Dave Fanning facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dave Fanning
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Dave Fanning at 2015 Web Summit Music Stage
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David Fanning
27 February 1956 Dublin, Ireland
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | English and Philosophy degree/Higher Diploma in Education |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Occupation | Radio and television presenter |
| Employer | RTÉ |
| Agent | Noel Kelly |
| Known for | Music industry work, friendship with U2, Fanning's Fab 50 |
| Spouse(s) | Ursula Courtney |
| Children | Jack, Robert and Hayley |
David Fanning, born on February 27, 1956, is a famous Irish TV and radio presenter. He is also a rock journalist, DJ, film critic, and author. He hosts The Dave Fanning Show on RTÉ 2fm, a national radio station in Ireland. He also presents shows on RTÉ Radio 1. He often fills in for other presenters on RTÉ Radio 1. In 2015, he had his own morning show called Mornings With Dave Fanning.
Because he is good friends with the band U2, Dave Fanning has been the first person in the world to play their new songs for over 40 years. The band members often call him to share their news. He has presented more than 20 different TV shows for RTÉ Television, like 2TV and The Movie Show. He also hosted RTÉ's live TV coverage of Live 8 in Hyde Park, London, in July 2005. He also covered Live Earth at Wembley Stadium, London, in July 2007. He has interviewed over 200 global rock stars.
Fanning has won many 'Best DJ' awards from different magazines. He topped the Hot Press readers' poll for over 20 years. In 1980, he received a special Jacob's Award for his radio show. In 1991, he won the IRMA Special Industry Award. He has also received awards like the 2012 Dublin Lord Mayor's Award. In 2014, University College Dublin gave him an award for his amazing work in music. He won many IRMA awards and was nominated for Best DJ at The Meteor Music Awards seven times, winning four. U2 gave him a special tribute when he won an award in 2004. In 2016, he joined the Irish Radio Hall of Fame.
Hot Press magazine calls Fanning "one of the most familiar faces and voices in Irish broadcasting." They said that when Billboard magazine mentioned 2FM helping Ireland become a major music center, they really meant Dave Fanning. Rob Sharp from The Independent newspaper called him a "legendary Irish DJ." BP Fallon said in 2008 that Dave Fanning changed music in Ireland for the better. Jim Lockhart said in The Sunday Times in March 2020 that Fanning was key for a whole generation's connection to music.
Contents
Early Life and Family
David Fanning was born in Dublin, Ireland, on February 27, 1956. He is the youngest of six children, with one sister and four brothers. His father, Barney, worked for the Irish Office of Public Works. His mother was a retired schoolteacher.
From a young age, Dave loved music and movies. He was a member of The Beatles fan club when he was eight. He went to Blackrock College. Later, he studied English and Philosophy at University College Dublin (UCD). He also earned a Higher Diploma in Education.
He started working as a DJ on a pirate radio station called Radio Dublin. In the same year, he became the editor of Ireland's rock magazine, Scene. Fanning then moved to another pirate station, Big D, in 1978. He played rock music on both stations. He continued this style when he joined legal radio in 1979.
He met Gerry Ryan in 1978 when they both worked at Big D. They became good friends and even lived together for a short time in 1995. Dave is married to Ursula, who is a solicitor. They have three children: Jack, Robert, and Hayley.
Career Highlights
Fanning has written for many newspapers and magazines in Ireland and the UK. He has also written and presented many TV and radio shows in Ireland, the UK, and the US. He has been a DJ for RTÉ 2fm since it started in 1979.
Radio Work
Dave Fanning's evening radio show became very popular. It featured live sessions with new bands who sent in their demo tapes. By the early 1980s, Fanning was seen as Ireland's version of John Peel, a famous BBC Radio 1 presenter. He and Larry Gogan are the only two original DJs who were still with the station for its 40th anniversary in 2019.
In 1993, Richard Branson invited Fanning to join his new station, Virgin Radio. Fanning had his own show there every week. He broadcast a four-hour show live from London on Saturday afternoons. He stayed with Virgin Radio until September 1994.
In August 2009, after three years on RTÉ Radio 1, Fanning returned to RTÉ 2fm. He went back to his old evening weekday show slot at 7 PM.
In 2014, Fanning created and presented a six-part radio series for BBC 6 Music. It was about the history of Irish rock. In 2017, he wrote and presented a ten-part series for RTÉ Radio 1 called Dave Fanning's History of Irish Rock. In 2018, he worked for Sirius XM Satellite radio in New York.
Fanning has been called "the ultimate fan." He has made a career out of his love for music and movies through broadcasting. He hosted The Dave Fanning Show on RTÉ 2FM until 2023. On February 22, 2023, Fanning announced he was leaving his weekend show on RTÉ 2FM. However, he said he would continue to broadcast on digital radio, TV, and online.
Fanning's Fab Fifty
Since 1980, Fanning has held an annual music poll called Fanning's Fab Fifty on his radio show. The public votes for their favorite songs online. U2 often tops this poll.
In 2005, Fanning released a triple album in Ireland called Fanning's Fab 50 Vol 1. This album sold very well, reaching 1.5 times platinum status. Fanning's Fab 50 Vol 2 was released for Christmas in 2006 and also went platinum. Fanning's Fab 50 Vol 3 came out in 2007. It features music from many famous artists like U2, The Killers, R.E.M., Radiohead, Coldplay, and Oasis.
