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Extra.ie
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
How Joe Duffy changed Ireland: From head shops to Magdalene laundries
On Friday, the Liveline finally closed – on Joe Duffy's tenure, at least – as the 69-year-old Ballyfermot-born broadcaster bade a fond farewell to his listeners. But in his final week, Joe continued to do what he has been doing best for over 27 years. On Wednesday's show his comforting and sympathetic voice guided a number of callers through one of the most harrowing experiences of their lives. It began in response to a fire in Granby Row, which reminded them of the Noyeks fire in the city centre that claimed the lives of eight people. Joe Duffy leaving RTÉ Radio Centre after presenting his final Liveline show. Pic: Andres Poveda As Joe listened, Geoff Peat recalled the horrific details of the 1972 fire on the corner of Kings Inn Street in Dublin city centre. He wept as he remembered how the fire claimed the lives of people working in the offices above the shop where the fire took place and how he and his brother Harry pulled people from the flames. Joe had been instrumental in getting a plaque erected at the site of the fire and this time he listened as Madge rang in to say Geoff was the man who had put a ladder up to her and another work colleague, allowing them to escape the flames. 'I really do thank Geoff for my life,' she told the nation. It was powerful and impactful radio which allowed the extraordinary stories of ordinary people to be heard, something that, under Joe, Liveline has become synonymous with. Joe Duffy presenting his final farewell show in Studio 1 at the RTÉ Radio Centre. Pic: Andres Poveda Throughout his tenure at the Liveline desk, Joe listened to those who had been left broken by a system that should have protected them, offering a sympathetic ear to many who were telling their stories for the first time. From social justice and tragedy to stories that had people chuckling into their afternoon cuppa, for 27 years Joe has been the instrument for extraordinary radio moments, some that have even been a catalyst for societal change. Here, we take a look at some of the Liveline chats that helped bring about change in Ireland, when talking to Joe got the nation talking in turn. Joe Duffy presenting his final farewell show in Studio 1 at the RTÉ Radio Centre. Pic: Andres Poveda It was Christmas 2009 when Joe went shopping for presents and saw a huge queue at a place he hadn't noticed before. 'I saw this queue at a shop with a window like you'd see in a petrol station and it was a head shop,' he told Morning Ireland. 'I hadn't a clue what a head shop was. It was basically drugs they were selling, let's be blunt.' Within two days of his post-Christmas return, Joe addressed the topic of so-called 'legal highs' on Liveline and discovered there were over 100 head shops in Ireland that were thriving. 'People started ringing in about the effects of this – we didn't know what they were selling,' he said of the unregulated products. It became a hot Liveline topic as people started talking about the effects the products from these stores were having and how anyone could buy them, no matter what age. Then in May 2010, the Government launched a crackdown, raiding every shop in the country and shutting them down. 'That was the power of people on Liveline, bringing this to people's attention,' Joe said. He believes this campaign was one of his best achievements behind the Liveline microphone. But he admitted that due to his role in getting these shops closed, it was the only time he was ever targeted and threatened with violence. 'A young man approached me in a multi-storey car park in Dublin city centre and made a lunge at me,' he said in a past interview. 'I thought he wanted to say hello, but he tried to punch me. He said that he owned a few head shops and that I closed down his business. Another guy did the same thing to me on Talbot Street and spat in my face saying, 'You did me out of a job.'' In January 2007, a woman using the name Rosie rang the Liveline to speak of how, as a public patient, she had been kept on a waiting list for so long that her bowel cancer had spread and was too far advanced for her treatment to be successful, while a patient who had been diagnosed at the same time was going to survive as he had private healthcare and had received scans earlier. 'I am happy he is going to live, he deserves to live, but so do I,' she told listeners. It was an emotional moment and the woman, who was subsequently revealed as Susie Long, laid bare the stark reality of public healthcare versus private healthcare. The Liveline phones were hopping as callers rang in with their own stories. Susie died of bowel cancer on October 12, 2007. Aged 42, she left behind two children, Fergus and Aine, and her husband Conor. Ten years after her death, Joe opened the Liveline again to find that despite the promises made at the time, little had changed. On that show in 2017, Dr Greg Kelly, who was practising medicine for almost four decades, told Joe that for most of his career as a GP, getting patients seen in public hospitals has been very difficult. 'The very idea that a patient is seen quicker based on their ability to pay, as opposed to their clinical, medical condition, is very wrong and is discriminatory and it's apartheid and it shouldn't be happening in a state hospital which is funded by taxpayers,' he said. It was in the midst of the pandemic, on May 5, 2021, that Joe became the person to bring the menopause into the spotlight of Irish life. Women at this stage of life found in Joe an unlikely hero as caller after caller told their own stories on air, shattering one of the major taboos around women's health in Ireland. Sallyanne Brady emailed Joe to say she lost five years of her life to the menopause, and went on air to describe her symptoms. 