The beloved presenter will host his final show next Tuesday, marking the end of an era for Irish broadcasting
13:05, 20 Dec 2025Updated 13:12, 20 Dec 2025
Ronan Collins(Image: RTE)
In a year that has seen a number of titans of Irish media and broadcasting hang up their microphones, 2025 will also mark the retirement of RTE legend Ronan Collins.
After an illustrious 46-year career in radio, the legendary broadcaster has revealed his plans to wrap up his final show on RTE Gold next week.
The unexpected announcement was made during his appearance on The Six O’Clock Show last Friday evening.
During the interview, Collins informed hosts Brian Dowling and Katja Mia that he would be airing his last show next Tuesday, marking the end of his tenure as one of RTE’s longest-serving staff members.
He stated: “I’ll be doing my last show on RTÉ Gold after almost three years.”
RTE radio presenter Ronan Collins
Both Katja and Brian appeared taken aback by the news, with Katja exclaiming: “This is big!”.
When questioned about the difficulty of making the decision to retire, Collins responded with a smile and a nod, saying: “Well, in the nature of radio, I’ve done it now 46 and a half years, I’ve been on daily radio between 2 FM when I started Radio 2, Radio 1 for all those years, and now nearly three years on RTÉ Gold. And it’s time to stop.”
Collins bid farewell to his last show on RTÉ Radio 1 in 2022, with Louise Duffy stepping into his slot.
“And in the nature of the changes that are happening in RTÉ, it’s a good time to stop,” he added.
Previously, he had cited organisational changes as the reason for his departure from his Radio 1 show, reports RSVP Live.
“I couldn’t make an arrangement with RTÉ to continue because they wanted to go one way and I wanted to go another. And it was as simple as that,” he explained.
“But I had no complaints and there was no acrimony, no bitterness at all because I’ve done it and I loved it.
Since then, he has been presenting his daily show on RTE Gold from Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm, along with another music programme The Collins Collection on bank holidays.
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