Byrne will host the 9am morning show on NewstalkPat Kenny will move to a weekend presenting slotDavid McCullagh to host the Today programme on RTÉ Radio 1
Kenny meanwhile has revealed that his Newstalk show is moving to weekends in the new year, in a major shake-up on Irish airwaves.
Byrne took over the Today programme from Sean O’Rourke in 2020 and has previously hosted Claire Byrne Live on RTÉ One for more than seven years.
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – Friday, August 29
Her 10am-12pm Monday to Friday radio slot will be taken over by David McCullagh later this year.
In a statement to RTE, Ms Byrne said: “This new chapter marks a really significant milestone for me in my career, and I’m thrilled to be doing it with the vibrant team and listeners at Newstalk as they continue to thrive and cement their position in the Irish media landscape.”
The move marks a major change for the country’s most popular commercial radio programme at Newstalk, which Kenny has presented since he himself made the move from RTÉ to Newstalk in 2013.
Speaking on the show on Friday, he confirmed his contract with the station would run into 2026.
Kenny will continue to host his current Monday to Friday slot from 9am to 12pm for now and it has also been announced he has “a number of other ventures planned with Newstalk and Bauer” to be revealed at a later date.
He will also be joining the board of Bauer Media Audio Ireland.
“I want to share a little bit of news with you,” he told listeners on The Pat Kenny Show on Friday. “I’ve just extended my Newstalk contract into 2026 so this show will continue unchanged into the new year but in the spring of next year, I’m moving the Pat Kenny Show to the weekends, Saturday and Sunday, where I hope to make a big impact for the station.
“So, the reason for saying this is I just want to thank all of you for helping to make this show the biggest show on commercial radio. But for now, the shows goes on.”
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – Friday, August 29
Kenny’s mid-morning slot on Newstalk has become the most popular programme on Irish commercial radio, with an audience of 216,000 in the most recent JNLRs.
He was inducted into the IMRO Hall of Fame in 2018 and has won the gold award for IMRO current affairs programme of the year three times.
Before making the move to Newstalk, Kenny was the host of RTÉ’s Late Late Show from 1999 to 2009 and presented Today with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio One until his departure from the national broadcaster 12 years ago.
“Pat Kenny has been instrumental in the development and growth of Newstalk and propelled the audience of the station to new heights. We are really looking forward to continuing to deliver amazing radio with Pat that audiences love and tune in to in record numbers,” Newstalk managing editor Eric Moylan said.
Plans for Newstalk’s schedule are set to be announced by the station “in due course”.
This article was amended on August 29, 2025, to correct the spelling of David McCullagh’s surname.