RTE legend Joe Duffy praises callers as he presents his final Liveline

Independent

19 hours ago

Veteran broadcaster Joe Duffy has presented his final episode of RTE 's iconic phone-in show, Liveline, bringing to a close a distinguished 27-year tenure at the helm. During his last broadcast on Friday afternoon, the Ballyfermot native paid tribute to the callers who have shaped the programme over the decades.
Mr Duffy, 69, is stepping down after 37 years with the national broadcaster. His long-running show, Liveline, has become a pivotal reflection of Irish life, serving as a unique forum for everyday grievances, facilitating the reunion of long-lost family members, and playing a crucial role in exposing societal injustices.
Known for his plain-spoken approach as an on-air umpire for often heated debates, Mr Duffy has frequently expressed personal motivation stemming from the sensitive topics covered on the programme. These have included the tragic deaths of children during the 1916 Rising and the harrowing testimonies of survivors of institutional abuse.
He has written books including Children Of The Rising and Children Of The Troubles.
'It will go on. Liveline is on today, but it's on on Monday as well,' Duffy told RTE Radio ahead of his last programme at 1.45pm on Friday.
He added: 'It's the voices on Liveline; the less I talk the better, I find.
'We (the media) are still trusted. In the main we are still trusted, unlike other countries.
'They're all part of our daily discourse, which is great and I hope that continues.'
During his last programme, Duffy was praised by musician Brush Shiels as 'a voice for the voiceless' and he was thanked by people whose lives had been changed because of him and Liveline.
Irish premier Micheal Martin called in to praise his kindness, and said it would often happen that civil servants would run into him and say 'Liveline's gone mad, we've got to do this that and the other'.
'You were and are the voice of the people, you were authentic, you gave the people a platform, and I think you never left your roots,' he told the broadcaster.
'Your working-class background stood to you, the values that your parents and your family gave to you, I think, were the reason why you had a unique capacity to mediate between the people and authority to tell their stories.'
When Mr Martin said 'I've known you going back to my student days, where you taught me a few things when I was a student activist', Duffy quipped: 'You forgot that quick enough now.'
Mr Martin continued: 'Your personal acts of kindness have always been quite extraordinary, and something that has touched our family quite a lot.'
Mr Martin said that Duffy had taken photos of him with his daughter Leana, who died aged seven in 2010, at a crab fishing competition in Courtmacsherry, which were now 'treasured' by him and his family.
'I think it's your kindness and your compassion that rings through on the radio.'
Duffy joined RTE as a radio producer in 1989 and came to prominence as a reporter on the Gay Byrne Show.
He presented programmes such as Soundbyte before taking over Liveline from Marian Finucane in 1998, attracting some 400,000 listeners to the phone-in programme.
After Ryan Tubridy's departure from RTE in 2023, following governance and financial controversies at the station, Duffy became RTE's top earner on 351,000 euro.
He said his working-class Dublin accent on the national broadcaster had prompted some 'green-ink letters' of complaint when he started, some of which were internal.
Among Liveline's most famous episodes were callers giving their thoughts on the television series Normal People, people sharing stories of corporal punishment in Ireland over the decades, women phoning in about menopause and a row Duffy had with Brian Warfield, from the Wolfe Tones, about the song Celtic Symphony.
Duffy said the only time he has been physically threatened during his tenure was over discussions about the closure of 'headshops', which sold drugs paraphernalia, where he said a man confronted him in a car park.
Asked about whether he would run for the presidency in the autumn, Duffy said: 'I will not lose the run of myself.'
'I can see the Aras from Claddagh Green, I'd say that's the closest I'll ever get to it.'
The Minister for Culture and Media Patrick O'Donovan tribute to Duffy for giving a voice to people.
'As the voice of Liveline since 1998, he has helped to start many important conversations in this country, to give a voice to those who were suffering and to those who were vulnerable.
'He has helped us to share in moments of national pride and national mourning, and he has been a consistent part of the daily lives of thousands of listeners across the country for decades.
'From challenging injustices, to celebrating moments of unbridled joy, for 27 years on Liveline and across 37 years with RTE, Joe's commitment to public service broadcasting has been unwavering.
'While he may be stepping back from the daily microphone, his legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire.'