CLAIRE BYRNE KICKED off her new show on Newstalk by reminding listeners that it’s not her first time at the station but went on to seamlessly transfer the show she built on RTÉ Radio 1 to its new home. 

Byrne was a co-host on Newstalk Breakfast once upon a time before heading to RTÉ 15 years ago. She’s now back on Newstalk each day from 9am to midday as a replacement for Pat Kenny, who is moving to weekends. 

It’s part of Newstalk’s new schedule which launches today and also includes changes to morning and afternoon line-ups. 

The line-up for the first show of Byrne’s big return was reportedly the subject of much discussion in Marconi House but judging by today at least, those who listened to Byrne’s RTÉ radio show for the past five years will be well accustomed to the tone. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was first up to be interviewed, wishing Byrne luck on her “new adventure”, with a follow-up interview with Blackrock College abuse survivor David Ryan who yesterday met with Pope Leo.

With the news out of the way Byrne moved on to the news adjacent topics, with an advice segment on dealing with relatives who don’t share your politics. 

Speaking of, Byrne also trailed an interview with “Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor” who told us in a teaser clip that the public “don’t know” the Trump he knows as a “wonderful husband” who loves his wife and the American people. 

Her RTÉ show did occasionally use pre-recorded interviews but would never advertise that fact by way of playing an advance clip. Newstalk did this in the case of David Ryan and the “spiritual advisor” too.

Pre-recording more interviews is probably required because of the extra hour of air to fill – and isn’t necessarily a bad thing – but is worth nothing as a point of difference. 

Another interview teased in-show was with actor Colm Meaney, advertised by way of the famous clip from the Snapper featuring the weights of turkeys and newborn babies. A people pleaser if ever there was one.  

Meaney spoke about what it’s like to live in the US in the current atmosphere and his hope to move back to Ireland. He also took aim at the Irish government, criticising its response to the housing crisis.

It wasn’t quite on the level of Brendan Gleeson having a go at the health service if that was the aim but it was nice to hear from Meaney all the same.

He even managed to say he was happy to be on Byrne’s “maiden voyage”, which was hopefully a Star Trek reference rather than a Titanic one. 

Light and shade

Byrne’s skill as a broadcaster is her ability to change gears and conduct news and politics interviews before moving into the lighter side of life, be it in advice segments or in more offbeat interviews. 

RTÉ had on occasion leaned into this a bit too much over the years, with Byrne’s TV vehicle Claire Byrne Live sometimes crossing the line into wacky, especially during the Covid years. Even in the latter months of her radio show, a segment about dealing with ingrown toenails caused one colleague in The Journal’s office to literally switch off. 

Nevertheless, it’s a formula that RTÉ have been slow to jettison with her replacement David McCullagh following a similar approach in the almost three months his show has been going since Byrne left. 

Achieving the balance is key though. On McCullagh’s first show, he secured an exclusive interview with Ivan Yates, who was in the middle of his own news storm at the time. 

Byrne’s interview with the Taoiseach can’t quite be considered as much of a “get”, seeing as it’s a bit more run of the mill. We’ve heard the two of them speak a lot over the years. 

Indeed, Byrne asked him what he’d like to have achieved before he rotates out of the position in 2027, before adding that she hopes to have him on again plenty of times before that. 

There were a couple of good lines from the chat with Martin but it was very much standard fare. 

Real-time

The programme did show some good reactive instincts in getting Dublin City Council chief executive Richard Shakespeare on the line to discuss comments he made in the Irish Independent about people “scavenging” in bins for Re-turn bottles and cans. 

Shakespeare was a little more reserved than in the reported comments and disappointingly wasn’t pushed on some of the language he used but it was at least solid news-driven broadcasting. 

The interview with Pastor Mark Burns was a bit of a culture war argument if you’re into that kind of thing, with Burns saying he was “well prepared” for a hostile interview and Byrne saying she was merely “interrogating” the idea that Trump was a Christian. 

There were other things that caught the ear during the three-hour run, Byrne doing ads for the controversial Newstalk Cash Machine might have got former colleague Joe Duffy a little riled if he was listening but that’s obviously part of the gig now Byrne is back in the world of private radio. 

In promos for the show, Byrne had promised to “loosen up” and show more of her personality, telling listeners that they’ll get to know her too and be “your friend” for three hours every day. 

There was a bit of this towards the end when Lunchtime Live’s Andrea Gilligan came on to introduce an upcoming segment on the price of going to the hairdressers and Byrne saying she’s not a fan of spending too long in the salon anyway. 

The show ended with a good-natured food segment with chef Orna Larkin during which Byrne said it will be a weekly feature and will be about making the most of “every day food in kitchen”.

Again, very much on brand for what listeners may expect from a Byrne show. Why change a winning formula you might say?