{"id":671755,"date":"2026-09-04T06:13:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T06:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/671755\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T06:13:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T06:13:19","slug":"claire-byrne-prepares-to-go-on-celebrity-gogglebox-we-need-fizzy-jellies-and-quality-crisps-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/671755\/","title":{"rendered":"Claire Byrne prepares to go on Celebrity Gogglebox: \u2018We need fizzy jellies and quality crisps\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most noticeable aspects of The Claire Byrne Show<\/b> (Newstalk, weekdays) is how relaxed the host sounds in comparison to the slightly strait-laced persona of her years on RT\u00c9 Radio 1. Welcome as this development is, Byrne<\/a> now appears to have gone one further by going bats.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just because Byrne, long the epitome of the unperturbable broadcast professional, announces on Wednesday that she\u2019s joining the cast of the reality television show Celebrity Gogglebox<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey do have quite the reputation,\u201d 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\u2019s defence of bats but doesn\u2019t sound totally convinced, for reasons that are soon clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had one fly into the bedroom last year,\u201d the host reveals. \u201cI think the poor fella was more frightened than I was, but I was underneath the duvet, unable to breathe.\u201d Byrne, sounding more like her old self, calmly describes the uncomfortably close encounter: \u201cIt felt like he kept swooping down towards me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the host is understanding as Roche explains why bats are protected by law when nesting in attics \u2013 they only have one offspring a year \u2013 but she could be forgiven for baulking at her guest\u2019s advice should one take up residence in your home: \u201cIf it\u2019s at all possible, tolerating them is the best option.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Gay Byrne was the first big beast broadcaster. Claire Byrne was the lastOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Byrne is in flightier form when she discuss her impending turn as a reality TV star, though she hints at nervousness too. \u201cFor some reason I\u2019ve agreed to go on Celebrity Gogglebox,\u201d she says before chatting with her fellow broadcaster Ciara Doherty<\/a>, who will join her in being filmed while watching telly.<\/p>\n

The pair seem unsure what to expect, excepting the odd detail. \u201cThey\u2019ll make me funnier than you,\u201d Doherty claims; it\u2019s a low bar, even allowing for her future on-screen companion\u2019s newly laidback manner. Byrne has more basic concerns. \u201cCan we bring our own snacks?\u201d she wonders. \u201cWe need some fizzy jellies and quality crisps.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a wishlist more befitting a hyperactive child or a stoned student than a seasoned presenter, but it\u2019s indicative of the easier-going vibe that Byrne has projected on her Newstalk<\/a> show. By way of underscoring the sincerity of her snack cravings, for instance, Byrne interviews Irish crisp makers on Monday\u2019s show: \u201cI hope they\u2019ve brought some in with them.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n

The host pithily encapsulates the AI industry\u2019s recklessly expansionist strategy: \u2018If you\u2019re not on this train, you\u2019re going to be left behind\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"ClaireClaire Byrne. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s 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\u2019t ditched the consummate poise that has characterised her media career. Though she sounds as if she\u2019s 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: \u201cThat makes me cross.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such impulsive outbursts aside, Byrne maintains her scrupulous approach when dealing with contentious issues, as during Tuesday\u2019s discussion of data centres<\/a>. Byrne maintains her balance as the Irish Times columnist Fintan O\u2019Toole<\/a> voices alarm at the Government\u2019s apparent indifference to the proliferation of the energy-hungry sites, while Tom Parlon<\/a> 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 \u201cLuddite\u201d sentiment prevails here.<\/p>\n

While Byrne doesn\u2019t voice her own views during such charged debates, she\u2019s capable of neatly summing up thorny topics such as the increased anxiety surrounding the artificial-intelligence<\/a> explosion. As the Dublin City University<\/a> professor Alan Smeaton outlines the lack of regulation that has allowed tech moguls to accumulate pharaonic wealth and power \u2013 \u201cThey\u2019re basically allowed to do what they want\u201d \u2013 the host pithily encapsulates the AI industry\u2019s recklessly expansionist strategy: \u201cIf you\u2019re not on this train, you\u2019re going to be left behind.\u201d Far from being bats, Byrne hits the nail on the head. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Claire Byrne: \u2018I never really went into this game to be famous\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\"ClaireClaire Byrne. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more chunky conversation on the proverbial \u2013 and indeed literal \u2013 hot topics on Wednesday\u2019s Drivetime<\/b> (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, weekdays), when its co-host Katie Hannon<\/a> discusses a grim new UN<\/a> report on climate change. The environmental activist and journalist George Monbiot is suitably sombre about the report, which predicts global warming will shoot beyond the targets set by the Paris Agreement \u2013 \u201cIt\u2019s very easy to despair\u201d \u2013 but, perhaps unexpectedly, he also offers glimpses of optimism.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cIt always looks impossible if you\u2019re on the wrong side of the wall,\u201d he tells Hannon before suggesting a point can come when the prospect of change goes from unattainable to inevitable.<\/p>\n

\n

\u2018I think there should be a special place in hell for people who leave long voice notes,\u2019 Katie Hannon remarks. At least she and her co-presenter are hitting the right notes<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"ClaireClaire Byrne. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill<\/p>\n

The spur for action won\u2019t come from the State, however. \u201cGovernments are much more receptive to the demands of capital rather than the demands of the electorate,\u201d Monbiot says, echoing a theme from Byrne\u2019s items on data centres and AI. Instead, change will come when popular pressure for radical measures on climate change can no longer be ignored. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a foregone conclusion, however, with the key question remaining: \u201cCan we hit the social tipping point before we hit the environmental tipping point?\u201d Caveats aside, Monbiot\u2019s call to arms is a tonic for the doom and gloom that normally suffuses conversations on the issue.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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\u2019s partnership with Colm \u00d3 Mong\u00e1in<\/a> has moved from awkward bantering to more instinctive chemistry. <\/p>\n

Both presenters sound at ease, even while expressing ornery opinions: \u201cI think there should be a special place in hell for people who leave long voice notes,\u201d Hannon remarks. <\/p>\n

At least she and her co-presenter are hitting the right notes.<\/p>\n

Radio moment of the week<\/p>\n

For decades, callers have shared their raw and painful personal experiences on Liveline<\/b> (RT\u00c9 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. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0RT\u00c9\u2019s Radio 1 revamp: Who impresses most on day one \u2013 David McCullagh, Kieran Cuddihy or Katie Hannon and Colm \u00d3 Mong\u00e1in?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Which makes Kieran Cuddihy<\/a>\u2019s admission on Monday\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

\u201cDo you avoid people who share everything?\u201d Cuddihy immediately asks. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not necessarily,\u201d Gretta replies, triggering a gloriously unguarded response from the host.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I do. I shouldn\u2019t say that, but I do.\u201d <\/p>\n

One can\u2019t help wondering if Cuddihy is in the right job.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the most noticeable aspects of The Claire Byrne Show (Newstalk, weekdays) is how relaxed the host…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":671756,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[268],"tags":[289,434,143897,23898,442,46359,444,8531,18,117,57656,19,17,49975,23900,5287,1181,284005,2863],"class_list":["post-671755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-celebrities","tag-ciara-doherty","tag-claire-byrne","tag-climate-change","tag-colm-o-mongain","tag-data-centres","tag-dcu","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-fintan-otoole","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-katie-hannon","tag-kieran-cuddihy","tag-newstalk-radio","tag-rte","tag-tom-parlon","tag-united-nations-un"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117211301141054333","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=671755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/671756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=671755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=671755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=671755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}