One of the most noticeable aspects of The Claire Byrne Show (Newstalk, weekdays) is how relaxed the host sounds in comparison to the slightly strait-laced persona of her years on RTÉ Radio 1. Welcome as this development is, Byrne now appears to have gone one further by going bats.
And it’s not just because Byrne, long the epitome of the unperturbable broadcast professional, announces on Wednesday that she’s joining the cast of the reality television show Celebrity Gogglebox, the refuge of many an attention-craving B-lister. Rather, Byrne talks about actual bats, speaking to Niamh Roche of self-explanatory charity Bat Conservation Ireland on whether the winged mammal has an unfair image.
“They do have quite the reputation,” the host says, citing long-held negative connotations such as associations with vampires and a supposed propensity for long hair. Roche dismisses both charges as myth, pointing out that many cultures value the species. Byrne hears out her guest’s defence of bats but doesn’t sound totally convinced, for reasons that are soon clear.
“I had one fly into the bedroom last year,” the host reveals. “I think the poor fella was more frightened than I was, but I was underneath the duvet, unable to breathe.” Byrne, sounding more like her old self, calmly describes the uncomfortably close encounter: “It felt like he kept swooping down towards me.”
Still, the host is understanding as Roche explains why bats are protected by law when nesting in attics – they only have one offspring a year – but she could be forgiven for baulking at her guest’s advice should one take up residence in your home: “If it’s at all possible, tolerating them is the best option.”
Gay Byrne was the first big beast broadcaster. Claire Byrne was the last
Byrne is in flightier form when she discuss her impending turn as a reality TV star, though she hints at nervousness too. “For some reason I’ve agreed to go on Celebrity Gogglebox,” she says before chatting with her fellow broadcaster Ciara Doherty, who will join her in being filmed while watching telly.
The pair seem unsure what to expect, excepting the odd detail. “They’ll make me funnier than you,” Doherty claims; it’s a low bar, even allowing for her future on-screen companion’s newly laidback manner. Byrne has more basic concerns. “Can we bring our own snacks?” she wonders. “We need some fizzy jellies and quality crisps.”
It’s a wishlist more befitting a hyperactive child or a stoned student than a seasoned presenter, but it’s indicative of the easier-going vibe that Byrne has projected on her Newstalk show. By way of underscoring the sincerity of her snack cravings, for instance, Byrne interviews Irish crisp makers on Monday’s show: “I hope they’ve brought some in with them.”
The host pithily encapsulates the AI industry’s recklessly expansionist strategy: ‘If you’re not on this train, you’re going to be left behind’
Let’s not get too carried away, though. While Byrne allows herself more moments of on-air merriment than before, wanton impulsiveness is still at a premium: she hasn’t ditched the consummate poise that has characterised her media career. Though she sounds as if she’s suffering from a head cold on Wednesday, her performance is as polished and prepared as ever. Nor is she given to intemperate editorialising. On hearing about social media ads targeting teens, her response is one of genteel indignation: “That makes me cross.”
Such impulsive outbursts aside, Byrne maintains her scrupulous approach when dealing with contentious issues, as during Tuesday’s discussion of data centres. Byrne maintains her balance as the Irish Times columnist Fintan O’Toole voices alarm at the Government’s apparent indifference to the proliferation of the energy-hungry sites, while Tom Parlon of the Irish Data Centre Supplier Alliance (guess his stance) is exercised by the lack of infrastructure hampering such enterprises; warming to his theme, he also claims Ireland will lose out if “Luddite” sentiment prevails here.
While Byrne doesn’t voice her own views during such charged debates, she’s capable of neatly summing up thorny topics such as the increased anxiety surrounding the artificial-intelligence explosion. As the Dublin City University professor Alan Smeaton outlines the lack of regulation that has allowed tech moguls to accumulate pharaonic wealth and power – “They’re basically allowed to do what they want” – the host pithily encapsulates the AI industry’s recklessly expansionist strategy: “If you’re not on this train, you’re going to be left behind.” Far from being bats, Byrne hits the nail on the head.
Claire Byrne: ‘I never really went into this game to be famous’
There’s more chunky conversation on the proverbial – and indeed literal – hot topics on Wednesday’s Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays), when its co-host Katie Hannon discusses a grim new UN report on climate change. The environmental activist and journalist George Monbiot is suitably sombre about the report, which predicts globally warming will shoot beyond the targets set by the Paris Agreement – “It’s very easy to despair” – but, perhaps unexpectedly, he also offers glimpses of optimism.
Monbiot concedes that while the situation looks hopeless as emissions soar, people once felt the same way about other seemingly intractable problems, such as the cold war or apartheid in South Africa. “It always looks impossible if you’re on the wrong side of the wall,” he tells Hannon before suggesting a point can come when the prospect of change goes from unattainable to inevitable.
‘I think there should be a special place in hell for people who leave long voice notes,’ Katie Hannon remarks. At least she and her co-presenter are hitting the right notes
The spur for action won’t come from the State, however. “Governments are much more receptive to the demands of capital rather than the demands of the electorate,” Monbiot says, echoing a theme from Byrne’s items on data centres and AI. Instead, change will come when popular pressure for radical measures on climate change can no longer be ignored.
It’s not a foregone conclusion, however, with the key question remaining: “Can we hit the social tipping point before we hit the environmental tipping point?” Caveats aside, Monbiot’s call to arms is a tonic for the doom and gloom that normally suffuses conversations on the issue.
It’s also the kind of interview that has put meat on the bones of Drivetime. The early-evening magazine show finally seems to have found its rhythm, with a balanced ratio of news stories to lifestyle segments, and Hannon’s partnership with Colm Ó Mongáin has moved from awkward bantering to more instinctive chemistry.
Both presenters sound at ease, even while expressing ornery opinions: “I think there should be a special place in hell for people who leave long voice notes,” Hannon remarks.
At least she and her co-presenter are hitting the right notes.
Radio moment of the week
For decades, callers have shared their raw and painful personal experiences on Liveline (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays), meaning that whoever is hosting the phone-in show has to act as a counsellor and confidante, as well as a presenter.
Which makes Kieran Cuddihy’s admission on Monday’s programme all the more jolting. Discussing the apparent prevalence of loneliness in Ireland, the host wonders whether reticence over problems is a particularly modern phenomenon, prompting his caller Gretta to suggest that while some people say nothing about their lives, others will tell you everything.
“Do you avoid people who share everything?” Cuddihy immediately asks.
“No, not necessarily,” Gretta replies, triggering a gloriously unguarded response from the host.
“Oh, I do. I shouldn’t say that, but I do.”
One can’t help wondering if Cuddihy is in the right job.