Ian Dempsey has explained why he’s “glad” he made the decision to leave RTÉ – almost 20 years after announcing his departure.
The Today FM presenter worked for the national broadcaster for 18 years, and was the face of popular children’s programme Dempsey’s Den alongside Zig and Zag.
However, Ian shocked the nation by leaving the station in 1998 – and became one of the first presenters to try and grow their career away from RTÉ.
Speaking on The Paul Williams Podcast, Ian said, “I’m glad that I did (leave) and it is working out very well.”
“It was (a comfortable place for me). I have been back there on many occasions and, when you go back, the scary thing is you sometimes see the people that you saw before out there and they have got older but they seem to be doing the same things, walking down the same tracks.
“One or two people were saying that I made a mistake and they kind of wrote me out of history, but that’s business when you are in a high-profile company.
“I did leave The Den as well and I remember when I did that to concentrate on other things that RTE Television were saying ‘you can’t be doing that’. If I was leaving an insurance company you get a bit hurt but it doesn’t become a big story.”
Success: Ian is the well-known voice of breakfast radio in Ireland | BRIAN MCEVOY
Since leaving RTÉ, Ian has become one of the most well-known voices of breakfast radio in Ireland on Today FM.
“I press *55*0500# on my phone every night and that alarm service wakes me up at 5 o’clock every morning. I’ve spent a fortune on it. I am used to it now.
“I have often said to myself if I start feeling like (I don’t want to do it any more) that it is time to move on or it is time to change what I am doing or change the time slot. I like the idea of people waking up in the morning and their brain is minty. All the stuff has come out and you can start inputting again.”
