The veteran presenter (69), who has hosted the flagship lunchtime Liveline radio programme since 1998, will leave at the end of June.
“After 37 wonderful years here in RTÉ, and 27 years presenting Liveline, it has been an incredible honour and privilege to be part of a programme that relied entirely on trust: the trust of our listeners,” he said today at the end of the programme.
“People felt they could pick up the phone, ring Liveline, and share their lives, problems, stories sad, bad, sometimes mad and funny, their struggles, and their victories.
“I never took that for granted, not for a single minute. RTÉ has been a great place to work. Public service has always been at its heart.
“And now, after many happy years, I’ve decided the time has come to move on. I would like to thank you the listener for tuning in each and every day, it has been an honour to sit in this seat and hear your stories.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin wished Duffy “the very best”.
“Joe was a constant in our lives, with a warm and generous personality,” Mr Martin wrote on X.
“So many were helped by ‘Talking to Joe’. An essential part of the national conservation.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris described Duffy as a “national institution”.
“He has been the listening ear to countless thousands for 40 years and has given a voice to the people and the issues often unheard,” he said.
“Joe has held a unique position in public life and will leave an important legacy in broadcasting and in public service.”
Born in January 1956, in Mountjoy Square, Dublin, and raised in Ballyfermot, Duffy originally pursued social work at Trinity College.
He became one of the first from his area to go to Trinity College and was actively involved in student politics and went on to serve as President of the Union of Students in Ireland.
He led protests on campus highlighting access to education and spent two weeks in Mountjoy Prison as a result.
Joe Duffy
After working in the probation service, he joined RTÉ originally as a radio producer, in 1989, and came to prominence as a reporter on the legendary Gay Byrne Show.
He presented programmes like Soundbyte before taking over Liveline in 1998. In his 27 years in the Liveline hot seat, both Duffy and the programme itself have become national institutions, with the programme frequently attracting some 400,000 listeners.
During Duffy’s tenure, Liveline has been a vital outlet for citizens.
He also hosted a wide range of programmes for television, including Liveline Callback and The Meaning of Life, as well as several acclaimed documentaries.
The 69-year-old has been a recipient of many awards during his acclaimed career, including a Jacob’s Award in 1992 for his work on The Gay Byrne Show, various IMRO Awards and he was also inducted into the PPI Hall of Fame in 2013.
He has written his autobiography Just Joe and two award-winning history books, Children of the Rising and Children of the Troubles (with Freya McClements).
RTÉ director-general Kevin Bakhurst said: “Whether breaking stories like the first powerful moments of the 9-11 attacks in the US, or helping the nation navigate the often heart-breaking challenges of a global pandemic, Joe Duffy’s Liveline doesn’t just have its fingers on the pulse, it is the pulse of the nation.
“Joe navigated controversies, unearthed scandals, exposed scams, fought misinformation and shone a light on topics long ignored, from historical abuse to the menopause and healthcare reform. Joe was always the guide, never the story.
“His journalistic insights were perfectly in balance with his human instincts, and Liveline under Joe became both a sanctuary for those seeking justice, and a public square of which Joe was in full control.”
RTÉ director of audio Patricia Monahan said: “Joe Duffy is a true legend of Irish broadcasting and the contribution he has made to RTÉ and Liveline cannot be overstated. Joe’s ability to connect with listeners, to create a safe place for them to discuss both difficult and light-hearted topics and most importantly to listen to and hear them is unique. Our airwaves will be lesser without him, but we thank him for being part of our daily lives for so long and wish him and his family well for his next chapter.”
Joe Duffy will be a guest on The Late Late Show with Patrick’s Kielty tomorrow night.
He will present his last Liveline on Friday June 27.
RTÉ said it would run a process over the coming months to appoint Duffy’s successor with an announcement expected in the autumn.
It said it also looked forward to Duffy’s contribution to its 100th year commemoration in 2026.
More to follow…
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