Though he made his name in heavyweight journalistic roles such as political correspondent and news anchor, David McCullagh has shown his versatility as host of Today (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays).
Since taking on the role last November, McCullagh has deftly handled the magazine show’s disparate elements, sounding equally comfortable with news stories and lifestyle items. Still, when the chips are down he can’t help betraying where his real priorities lie.
“There really is nothing like a proper bag of chips from a proper neighbourhood chipper,” the presenter says authoritatively, “with salt and vinegar, maybe a bit of fish, a battered sausage or a quarter-pounder.”
While the sentiment is heartfelt – it sounds like an order that’s been given many times – this isn’t a random proclamation. Rather, McCullagh is prefacing Tuesday’s segment on the future of traditional chip shops, a topic he approaches with relish – or some class of condiment, anyway.
When one texter commends the enticing smells that emanate from the chipper, McCullagh is unambivalent in his opinion: “You’ve got that right, for sure.”
McCullagh’s fondness for such grub is eclipsed by that of the DJ Thomas Crosse, who waxes lyrical about the convenience, nostalgia and “proper thick chips” of old-school takeaways. So fulsome is Crossy’s enthusiasm for deep-fried fare that McCullagh feels compelled to add a caveat. “We often do items about healthy eating on this programme,” he drily remarks.
Such half-hearted provisos aside, it’s an enjoyable item for both listener and presenter – “I’m starving now,” he concludes – that highlights not only McCullagh’s fast-food tastes but also the drolly engaged manner with which he approaches all his items.
True, he adopts a sterner mien when covering the soaring cost of home heating oil, but his acerbic humour is never far away.
Asked by McCullagh why the price of this fuel has increased eight times more here than in the rest of the EU, Kevin McPartland of Fuels for Ireland is robustly defensive. “There’s a bit of a danger here of adding two and two and getting 734½,” he says, with odd specificity. “You’re adding two and two and getting an 80 per cent rise in heating oil,” McCullagh shoots back.
The ensuing discussion follows these lines, the host sounding dubious while his guest strives to explain why prices have risen so dramatically. Kerosene is more expensive to refine than the fuels used elsewhere in Europe, McPartland says, while carbon taxes further add to costs for the customer.
He sounds a wounded note at the notion of price gouging by his sector. “I didn’t make any suggestion of any wrongdoing. I’m just trying to understand the maths,” McCullagh responds. If he sounds vaguely irritated, it’s possibly because the sums always seem to work out well for the Irish fuel industry.
The impact of oil hikes caused by the Iran war is a theme that the host pursues throughout the week. He challenges Ger Hyland of the Irish Road Haulage Association about proposed (and subsequently suspended) protests, and attempts to elicit the thoughts of an evasive Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill on targeted supports for beleaguered consumers, albeit with limited success: “I didn’t ask you for a Government response, I asked for your personal view,” he sighs in frustration.
Perhaps surprisingly, the issue of rising fuel prices doesn’t arise when the host talks to the motoring journalist Geraldine Herbert. Instead they discuss whether the touchscreens of modern cars are distracting to drivers, with Herbert noting that the tactile controls of older vehicles require less attention.
“If you’ve got a physical button you can change the radio or the heating control without taking your eyes off the road,” she observes, prompting a gentle rejoinder from her host. “We don’t want people changing the radio. Please do stay here whether you have buttons or a touchscreen.”
There’s not much danger of that. Whether he’s grilling guests or praising fried food, McCullagh’s distinctive delivery is the proper order.
Newstalk presenter Pat Kenny. Photograph: Newstalk
Having departed from his weekday morning slot in January, amid tributes and uncharacteristic hints of emotion, Pat Kenny – just like that – returns to the airwaves. “It’s good to be back,” the host says, opening the new weekend iteration of The Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, Saturday and Sunday).
Aside from the new time slot, part of a wider weekend reshuffle on Newstalk, not much has changed. Kenny seeks to replicate the content of the daily show, with even the old theme tune being retained. Kenny also promises “familiar voices”, and sure enough the biochemistry professor Luke O’Neill returns as resident science expert, discussing stress in breezy and conspicuously unstressful fashion.
More pertinently, Kenny remains a forensic and compelling broadcaster. On Saturday he talks at length with Anthony Scaramucci, in which Donald Trump’s former White House communications director – he’s now an anti-Trump pundit – offers his unvarnished insights into the US president’s personality: “He’s perhaps one of the most evil people I’ve come in contact with.”
The absorbing conversation is further enlivened by Scaramucci’s vocal appreciation of Kenny’s well-briefed – and frequent – interventions: “I love you.”
There’s more praise for the host when he speaks to Barry Keoghan on Sunday. “You legend,” the actor says by way of greeting. In truth it’s a slightly rote encounter, with more emphasis on the professional than the personal – celebrity interviews have never been Kenny’s strongest suit – but it undeniably adds a bit of stellar interest.
Good though it is to have the evergreen host back on radio, it remains to be seen if he can compete with the ratings behemoth that is Brendan O’Connor’s weekend show on RTÉ Radio 1. One certainly wonders about the wisdom of running his headline Scaramucci interview in the second hour of Saturday’s edition, which overlaps with O’Connor’s own encounter with the American pundit. It’s maybe better to pull listeners in immediately at this early stage.
Taken on its own terms, however, Kenny’s show makes a fairly seamless return – as well it might, given that the host has only been away six weeks. Indeed, so easily does Kenny slot into his new berth, and so effortlessly does he command the mic, that one forgets he’s 78. Veteran he may be, but he’s chipper as ever.
Moment of the week
With fuel costs rising, Katie Hannon and Colm Ó Mongáin uncover which kitchen appliances use the most energy on Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays). The consumer journalist Caitríona Redmond lists the least economical devices – fridges guzzle power – and the most efficient, with microwaves particularly commended.
Hannon eventually asks about the air fryer, only to learn that the ubiquitous kitchen device consumes a lot of energy. It is, Redmond points out, a small fan oven. Hearing this, Ó Mongáin strikes a gratified note. “The air fryer industrial complex is indeed an influential lobby. They’re everywhere,” he says, chuckling, with the vindicated air of a sceptic.
“Do you have one?” Hannon promptly asks. “Oh God, yes,” Ó Mongáin replies. So much for fighting the power.