Gareth O'Callaghan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gareth O'Callaghan
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Gareth O'Callaghan in the 4fm studio
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| Born | 17 March 1961 |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Radio presenter |
| Known for | Writing and mental health advocacy |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Spouse(s) |
Paula Delaney
(m. 2020) |
| Children | 3 daughters |
Gareth O'Callaghan (born 24 March 1961) is a well-known Irish writer and radio and television presenter. He has worked on popular radio stations like RTÉ 2fm and 4fm.
In January 2022, Gareth returned to radio after a four-year break. He now presents a Saturday morning show on Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio. He is also currently hosting the station's weekday Night Time Talk show. Gareth is also a trained clinical psychotherapist. He married Paula Delaney in September 2020. They live together in Cork.
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Gareth O'Callaghan's Career in Radio
Gareth O'Callaghan started his radio journey in the early 1980s. He worked on smaller radio stations before joining bigger ones like Radio Nova. He also spent some time working on radio in the UK.
Joining Legal Radio
After working on various stations, Gareth joined legal Irish radio with Millennium Radio. In 1989, he moved to the newly relaunched "2fm". This station was trying to attract listeners who enjoyed the popular "Superpirate" stations.
His show, Gareth O'Callaghan in the Afternoon, became very popular. It was known for its fun and commercial style. This show helped him become widely known across Ireland.
Moving Stations
Gareth later left RTÉ 2fm's afternoon show. He had also presented the breakfast show there before. After leaving 2fm, he took a break to study psychology.
He then became the breakfast show presenter on Galway Bay FM. In February 2009, Gareth helped launch Ireland's newest commercial radio station, 4fm. He started as the morning show host there and later moved to the afternoon slot.
In January 2022, Gareth announced his return to Ireland's Classic Hits Radio. He now hosts a new Saturday morning program. In April 2024, he became the temporary host of the Night Time Talk show. This happened after the previous host, Niall Boylan, left to run in an election.
Gareth O'Callaghan's Writing Career
Gareth O'Callaghan has been writing since 1995. He has written several best-selling books. These include five novels and one memoir, which is a book about his own life.
Published Works
He has contributed two stories to the New Island Open Door series. These stories are called Joe's Wedding and Stray Dog. New Island is a publisher known for literary fiction and biographies.
Gareth wrote A Day Called Hope: A Journey Beyond Depression. This book shares his personal experience with severe depression. It became one of the biggest-selling books in Ireland in 2003. It has been published in 15 countries and translated into 10 languages.
Gareth also writes for many national newspapers in Ireland. He has written for The Irish Times and the Sunday Independent. He is currently working on a follow-up to A Day Called Hope. His seventh book, What Matters Now: A Memoir of Hope and Finding a Way Through the Dark, was published in March 2021.
Gareth O'Callaghan's Personal Life
Gareth O'Callaghan lives in Cork with his wife, Paula Delaney. They met in March 2015 and got married in Cork in September 2020. Gareth has three daughters named Kerri, Katie, and Aibhín.
Health Journey
Gareth experienced depression for many years, from the 1990s until 2015. In 1999, he lost a lot of weight and was prescribed medication for two years.
In early 2016, he started having heart problems. In late 2017, he had a fall at work. In March 2018, Gareth shared with listeners that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This is a condition that affects movement. He explained that he had noticed changes like tripping and dropping things.
Gareth retired from radio in August 2018. This was after he was diagnosed with a rare illness called multiple system atrophy (MSA). This condition is very progressive and currently has no cure. He shared online that the illness was progressing faster than expected. In March 2023, Gareth spent six weeks in hospital after a car crash in Cork.
