{"id":283523,"date":"2026-02-06T07:33:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T07:33:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/283523\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T07:33:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T07:33:07","slug":"whats-happened-to-claire-byrne-its-as-if-shes-rocked-up-to-work-late-with-a-bag-of-cans-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/283523\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s happened to Claire Byrne? It\u2019s as if she\u2019s rocked up to work late with a bag of cans \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

She has only been on her new show<\/a> for a few days, but Claire Byrne<\/a> has settled into the role so effortlessly that she\u2019s already slacking on the job. <\/p>\n

On Wednesday\u2019s Claire Byrne Show (Newstalk<\/a>, weekdays), the host is in conspicuously high spirits as she introduces her guest Aisha Tyler, the American actor. \u201cWe\u2019re having a lovely chat here,\u201d Byrne says, just after an ad break, before adding, \u201cWe almost missed the in-cue because we were so in the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

For most broadcasters such a carefree admission would hardly be worth mentioning. But coming from Byrne, whose professionalism and poise have long been her hallmarks, it\u2019s akin to rocking up to work late while lugging a bag of cans. <\/p>\n

As the host hits it off with her guest, however, her jaunty mood seems genuine, to the point of enthusiastically interjecting when Tyler mentions spending time on the Irish set of the TV drama series Vikings. \u201cYes! Wicklow!\u201d<\/p>\n

For listeners wondering whether the former RT\u00c9<\/a> presenter\u2019s move<\/a> to Newstalk would herald a more easy-going approach, such moments seem to provide a pretty definitive answer. At the very least, the host sounds energised as she spearheads the station\u2019s new schedule, whether chatting to like-minded guests or tangling with unobliging politicians.<\/p>\n

She certainly seems on the same wavelength as Tyler, a former actor on Friends as well as a television host and director. Byrne hears her guest describe career obstacles she has encountered as a woman of colour, but she really latches on to Tyler\u2019s determination not to be deterred by setbacks, and preference of substance over style. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the tools with which to make the world a better place and we\u2019re wasting it on handbags,\u201d Tyler remarks, prompting an approving response from the host: \u201cI love it. Can we use that as the quote of the week for this show?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unsurprising that Byrne should endorse such an idealistically aspirational expression. After all, like many broadcasters, she is a driven individual: she recalled, in a recent interview, feeling that her work at RT\u00c9 Radio 1 wasn\u2019t valued after Montrose management capped her salary (at \u20ac250,000) in the wake of the Ryan Tubridy payments scandal<\/a>. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018Let\u2019s get to it!\u2019 Claire Byrne wheels out the big guns for her first day back at NewstalkOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

She again sounds engaged when talking to the barrister Caoilfhionn Gallagher<\/a>, as part of a new slot devoted to \u201cinteresting and inspiring people\u201d \u2013 a worryingly worthy-sounding description that does insufficient justice to Byrne\u2019s guest, whose achievements in the legal and human-rights fields the host obviously admires.<\/p>\n

More pertinently, however, such interviews would seem to signal Byrne\u2019s desire to stamp her identity, quickly and firmly, on the slot previously occupied by Pat Kenny<\/a>. Not the most naturally freewheeling presenter, she connects with guests such as Tyler and Gallagher to authentic effect: her Newstalk show already has a looser feel than her Radio 1 iteration. (It\u2019s also hard to imagine Kenny having the same rapport with Tyler.)<\/p>\n

That said, Byrne sticks to her customary phlegmatic yet insistent approach when covering news-oriented stories. And while her interviews seek clarity rather than conflict, she\u2019s never afraid to joust with guests who won\u2019t play ball. <\/p>\n

After members of the Irish Farmers Association<\/a> occupy the offices of Bord Bia<\/a> to demand the removal of its chairman, Larry Murrin, Byrne grows ever more impatient as the Fianna F\u00e1il TD Peter \u201cChap\u201d Cleere delivers a spectacularly evasive performance.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Cliff Taylor: Larry Murrin row is classic Irish \u2018gotcha\u2019 politicsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Asked if he supports the protest, which Bord Bia says has intimidated employees, Cleere waffles about farmers\u2019 frustration that Murrin\u2019s company imported Brazilian beef. \u201cIt\u2019s all about dialogue,\u201d he says, vaguely. \u201cIt\u2019s all about not getting an answer,\u201d Byrne sharply replies. <\/p>\n