'I had cyclical depression, I had tinnitus, I had night sweats, I had flushes, I had migraine with aura, I had tingling, I had dizzy spells, I had all over body pain, I had vertigo, I had brian fog, I had digestive issues, I had issues with my teeth, I was permanently exhausted, I didn't sleep – the list goes on and on and on,' she said. She told how doctors had fobbed her off to the point where she became suicidal. 'I was nearly a statistic,' she said, before telling Joe that she had set up a support group for those in the same position. 'We have nearly 11,000 in it and what I have asked of you today is I want a voice for these women,' she said. 'These women have no voice. There is no help for them, there is no support.' She was horrified to find out that GPs were not trained in menopause and were 'not equipped to help half the population'. From then the floodgates opened as for the next five days women rang Joe to tell him of their own experiences and the lack of help that was available. These calls in no small part led to the announcement in September 2021 by the then Health Minister Stephen Donnelly that specialist menopause clinics would be rolled out the following year and that GPs would get training in how to spot and treat menopause-related illnesses. Since the beginning of this month, women in Ireland can get HRT for free as part of their menopause care. In no small way we have Joe and the brave women who spoke on RTÉ to thank for that. On November 2, 2022, Stephen emailed Liveline because he wanted to tell his story to rid himself 'of the shame and the guilt'. He was a student of Willow Park and Blackrock College, detailing how his mother and father had sacrificed a lot to get him there. But at the age of nine he became the victim of abuse at the hands of a teacher. His harrowing story was just one of many that emerged in the following days which led to a further inquiry being set up to examine allegations of abuse at Blackrock College. So often, Liveline was a place where those who had suffered at the hands of the Church and State were given space to tell their stories. Anne from Kilkenny told Joe in 2018 that her twin brother Joey, 51, had been abused in the industrial school they were both placed into. 'It's very hard to get the picture of my twin brother being bate every morning for wetting the bed… It's very hard to get that image out of my head,' she said. Anne told how the abuse her brother suffered led to a life of addiction before his untimely death. Anne's own story was just as tragic – she ended up in Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork at a young age, expecting twins who were subsequently put up for adoption. Three weeks after her brother's death, she was able to meet one of her daughters. 'It was lovely [meeting her], but it's not like what you see on the television, Long Lost Families, hugs and kisses,' she said. 'It might be for some of them, but there's an awful lot of mixed emotions. You give up those children as babies, and all of a sudden you walk into a hotel, scanning the corridor, the lobby area to pick out, I wonder which one is she? That is terrible for anyone to go through that. 'I told her my story and she understood and thanked me for giving her the life she had. It was lovely, but it's very hard to build a relationship. And the Church is there saying sorry for that.' In 2003, Imelda Murphy called to talk to Joe from the US. She had been previously forced to work at a Magdalene laundry. 'She said she had just discovered that a woman she worked with in the Magdalene laundry had died six weeks earlier and she did not want her buried in the communal [burial] plot in Glasnevin,' Joe said earlier this year. 'She wanted Margaret to have her own individual grave with her name on it and her own headstone. By the end of the programme, Margaret's two daughters had phoned in – two girls she gave birth to while in the Magdalene laundry – to say, 'we didn't know our mother was dead. We didn't know our mother had died eight weeks ago.' That was jaw-dropping.' Margaret's daughter Samantha later thanked Joe for 'effecting societal change in Ireland'. 'We first phoned in 2003, when we had found out live on your programme that our birth mother was dead and we weren't informed,' she said. 'She never got out of the institution, she was in there for 49 years altogether, impregnated in care. But when we first made that call after her friend highlighted the appalling vista of her being buried with so many other people – that, Joe, lit a spark and that spark turned into a fire and that fire was lit under the church and State in Ireland. That led to a massive national campaign.' Liveline hasn't all been doom and gloom though – Fiver Friday has always been a high point in the Liveline calendar. Fridays have normally been a day of fun with comedians and musicians like Syl Fox, Brendan O'Carroll, June Rodgers, Brush Shiels and many more gathering for a celebration to lighten the mood. It has always been a way of encouraging Irish people to spend that extra fiver in their local shops and a way for local businesses to offer discounts to customers, helping to boost the coffers of small Irish businesses and giving listeners a welcome start to the weekend.