Supporting U2
Fanning has always supported new Irish music talent. He played demo tapes from many bands. When he moved to RTÉ Radio 2 (now RTÉ 2FM), he and producer Ian Wilson started The Fanning Sessions. Hundreds of bands recorded sessions for the show.
For the very first session, Fanning invited a young band from Dublin he had played often: U2. His support for the band led to his listeners choosing the songs for U2's first single. The band visited Fanning's show for five nights in one week. Listeners picked "Out of Control" as the first single.
Between 1977 and 1979, Fanning was a DJ at McGonagles nightclub in Dublin. U2 played there many times. The band also played at The Baggot Inn for six Tuesday nights in 1979. Fanning was the DJ between their sets. He joined the band on their tour bus through Ireland for their third album, War. He made TV documentaries about the band and interviewed them many times.
Fanning's friendship with U2 has continued. At a surprise birthday party for him in 1989, all four members of U2 honored him. Their manager, Paul McGuinness, called Fanning "the world's best DJ." Fanning is always the first to play new U2 songs. In 2004, U2 recorded a special musical tribute for Fanning when he received the Irish Music Industry's top award. In September 2016, Fanning represented the band at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio.
Television Work
Over many years, Fanning hosted more than 20 TV shows for Ireland's national TV station, RTÉ. These included 2TV, The Movie Show, and Planet Rock Profiles. He has been the subject of several TV specials. Besides music shows, he has presented political TV documentaries from Cambodia and Ethiopia.
Throughout the 1990s, Fanning wrote and presented over 400 episodes of The Movie Show. He traveled the world to interview movie stars. The last episode aired in September 2001. In 2003, he presented a series called 'What Movie'. Later, he produced and directed over 20 film review shows for Channel 6.
Fanning has also written and presented over 150 TV interview shows with music stars. These shows aired in many countries on programs like Planet Rock Profiles. For three years, Talks With Dave Fanning also ran on Sky Arts in the UK. He interviewed bands like New Order and Radiohead.
For its first four years, Fanning was a judge for the Mercury Music Prize. In the early 1990s, he presented live music shows on Britain's Channel 4. He worked with Bob Geldof as a program consultant for ITV’s The South Bank Show music special.
In 2004, Fanning became a judge on the TV talent show You're a Star. This show chose Ireland's act for the Eurovision Song Contest. He said he did it "for a laugh" and didn't mind what people thought.
In July 2005, he hosted RTÉ's 12-hour TV coverage of Live 8 from London's Hyde Park. He also covered Live Earth in 2007 from Wembley Stadium. In 2010, Fanning presented a documentary about Bono for RTÉ TV's Ireland's Greatest series.
From 2000 to 2010, Fanning wrote and presented the late-night TV music show The Last Broadcast. It later became The 11th Hour. In the summer of 2011, Fanning co-presented three days of the Isle of Wight Festival for Sky UK. Fanning has also contributed to many BBC TV music programs. In 2018, he wrote, presented, and produced a TV documentary called Dolores. It was about the Cranberries' singer Dolores O'Riordan, who passed away in January 2018.
Writing and Other Work
Fanning has written articles for more than 20 publications. He was a rock correspondent for The Irish Times for ten years (1982–1992). He was also a movie critic for the Sunday World from 1997 to 2004.
HarperCollins in London asked Fanning to write his autobiography. His book, The Thing Is, was published in 2010. The Irish Times said that if you loved music as a teenager in the 80s and 90s, you owe a lot to Dave Fanning. Bono wrote the long introduction for the book.
In recent years, Fanning has interviewed celebrities and musicians at events. These include the Dalkey Book Festival, Dublin's Web Summit, and the Electric Picnic. He has interviewed people like Richard E. Grant, David Cronenberg, and Billie Eilish.
Fanning wrote the notes for Ireland's first rock compilation album, Just For Kicks. He has been a stage announcer at most major music festivals and concerts in Ireland. This includes Bob Marley and The Wailers at Dalymount Park in 1980. He also announced at the very first Slane concert in 1981, featuring Thin Lizzy and U2.
From 2009 to 2013, he hosted the 10th Kerry Film Festival in Tralee. His contributions were featured in the documentary films about Oasis (Oasis: Supersonic in 2016) and Coldplay (Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams in 2018).
Awards and Recognition
Dave Fanning has received many 'Best DJ' awards. He was voted the top DJ in the Hot Press Readers' Poll for over 20 years. In 1980, he was given a special Jacob's Award for his radio show. In 1991, he received the IRMA Special Industry Award.
More recently, he has received several honors. These include the 2012 Dublin Lord Mayor’s Award. This award recognized his broadcasting career and his support for new Irish music. In 2014, he received an award from the University College Dublin Music Society. This award honored his great work as a journalist, DJ, and broadcaster. He won many IRMA awards. He was nominated for Best DJ at the Meteor Music Awards seven times and won four times. In 2004, U2 gave him a special tribute when he won a Special Industry Award at the Meteor Music Awards. In 2016, he was inducted into the Irish Radio Hall of Fame.
