The long shadow which Gay Byrne casts across the history of Irish broadcasting is often reduced in the telling to a handful of key moments which are deemed to represent landmarks in the opening up of Irish society from the 1960s onwards. Paradoxically, despite the fact he was sui generis, the people who run Irish broadcasting continue to dream of replicating his unique blend of all the talents. His broadcasting heyday almost exactly matched the period when free-to-air national broadcasting exerted its greatest power on the national imagination. Gallery Gay Byrne: A life in pictures VIEW NOWKeen studentByrne was a keen student. Unique stylistic traitsIn Byrne’s hands, The Late Late Show developed its own unique stylistic traits.

Source: The Irish Times November 04, 2019 15:37 UTC