The Journal
a day ago
- The Journal
How Joe Duffy shut down head shops (and why all drugs were legalised for one weird day in 2015)
AFTER OVER 25 years in the Liveline hotseat, Joe Duffy, one of Ireland's most recognisable and influential voices on radio, will hang up his mic for the last time this afternoon. From scandalising the nation after the release of Normal People , to '51551 Wash yer hands' , Joe has brought us countless iconic moments over the years. But younger readers may not recall Joe's instrumental role in Ireland accidentally legalising ecstasy and ketamine for a day. It was 10 March 2015, and thanks to a ruling from the Court of Appeal which deemed the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 unconstitutional, Ireland made international headlines for accidentally making drugs such as ecstacy, ketamine and meth legal for 24 hours. Okay, okay, it wasn't fully Joe's doing, but the court decision arose from a series of events put in motion in large part thanks to Joe's relentless and passionate campaigning against Ireland's head shops. Head shops began popping up at scale across Ireland in late 2009, selling potent drugs such as mephedrone and synthetic cannabinoids. These drugs were not illegal under Irish legislation at the time. At the time, young people in Ireland had become the biggest users of head shop drugs in Europe. A protest against headshops outside Leinster House in March 2010. Reflecting on that period this morning, Joe told RTÉ Radio 1′s Morning Ireland that he first came across a head shop while walking down Dublin's Talbot Street around Christmas 2009. 'I saw this queue at the shop, at a window like you see at a petrol station, and it was a head shop. Advertisement 'I hadn't a clue what a head shop was. I hadn't a clue, and I asked 'What are these guys selling?' And they were basically drugs they were selling. Let's be blunt.' Joe went on to explain how he mentioned it on Liveline on his first day back after Christmas in January. 'We discovered within two days, there was over 100 head shops thriving in Ireland, thriving. And then people start ringing in about the effects of this. We didn't know what they were selling, unregulated. Unbelievable. Making massive, massive profits.' Five months later, on 10 May 201o, Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Brian Cowen clamped down on the shops by declaring a list of over 100 psychoactive drugs to be controlled substances under the 1977 Misuse of Drugs Act. Taoiseach Brian Cowen announcing the legislation. May, 2010. It had an immediate effect. Gardaí raided head shops across the country and, within weeks, the number of head shops in Ireland fell from 102 to 36. Joe put this down to the power of politics, but also to the power of people on Liveline, who brought the issue to the nation's attention. The veteran broadcaster stuck with the story. In 2015, a caller, Paul Hodkinson, talked to Joe about the death of his brother Colm after he took magic mushrooms in 2005. Joe said his campaign against head shops was the only thing he's done over the years with Liveline that brought real risk to him. 'I was physically threatened twice, once in an underground car park by a guy who obviously owned a head shop and was out a lot of money. And another [time] I was spat at on Gardiner Street by another head shop person. 'But that's my job, I was trying to be mediator. But on the head shop thing, I did get very passionate,' he admitted. In the lead up to the government's clampdown, protests against new head shops were common, with some also held outside Dáil Éireann. Related Reads Joe Duffy leaves window open on Áras run as he closes door on RTÉ career Joe Duffy interview: 'We've more people than ever calling. The biggest decision you make is who not to put on air. That can be heartbreaking.' 'Now I couldn't go on any of the protests. But what I can say, there was a plan to open a head shop in Clontarf. Obviously, I couldn't go on that protest, but I painted every single placard that was used in that protest that day,' Joe recalled. Despite the success of the Liveline campaign, not everyone recalls Joe's interventions on drugs policy fondly. In 2010, calls to ban head shops were labelled as 'Joe Duffy-created hysteria' by then Labour councillor Dermot Looney. Protest outside Leinster House. March, 2010. Others, like criminal justice lecturer at Maynooth University, Dr Cian Ó Concubhair, take the view that Joe contributed to a wave of 'moral panic' related to drug use in Ireland. Despite these criticisms, research carried out by Trinity College Dublin in 2020 suggests that the closure of Ireland's headshops led to a drop in drug-related emergency room admissions. At the height of head shop activity in the first eight months of 2010, the rate of drug-related admissions were 9% higher than the same period in 2008. Two years later, in 2012, admissions were over 30% lower, with the decline beginning in June 2010, the month after the government passed its legislation. In Joe's own view, his campaign against head shops was Liveline's 'best achievement'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
RTÉ's Joe Duffy kicks off final Liveline show as callers include Taoiseach Micheal Martin
