Bryan Dobson has been hailed as “irreplaceable” by his former colleague Anne Doyle ahead of his retirement from RTÉ today.
The RTÉ icon is leaving the newsroom today after working at the state broadcaster for almost 40 years.
The veteran newsreader will sign off on Friday after his final News at One show on RTÉ Radio 1.
Later tonight, he will join Patrick Kielty on The Late Late Show to take a look back at his longstanding career.
Anne, who previously presented the Nine O’Clock News, told the Irish Sun that Bryan has been “an absolutely wonderful colleague and a genuine friend.”
“It’s not often you get to use the word irreplaceable but Bryan is irreplaceable. He will be sorely missed by all and what a wonderful career he has had,” she continued.
“If I’m around, I’ll listen to Bryan Dobson at lunchtime because I think the News at One with Bryan is excellent and it’s very informative.”
Anne herself stepped down from her own role with RTE after 33 years of service in December 2011.
Bryan has been a journalist and broadcaster at RTÉ for 37 years.
He has presented all of RTÉ’s flagship news programmes across television and radio during this time and anchored RTÉ’s television coverage of elections, and special state events.
Announcing his decision to retire from RTÉ back in January, he said: “After 37 fantastic years with RTÉ the time has come to move on. I will miss working with some wonderfully talented and hardworking colleagues.
“RTÉ journalism depends on teamwork and I have worked with some of the very best. I am grateful too to the listeners and viewers who have give me their time and attention over the years. I hope to have repaid that trust with reporting that was relevant, fair and accurate.”
Bryan joined RTÉ in 1987 as a reporter with the RTÉ Radio 1 This Week programme.
Later that year he was appointed RTÉ’s Business Correspondent, as well as presenting the television business programme Marketplace.
In 1991 he became presenter of RTÉ One O’Clock News, later moving to present the Nine O’Clock News programme before being appointed anchor of the Six One News in 1996. He spent 21 years at the flagship programme, before moving to be part of the presenting team on Morning Ireland in 2017, the most listened to radio programme in Ireland.
He hosted Election 2020: Bryan Dobson Interviews… a new series in the run up to the last general election of must watch in-depth interviews with political party leaders, broadcast in prime time on RTÉ One.
He has also worked on a number of RTÉ documentary programmes including The Madness from Within, an account of the Irish Civil War; Witnesses to War, which featured interviews with Irish veterans of the Second World War and guest presented special programmes on the Lusitania and 1916 Rising for RTÉ Nationwide.
