Newstalk Breakfast radio presenter Ciara Kelly discusses the Tommy Fleming interview that became the most listened-to podcast in the station’s history
Tommy Fleming and Ciara Kelly(Image: Instagram)
Since stepping away from medicine and transitioning into media full-time back in 2017, Ciara Kelly has emerged as one of the most recognisable voices on radio.
Never one to shy away from voicing her views, even when they prove unpopular, the Newstalk Breakfast presenter’s candid style has earned her a devoted following of listeners.
A major interview that Ciara conducted recently featured Sligo singer Tommy Fleming. Ciara spoke to reports RSVP Live recently about how the conversation came together.
“Tommy’s people reached out. He wanted to tell his story. That story was breaking online, but in a very unseemly kind of way,” she told the publication.
Ciara Kelly for RSVP Magazine(Image: Kate Nolan)
“He recognised it was going to be very difficult to say nothing, so he wanted to say something. We were lucky enough that he decided to place his story with us and in my hands.”
What was it like interviewing Tommy on such a deeply personal subject? “I was extremely conscious of the sensitivities of it. Both for Tommy – he has had a terrible time of it, there’s no question – but also for his family. There’s a lot of hurt in general there. I was conscious of trying to allow him to tell his story and to let that story come out in as sensitive a way as possible. I tried to insert myself into that interview as little as possible.”
The reaction to the interview was huge. “That interview is the biggest [most listened to] podcast in the history of the station. It was on the front page of every newspaper in the country. RTÉ radio shows covered it. On the day, we got hundreds of texts from people.
Tommy Fleming spoke out during an in-depth interview with Newstalk last month(Image: Newstalk)
“The vast majority were very supportive. A lot of people understood the sadness and complexity of all of it. We also got a lot of texts from older gay men who are still in the closet, or older men who came out in later years and they talked about the burdens they faced.
“My daughter is gay and she was in a gay club in Dublin called Mother the Saturday night after the interview. The whole club, which was filled with young people, was talking about it. People came up to her and were like, ‘Are you Ciara Kelly’s daughter?’. She was laughing, saying she never usually gets asked that question.
“She was thankful that I covered it. It’s important to remember that it still is an issue for many people.”
To read the full interview with Ciara and see all the stunning photos, pick up a copy of RSVP’s June issue, on shelves now.
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