There was an audience present in RTÉ Studio 1 for his final show, including past callers and former colleagues. Taoiseach Micheal Martin called in to thank Duffy for giving the public a voice, spoke about their friendship and his kindness after the death of his daughter. 'Thank you sincerely, you are and were the voice of the people. You gave the people a platform,' he said. Meanwhile, Duffy has played down rumours that he will launch a presidential bid. He will host the show, which he has fronted since 1998, for the final time this afternoon. Despite speculation that the veteran broadcaster would be well-placed to enter the race to succeed President Michael D Higgins later this year, Duffy said he has not been asked to run. Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the Liveline host said: "Ah no, I could see the Áras from Claddagh Green [in Ballyfermot], I'd say that's the closest I'll ever get to it.' Asked whether he has been approached about mounting a presidential bid, he said: 'Ah no, I haven't. No, I haven't. "And even if… I'm still a part of RTÉ until Monday, effectively, and if I say…if I had... Anyway, no, I will not lose the run of myself. I will not lose the run of myself. "There's some great, great names that have been mentioned so far.' Learn more Tánaiste Simon Harris is among those paying tribute to the presenter ahead of his last show today today, describing it as 'the end of an era'. In a letter to the veteran broadcaster, he said: 'I know today is a day of mixed emotions for you and your family as it marks the end of one chapter and the start of a new one. 'I know I can speak for many of us when I say you will be sorely missed.' He said Duffy has served as 'a friend, a therapist, an advocate, and a voice for many people across the country every lunchtime' and hopes he knows the impact his work has had. The broadcaster reflected on some of the major issues covered on the show while he was at the helm, including how it contributed to the closure of "head shops' in 2010. "The head shop campaign was the only time – out of all the things we've done over the years thanks to the listeners – that I was physically threatened,' he said. Earlier this morning speaking to Morning Ireland, Duffy said he was threatened twice – once in an underground car park and another on the street when he was 'spat at'. He said it was an issue he was 'very passionate about' and while he couldn't go to the protests, he "painted every single placard" for an event held in Clontarf. "It's the voices on Liveline. The less I talk the better, I find. It's the voices of the callers and it's a privilege.' He said his career in RTÉ started 'almost accidentally' as he was working as a probation officer with the hopes of becoming a producer when he became a reporter for Gay Byrne's programme. Duffy said he received a number of letters in the early days of being on air for his Ballyfermot accent, but that Byrne was 'such a supporter'. "He was very private. And we bounced off each other. He used to give out to me when he retired, he used to text me on Liveline, giving out to me.' He added that Byrne was 'so intense' on the idea that it was the public that 'pay our wages'. Byrne told him: "People trust us, keep it that way. Stop on the street if people want to chat to you, what's the big deal? Just stop, enjoy." 'And I do – I do like meeting people and I do like being on the Luas and talking to people, and being on the 130 and talking to people,' Duffy added. Duffy said he made a habit of sending cards to those who called in to the show to thank them, describing it as 'a joy'. During yesterday's show, listeners were calling to say goodbye to him and wish him a good retirement, while the presenter teased today's programme and described it as "special". "I know nothing about it. I will be here, and I hope you will join us," he said. Speaking during the show in May, when he announced he would retire at the end of June, he said: "After 37 wonderful years here in RTÉ, and 27 years presenting Liveline, it has been an incredible honour and privilege to be part of a programme that relied entirely on trust: the trust of our listeners. "People felt they could pick up the phone, ring Liveline, and share their lives, problems, stories – sad, bad, sometimes mad and funny, their struggles, and their victories. "I never took that for granted, not for a single minute. RTÉ has been a great place to work. Public service has always been at its heart. And now, after many happy years, I've decided the time has come to move on. "I would like to thank you the listener for tuning in each and every day. It has been an honour to sit in this seat and hear your stories.' Born in January 1956, in Mountjoy Square, Dublin, and raised in Ballyfermot, Duffy originally pursued social work at Trinity College Dublin (TCD). He became one of the first from his area to go to TCD and was actively involved in student politics and went on to serve as President of the Union of Students in Ireland. He led protests on campus, highlighting access to education, and spent two weeks in Mountjoy Prison as a result. After working in the probation service, he joined RTÉ as a radio producer in 1989 and made his name on The Gay Byrne Show. He presented programmes like Soundbyte before taking over Liveline in 1998. In his 27 years in the Liveline hot seat, both Duffy and the programme itself have become national institutions, with the programme frequently attracting 400,000 listeners. RTÉ Radio One's flagship phone-in show will now welcome a new host, with Katie Hannon tipped to take over from Duffy, who she has regularly filled in for in recent years. The speculations increased after it was announced on Tuesday that the Upfront with Katie Hannon TV show will not return in September, possibly paving the way for her to take over the Liveline gig. It is understood that a stand-in presenter will host the show on Monday, with the permanent successor being announced over the summer.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Joe Duffy Liveline slot latest as replacement finally confirmed for star's 1st week off air & future host hunt heats up
