chief executive, Cathal Beale, says little will change for 'unquestionably the greatest stallion to have ever stood at the Irish National Stud'. 'He will live out his days being looked after by the same people, being turned out every day to the same paddock and being given the same exceptional care. He retires as a living legend.' Fans making their way to one of Zach Bryan's concerts in Dublin's Phoenix Park last month. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins O'Gorman stands up for the Green, Green Grass of Home Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman has long been keen to see that the Phoenix Park, one of the foremost amenities in his Dublin West constituency, is well looked after. 'The size of the Phoenix Park means it acts as a 'green lung' for Dublin city ... It provides a key environmental space, both for humans and wildlife,' the former minister wrote last year in response to an Office of Public Works (OPW) strategic review regarding the park. He was clearly an interested party as tens of thousands of people, many in cowboy hats and boots, descended on the park recently for country musician Zach Bryan 's run of three concerts – the first big shows staged there since 2018. So much so that, in a parliamentary question this week, O'Gorman asked Minister of State Kevin 'Boxer' Moran if he was satisfied the park 'was returned to an 'as found' condition, as was promised to residents' following the gigs. Without offering a straight yes or no, Moran said concert promoter Aiken Promotions engaged a litter collection company to pick up any related rubbish and returned the site to the OPW on June 28th 'subject to identified remedial works' due to be completed in the coming week. 'These works include grass seeding, and it will take some weeks for the grass to germinate and grow,' he said. 'All costs for these works will be covered by the concert organiser.' The single Something in the Orange helped Bryan become a household name, but it's the safe return of the Green, Green Grass of Home that O'Gorman will be looking out for.
