{"id":565638,"date":"2026-07-24T08:39:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/565638\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T08:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:39:13","slug":"unlike-joe-duffy-kieran-cuddihy-doesnt-ramp-up-the-drama-on-liveline-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/565638\/","title":{"rendered":"Unlike Joe Duffy, Kieran Cuddihy doesn\u2019t ramp up the drama on Liveline \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

For any broadcaster, the ability to see both sides of the story is a crucial skill, but it\u2019s mandatory on a show such as Liveline (RT\u00c9 Radio 1<\/a>, weekdays), where everyone basically thinks they\u2019re in the right. <\/p>\n

Even so, Kieran Cuddihy<\/a> goes above and beyond in his duty as host of the phone-in show, going one step farther by contradicting his own argument even as he makes it.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, as callers debate whether helmets and high-vis gear should be compulsory for cyclists<\/a>, Cuddihy suggests that legislating on such matters is meaningless without proper enforcement. As an example, he points to the legal requirement for lights on bikes after dark. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not enforced. The guards never stop you,\u201d he says firmly before immediately executing a sharp U-turn. \u201cActually, you know what, would you believe I was stopped on the Finglas Road about 15 years ago for not having lights on my bicycle. I got in trouble with a guard.\u201d<\/p>\n

But just as one swallow does not make a summer (though nationwide hosepipe bans probably do), so Cuddihy insists that \u201cone example of enforcement on the road\u201d doesn\u2019t invalidate his broader point. Either way, it\u2019s probably the most telling moment in the show\u2019s lengthy but inconclusive segment on the matter.<\/p>\n

While callers highlighting the benefits of safety gear are countered by those suggesting new laws might discourage people from enjoying the health advantages of cycling, Cuddihy struggles to sound enthusiastic, coming to life only when one contributor recalls how bicycles were once sold with lights powered by dynamos. <\/p>\n

\u201cI draw the line at bringing back dynamos,\u201d the host says, perking up mischievously. \u201cIt\u2019s like cycling around with the bloody brakes on.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Cuddihy is sometimes obliged to inject a bit of pace into proceedings, there are other occasions when the discussion has a compelling momentum of its own. <\/p>\n

On Monday the presenter hears Seamus describe how a gang recently attempted to rob his Co Offaly farm. After spotting the masked raiders on CCTV \u2013 \u201cFour of them going down my driveway with hammers, an axe, boltcutters, you name it\u201d \u2013 Seamus dispersed the intruders with a warning shot in the air from his shotgun, before disabling their getaway car: \u201cI shot the wheels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listening to this disturbing account, Cuddihy can muster only the most generic of questions: \u201cWhat goes through your head when you can see them outside?\u201d (\u201cIt\u2019s terrifying,\u201d comes the unsurprising reply.) <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Scramblers scourge: \u2018People are dying because of it\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Worse is to come. Seamus says it\u2019s the third occasion his farm has been robbed, with his son\u2019s motocross scramblers targeted by the same Dublin gang; he even paid a \u20ac1,000 \u201cbounty\u201d for a motorbike taken in a previous raid.<\/p>\n

By now the host sounds properly stunned, asking after his guest\u2019s welfare with powerless sincerity: \u201cAre you safe now?\u201d The answer is stark: \u201cWe are in fear for our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a harrowing tale, but seemingly not an isolated one. Brendan, a motorcycle enthusiast and podcaster, tells Cuddihy that robberies are so common among the motocross community that insuring bikes is increasingly difficult. <\/p>\n

Brendan also notes that the stolen scramblers are the same vehicles banned by \u201cGrace\u2019s law\u201d<\/a> \u2013 the legislation named after Grace Lynch, the Dublin teenager killed by such a bike in January \u2013 but adds that it has never been legal to ride these motorcycles on public roads. \u201cEnforcement of the rules is the big piece of this picture that\u2019s missing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a mantra that habitually accompanies debates on road-safety laws, one that Cuddihy himself repeats when contemplating the Government\u2019s decision to bar under-18s from riding e-scooters. \u201cWhat difference is that going to make, you might ask, given there are 13- and 14-year olds tearing around towns up and down the country with impunity,\u201d he glumly muses.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our loss is immeasurable, and I\u2019d love to save anybody from that\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Denise McDonald<\/p>\n