The sparring continues in this vein, with Cleere dodging the question ever more convolutedly. \u201cIn the absence of an answer we have to conclude that you support this protest,\u201d the host says with a sigh, though even then the TD contrives to obfuscate further: a Cleere answer, indeed, though one that tells its own story. <\/p>\n

It will be interesting to see if Byrne takes her new show in a different direction, but she can still get the job done.<\/p>\n

Byrne\u2019s return to Newstalk after 15 years at RT\u00c9 isn\u2019t the only change at the Bauer Media-owned station. The revamped weekday line-up also has Anton Savage<\/a> depart his weekend berth to take over at Newstalk Breakfast, as the slot\u2019s previous incumbents Shane Coleman<\/a> and Ciara Kelly<\/a> transfer to early evenings on The Hard Shoulder.<\/p>\n

While less hyped than Byrne\u2019s arrival, this neat switcheroo seems to work well, even at this very early stage. Savage, for one, brings a wry perspective and unruffled assurance to the morning shift. <\/p>\n

A versatile performer, he moves easily between stories such as social-media companies appearing before the Oireachtas media committee \u2013 the Meta whistleblower Arturo B\u00e9jar describes his former employer\u2019s lax attitude to online safety as \u201csee no evil, hear no evil\u201d \u2013 and the cabinet\u2019s ban on scrambler bikes. The latter item features Minister of State for Transport Se\u00e1n Canney struggling to answer the host\u2019s detailed questions increasingly haplessly. <\/p>\n

If he can maintain his nifty start, Savage\u2019s solo turn could prove a bright alternative to Morning Ireland, though not quite a serious rival.<\/p>\n

Coleman and Kelly should provide more serious competition for RT\u00c9 Radio 1\u2019s Drivetime, particularly with their Montrose counterparts, Colm \u00d3 Mong\u00e1in<\/a> and Katie Hannon<\/a>, having yet to hit their stride. In contrast, the Newstalk duo arrive with an on-air relationship honed by their five years on the breakfast show. <\/p>\n

And while their patter could sound over-egged in the morning, the two presenters already sound refreshed by their new environment, and not just because they now can get up at a civilised hour.<\/p>\n

The longer, three-hour running time allows more considered segments \u2013 a debate on the Re-turn deposit scheme moves beyond predictable faultlines to tease out interesting points \u2013 while the duo\u2019s finely tuned banter has the space to unfurl in a less hurried way. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s a long way to go, of course, but so far this reshuffled deck of presenters are playing their cards right.<\/p>\n

Moment of the week<\/p>\n

Not everything has changed at Newstalk, with the station\u2019s weekday stalwart (and Irish Times columnist<\/a>) Se\u00e1n Moncrieff<\/a> remaining a dependably droll fixture. His sardonic mien is only further sharpened by the current interminable deluge: \u201cWill it ever stop raining?\u201d he plaintively asks. <\/p>\n

Further tapping into the meteorological theme, he covers the effects of inclement weather elsewhere, from iguanas dying during Florida\u2019s cold snap to natural flood-defence measures in the Netherlands, involving paving stones being replaced by plants. <\/p>\n

Moncrieff hears the climate researcher (and Irish Times contributor) Sadhbh O\u2019Neill suggest how such natural solutions might work in Ireland, in particular the way land could be used \u201cto absorb water like a sponge\u201d. <\/p>\n

The host is curious but also relieved when he has to wrap up the item as the show is over. \u201cI\u2019m glad this is at the end or I\u2019d have to read out a load of texts from angry farmers,\u201d he comments. His wit is dry, if nothing else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"She has only been on her new show for a few days, but Claire Byrne has settled into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[50861,97853,91314,6130,20166,93,61,60,12468,24558,24562,6131,6085,125027,41143,91313],"class_list":{"0":"post-283523","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-anton-savage","9":"tag-bord-bia-irish-food-board","10":"tag-ciara-kelly","11":"tag-claire-byrne","12":"tag-colm-o-mongain","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-irish-farmers-association","17":"tag-katie-hannon","18":"tag-newstalk-radio","19":"tag-pat-kenny","20":"tag-rte","21":"tag-rte-pay-controversy","22":"tag-sean-moncrieff","23":"tag-shane-coleman"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}