RTÉ Radio 1 have announced a series of changes across its weekday and weekend schedule from February.
Claire Byrne will leave her Saturday radio show, as she will join Áine Lawlor in presenting News at One.
Late Debate (10–11pm, Tuesday – Thursday) will have three new presenters, with Sarah McInerney on Tuesdays, Katie Hannon on Wednesdays and Fionnuala Sweeney on Thursdays.
Meanwhile, Cormac Ó hEadhra will take over from Claire and present Saturday with Cormac Ó hEadhra from 1 – 2pm weekly on RTÉ Radio 1.
Commenting on the changes, Head of RTÉ Radio 1, Tom McGuire said, “The new presenting team of Áine and Claire on RTÉ Radio 1’s News at One is exceptionally strong by any measure.”
.@rteradio1 announces:
– Claire Byrne for @RTENewsAtOne with @lawlor_aine
– Three new presenters for @LatedebateRTE: Fionnuala Sweeney @SarahAMcInerney @KatieGHannon
– Cormac Ó hEadhra to present Saturday with Cormac Ó hEadhrahttps://t.co/LDWUetnwnY pic.twitter.com/Q8JUDu6MOd— RTÉ (@rte) January 24, 2018
“And the move of Cormac Ó hEadhra into weekend peak on RTÉ Radio 1 is testament to his proven skills both on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and standing in on such shows as Today with Sean O’Rourke.”
Tom McGuire continued, “Sarah, Fionnuala and Katie – our three new presenters on Late Debate bring with them some truly excellent experience from the world of print, television and international journalism, and I’m delighted to welcome them all to Radio 1, and indeed to welcome Fionnuala Sweeney back to RTÉ from CNN in Atlanta.”
Aine Lawlor and Claire Byrne will present News at One on alternate days with Claire continuing to presenting Claire Byrne Live on Monday nights on RTÉ One.
Sarah McInerney was previously the Political Correspondent with the Sunday Times and presenter of Newstalk Drive, and she currently presents the Sunday Show on TV3 which she will continue to present.
Looking forward to an exciting new challenge on @LatedebateRTE https://t.co/peQRYviKVx
— Sarah McInerney (@SarahAMcInerney) January 24, 2018
Katie Hannon is Political Correspondent with Prime Time on RTÉ One and was previously Political Correspondent with the Evening Herald and the Irish Examiner as well as Political Editor of the Irish Mail on Sunday.
Fionnuala Sweeney returns to RTÉ having been an anchor and correspondent with CNN International in London and Atlanta. Irish audiences will also remember Fionnuala as the solo host of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993.
RTÉ Radio 1 listeners will also be familiar with Cormac Ó hEadhra as presenter of Late Debate, which brings live debate and analysis of all the news and political stories of the day, including coverage of the day’s events in the Oireachtas.
Cormac has also regularly presented Today with Sean O’Rourke. He will continue to present Raidio na Gaeltachta’s, Cormac ag a Cúig, from 5-7pm on weekdays, which offers lively debate and discussion of news and current affairs in the Irish language.
All changes will take place in February 2018.
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