RADIO PRESENTER RICK O’Shea is the new presenter of Arena – RTÉ Radio 1′s weeknight arts and culture programme, following the death of Seán Rocks last July.

O’Shea has been presenting the programme on an interim basis since the veteran radio presenter passed away aged 64 following a brief illness.

O’Shea has been a radio presenter with RTÉ since 2001. He presented The Rick O’Shea Show on 2FM for sixteen years. He also hosted a weekday afternoon jazz programme.

RTÉ said hiss appointment to the role follows a robust selection process with over 200 submissions considered. “We saw a wide variety of talent in the shortlisting process and we look forward to inviting some of those candidates to stand in for Rick when he is on leave,” it said.

O’Shea runs The Rick O’Shea Book Club, is part of the voting academy for the An Post Irish Book Awards and is the literary curator for the annual UCD Festival. He has also been a judge for the Costa Book Awards, the Dalkey Literary Awards, and the Dublin Fringe Theatre Festival.

The Arena programme was established in 2009 and features discussions and interviews across a broad mix of arts, culture and entertainment topics and themes.

Head of RTÉ Radio 1 Tara Campbell said: ‘The Arena programme is the cornerstone of Arts and Culture content on RTÉ Radio 1.”

“Rick O’Shea has done a stellar job in the presenter’s chair over the past number of months following the sudden loss of our dear colleague and friend Seán Rocks.”

O’Shea said: “Normally in this situation someone says how much they’re looking forward to a new challenge. Having been stand-in presenter of Arena since our wonderful and much missed colleague Seán Rocks died in July of last year, I can already tell you that presenting the programme is the most wonderful job on radio and that the Arena production team are the best in the business.”

“Having spent most of my career talking to writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians in many settings, it will be an absolute honour getting to continue to shine a spotlight on work from them, as well as composers, artists, animators, conductors, playwrights, and curators every night on RTÉ’s flagship arts programme.”