JOE Duffy's Liveline replacement has finally been confirmed for the star's first week off air. The legendary broadcaster is gearing up for his 2 Joe is finishing up on air this afternoon Credit: RTE 2 Philip Boucher-Hayes is filling in on Liveline next week Credit: RTE Speculation has been rife over who will be replacing Joe ever since his departure announcement. The 69-year-old appeared on Morning Ireland today and confirmed that there will be no Liveline break and it'll be back on air on Monday. And it's been revealed in the RTE Radio 1 schedule that Countrywide host Philip Boucher-Hayes will be hosting the programme all next week. read more on joe duffy The renowned reporter has previously filled in on Liveline in Joe's absence. The Kildare native joined the national station in 1993 when he began reporting on RTE Radio 1's Five Seven Live and RTE 2FM's The Gerry Ryan Show before producing The Gay Byrne Show. In 1997, he moved to Today FM before rejoining the RTE Radio 1 team just one year later. Philip Most read in Celebrity And he's also worked across several documentaries and series on RTE TV including Hot Air: Ireland's Climate Crisis,The Du Plantier Affair, What's Ireland Eating and Future Shock: The Last Drop, alongside the lifestyle and consumer series What Are You Eating? and Buyer Beware. RTE star makes hilarious response to Joe Duffy replacement rumours RTE have yet to disclose Joe's permanent successor but have told listeners to expect an announcement in the autumn after they run a process to decide over the coming months. However, rumours that Katie Hannon will be taking on the gig went into overdrive following a bombshell announcement. RTE chiefs confirmed that its flagship Monday night current affairs series, Upfront with Katie Hannon, after three seasons on air. Hannon — currently the 1/5 odds-on fave with 'VERY PROUD' She will also host a new TV series ahead of the Presidential election, which must take place by November. In a statement, Hannon, 53, said: 'I'm very proud of what we achieved on Upfront. "We managed to buck the international trend and actually grew our audience on linear television and our digital footprint. "It was a privilege to work with our small team of talented and hardworking colleagues led by our editor Janet Traynor. 'I also want to thank all of those who came into our studio and trusted us with their stories and contributed to the national conversation on the issues that matter to all of us. "I'm disappointed that we won't be able to keep that conversation going.'
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Joe Duffy has his say on Áras bid rumours
Joe Duffy has teased what is next for him as he prepares for his final Liveline. Joe announced that he would be retiring from RTÉ after 27 years at the helm of Liveline last month, with his final show set to take place on Friday (June 27). Speaking to Morning Ireland ahead of his swan song on Friday, Joe teased what was next for him following his departure from the airwaves — including if he'd chance his arm at the upcoming Presidential election. Joe Duffy has teased what is next for him as he prepares for his final Liveline. Pic: RTÉ However, Joe ruled himself out, saying: 'I can see the Áras from Claddagh Green, that's the closest I'll ever get to it. 'I'm still a part of RTÉ effectively until Monday, so no. I won't lose the run of myself… there's some great names being mentioned so far.' As for what he'll (actually) do post-Liveline, Joe said that he's working on a new book about corporal punishment in Ireland, a topic that he covered extensively on his show. After 27 years answering the phones at RTÉ (his mum's words, not ours), Joe will be hanging up the mic on Friday afternoon. Pic: Mary Browne via RTÉ 'The stories are just horrific, beyond horrific, of corporal punishment, but even what went on in schools was horrific… it was abolished here in 1972 but it still went on. It was rampant in our schools.' Tributes have begun pouring in for Joe ahead of his final Liveline, with his former coworker Ryan Tubridy sharing a sweet pic of the pair in simpler times, as Tubs paid tribute to 'his old mucker.' 'My old mucker, the great Joe Duffy hangs up his current microphone today,' Ryan wrote on his Instagram story. 'Truly one of the greats and bold as brass with with it. Have a fun last show and we'll raise a glass later.' Ryan Tubridy shared a lovely pic of him and Joe to his Instagram story, bidding farewell to his 'old mucker.' Pic: Ryan Tubridy/Instagram Joe's final Liveline will take place at 1.45pm on RTÉ Radio One.
