Des Cahill facts for kids

Desmond "Des" Cahill, born on 12 December 1959, is a well-known Irish sports presenter and commentator. He works for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Ireland's national broadcaster. From 2009 to 2022, Des was the main presenter of RTÉ television's popular Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) highlights show, The Sunday Game.

He also hosts RTÉ's main weekend sports radio show, Saturday Sport. Before the big All-Ireland Gaelic Football and Hurling finals, he presents Up for the Match. Des is also the regular sports presenter on Morning Ireland during the week. He used to host Drivetime Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. You might also know him from Des's Island Discs, where he chats with famous people about their favourite music.

In 2017, Des became very popular when he took part in the first series of Dancing with the Stars. He and his dance partner, Karen Byrne, made it to week 10 of the competition. Des was named "Ireland's Most Influential Journalist on Twitter" in both 2015 and 2016.

Des Cahill's Early Life

Des Cahill went to school at Coláiste Mhuire in Dublin. He started his career as a newspaper reporter. While he was studying journalism in Rathmines, he worked for The Irish Press group. Later, he moved to two big local newspapers: The Nationalist in Carlow and The Kerryman.

Des Cahill's Career in Sports Media

In the late 1970s, while still a student, Des started writing for The Irish Press. He wrote a weekly report called The Big Match, which covered GAA club games in Dublin.

Before finishing his studies, he was offered a full-time job at The Carlow Nationalist. While working in Carlow, Des also played football for the Eire Og club. In 1981, he moved to The Kerryman newspaper, covering sports in South Kerry. He was also a member of the Dr Crokes GAA club.

Joining RTÉ in the 1980s

Des Cahill joined RTÉ in 1984 as a TV news reporter. Soon after, he started reporting for the Sunday Sport radio show. By 1987, he became the main presenter of this important programme, taking over from Jimmy Magee.

He has presented from many major sporting events around the world. These include Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups, UEFA European Championships, the Tour de France, and the Ryder Cup.

For 20 years, Des was known for his early morning radio work. He presented sports news on Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1. He also had a different, fun style with Ian Dempsey on 2FM. On Dempsey's show, Des started the ABU (Anyone But United) Club. This club supported any team playing against the football team Manchester United. He even designed an "ABU" shirt!

Sports Shows in the 1990s

In the mid-1990s, Des Cahill started a sports phone-in show on RTÉ Radio 1 called Sportscall. Fans from all over Ireland would call in to talk about the weekend's games. He also helped out Gay Byrne on The Gay Byrne Show before Gay retired.

On television, Des presented Sideline View. This was RTÉ's first midweek show about the Gaelic Games Championship. It featured special reports and discussions with sports experts.

After that, he presented Play it Again Des. On this show, famous Irish sports stars picked their favourite moments from sports history. Guests included legends like Mick O'Dwyer, Johnny Giles, and Liam Brady. In 1993, Des won a Jacob's Award for his radio work. This is a special award for broadcasting.

New Roles in the 2000s

In 2004, Des was talking about a football match on Morning Ireland. He was discussing Westmeath's first win over Offaly in 55 years.

Before The Road to Croker started, Des presented this weekly Gaelic Games show. It travelled to different clubs around the country and had a live audience. When Des went to the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008, Bertie Ahern (a former Taoiseach) even presented The Road to Croker for a while! Des also presents Up for the Match. This RTÉ show celebrates the All-Ireland finals the night before the big Hurling and Gaelic Football games. He first presented it with Mary Kennedy, and later with Gráinne Seoige.

In November 2008, Des appeared on The Restaurant TV show. He cooked a meal and earned five stars from the food critics! In 2009, he became the presenter of the evening highlights show for The Sunday Game. That same year, he celebrated 25 years in broadcasting. He even reunited with Ian Dempsey on The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show on Today FM.

Highlights of the 2010s

On 9 June 2010, Des Cahill helped host the opening ceremony for the Irish heats of the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games. This event took place at Thomond Park.

In July 2011, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) had a disagreement with Des. They complained about comments he made on the Saturday Sport radio show. RTÉ supported Des and "rejected outright" the complaint.

Des Cahill has also been featured on Nob Nation. This is a funny radio show that makes jokes about current events. As mentioned earlier, Des became very popular on the first series of Dancing with the Stars in 2017. He reached week 10 of the competition with his dance partner, Karen Byrne.

Des Cahill in the 2020s

In October 2022, Des Cahill announced that he would be leaving his role as the host of The Sunday Game. He had presented the show for 15 seasons.

Awards Des Cahill Has Won

Des Cahill has won several awards during his career:

• In 1993, he received a Jacob's Award for his radio broadcasts.
• In 2001, he won the ESB Journalist of the Year award for sport.
• In 2007, he was named PPI Sports Presenter of the Year.

Des Cahill's Personal Life

Des Cahill is married to Caroline, who is from Ballyshannon.