Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne (born 5 August 1934; affectionately known as Uncle Gay, Gaybo or Uncle Gaybo) is a veteran Irish presenter of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of The Late Late Show over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999. The Late Late Show is the world's longest-running chat show. His time working in Britain with Granada Television saw him become the first person to introduce The Beatles on screen.From 1973 until 1998, Byrne presented The Gay Byrne Hour—later The Gay Byrne Show when it expanded to two hours—on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday morning. Since retiring from his long-running radio and television shows, Byrne has presented several other programmes, including Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, The Meaning of Life and For One Night Only on RTÉ One and Sunday Serenade/Sunday with Gay Byrne on RTÉ lyric fm. In 2006 he was elected Chairman of Ireland's Road Safety Authority. Since retiring he has become the "Elder Lemon of Irish broadcasting".In 2010, The Irish Times said Byrne was "unquestionably the most influential radio and television man in the history of the Irish State". In 2011, he was approached to become President of Ireland but declined to run, despite topping opinion polls.
He was the first person to introduce The Beatles on television when they made their small screen debut on Granada Television's local news programme 'People and Places'.
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In 1988, Byrne was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Literature from Trinity College, Dublin.
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In 1999 he was granted the Freedom of Dublin City.
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To mark his retirement as host of the long-running chat show 'The Late Late Show' on 21 May 1999, Gay Byrne was presented with a brand new Harley Davidson motorcycle by the Irish rock group U2 live on national television. Byrne used the bike regularly, until January 2003 when Byrne and U" auctioned the bike for The Children's Medical & Research Foundation at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.
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Gaybo and Kathleen have two daughters, both adopted, Crona and Suzy
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The now defunct pop group Boyzone made thier first public appearance on the show. The success that the group went on to achieve fufilled a line of the song which plays over the closing credits - 'it started on The Late Late Show'.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Mrs Brown's Boys: The Original Series
2002
TV Series
Courier
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Dave Allen at Large
1971
TV Series 1 episode
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
25 B.C.: The Best of 25 Years of Billy Connolly
1992
Video thanks - as Gaye Byrne
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Meaning of Life with Gay Byrne
2013
TV Series
Himself - Presenter
The Dubliners: For One Night Only
2011
TV Movie
Himself - Presenter
Let the People Sing
2011
Documentary
Himself
The Late Late Show
1970-2009
TV Series
Himself - Presenter / Himself / Himself - Guest / ...