The host sounds understandably downbeat as he discusses such issues; his conversation with the bereaved parents Edward Gibbons and Elaine Weir about the conviction of their son Ryan\u2019s killer is suitably devastating. <\/p>\n

But unlike his predecessor, Joe Duffy \u2013 with whom he will inevitably continue to be compared for some time \u2013 Cuddihy doesn\u2019t feel the need to ramp up the dramatic or tragic element in stories where it\u2019s already evident to anyone listening. It\u2019s an understated approach, but one that counterintuitively helps Cuddihy put a distinctive stamp on his Liveline tenure.<\/p>\n

A similarly subdued yet shattering tone prevails on Tuesday\u2019s Morning Ireland (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, weekdays) when Audrey Carville talks to Denise McDonald, whose mother, Peg Bernie, was killed by an e-scooter in 2023. McDonald recalls how her mother was hit by Aaron Gumble<\/a>, who was on an e-scooter he\u2019d just stolen from the nearby Mater hospital. <\/p>\n

Despite Peg initially being able to give her name and address (Gumble fled the scene), the gravity of her injuries quickly became clear. After three days, McDonald says, \u201cwe had to take the terrible decision to turn off Mum\u2019s life support\u201d.<\/p>\n

The aftershocks of the incident didn\u2019t end there; Peg\u2019s husband, Joe, died six months later. \u201cHe just could not live without Mum,\u201d McDonald says, her otherwise remarkable composure fracturing slightly. <\/p>\n

Carville, usually an unflappable presence, also sounds moved as her guest recounts her story. Equally, the presenter doesn\u2019t shy from asking for her guest\u2019s opinion on the latest e-scooter measures. McDonald isn\u2019t optimistic about Garda capacity to enforce even partial restrictions. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe were talking about e-scooter changes three years ago when my mum was knocked down, and the situation with them is worse than ever,\u201d she says. \u201cWhilst it\u2019s encouraging, it\u2019s difficult to accept or believe that things are going to change very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tough listen, but Carville\u2019s deftly handled interview demonstrates how Morning Ireland, for all its rigid format, can still deliver stunning moments with the potential to shift the needle of public opinion. \u201cOur loss is immeasurable, and I\u2019d love to save anybody from that,\u201d McDonald mournfully concludes. There\u2019s no arguing with that.<\/p>\n

Moment of the week\"RadioRadio 1: Today presenter David McCullagh. Photograph: RT\u00c9 <\/p>\n

As presenter of Today (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, weekdays) David McCullagh is building a reputation as a connoisseur of old-school delicacies. Having recently celebrated the joys of proper chipper chips, he rhapsodises about the classic toasted special on Wednesday\u2019s show: \u201cCrisp white bread, melted cheese, a bit of ham, juicy tomato, maybe some thinly sliced onions.\u201d <\/p>\n

But as he interviews Sin\u00e9ad Sheehy and Ann N\u00ed Ch\u00edobh\u00e1in, authors of the self-explanatory volume Toasties, McCullagh hears how the once-humble sandwich has evolved, with fillings such as black pudding and blue cheese encased by the inevitable sourdough bread. <\/p>\n

McCullagh is still enticed by these more complex creations \u2013 \u201cMy mouth is watering\u201d \u2013 but is perplexed by the author\u2019s insistence on frying them. \u201cAre they actually toasted sandwiches at all? Have we been sold a pup here?\u201d he asks. <\/p>\n

Sheehy and N\u00ed Ch\u00edobh\u00e1in are insistent on the first question \u2013 they\u2019re still toasties \u2013 but leave the second unanswered. Given McCullagh\u2019s traditional tastes, however, one can safely assume the toasties are entirely canine-free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For any broadcaster, the ability to see both sides of the story is a crucial skill, but it\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507477,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[32974,47886,42,24557,24561,43,6085,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-565638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-audrey-carville","tag-david-mccullagh","tag-headlines","tag-joe-duffy","tag-kieran-cuddihy","tag-news","tag-rte","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565638","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=565638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=565638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=565638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=565638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}