Gerry Ryan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerard Ryan
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Gerry Ryan pictured at the opening of the Grand Canal Theatre in March 2010, the month before his death.
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| Born |
Gerard Ryan
4 June 1956 |
| Died | 30 April 2010 (aged 53) Leeson Street, Dublin, Ireland
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| Education | St Paul's College, Raheny |
| Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin (LL.B) |
| Occupation | Broadcaster |
| Years active | 1979–2010 |
| Agent | Noel Kelly |
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Notable credit(s)
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The Gerry Ryan Show Eurovision Song Contest 1994 Secrets Ryantown Gerry Ryan Tonight Ryan Confidential Operation Transformation The Late Late Show (2008) |
| Spouse(s) | Morah Brennan (1982–2008) |
| Partner(s) | Melanie Verwoerd |
| Children | 5 |
Gerard Ryan (born 4 June 1956 – died 30 April 2010) was a famous Irish radio and television presenter. He worked for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), which is Ireland's national broadcaster.
Gerry Ryan was best known for hosting The Gerry Ryan Show on the radio station RTÉ 2fm. This popular show aired every weekday morning from 1988 until he passed away suddenly. In 1990, he won a Jacob's Award for his work on this show.
He also hosted many TV shows, such as Secrets, Gerry Ryan Tonight, Ryantown, and Operation Transformation. In 1994, he co-presented the Eurovision Song Contest 1994. He also presented an episode of The Late Late Show in 2008. Gerry Ryan wrote a book about his life called Would the Real Gerry Ryan Please Stand Up, which came out in 2008.
Gerry Ryan married Morah Brennan in 1988. They had five children together: Lottie, Rex, Bonnie, Elliott, and Babette. They separated in 2008. Later, he began a relationship with Melanie Verwoerd, who was the former South African Ambassador to Ireland. Gerry Ryan was found dead at his home in Dublin on 30 April 2010.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gerry Ryan was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1956. His father, Vinnie, was a dentist. His mother, Maureen, had a background in theatre. Gerry's godfather was another well-known broadcaster, Eamonn Andrews.
He had two brothers, Michael and Vincent. Gerry went to school at St Paul's College, Raheny. His mother passed away on Christmas Day in 2006.
Broadcasting Career
Starting in Radio
Gerry Ryan started his career working part-time for "pirate radio" stations. These were radio stations that broadcast without a special license. He worked for stations like Alternative Radio Dublin (ARD) and Big D.
In 1979, RTÉ Radio 2 (now called RTÉ 2fm) was launched. Gerry joined RTÉ as a DJ. He presented different shows that played music and had discussions. Some of his early shows included Here Comes the Weekend and Saturday Scene. He later hosted a night-time music show called 'Lights out'. He often toured Ireland with fellow DJs Mark Cagney and Dave Fanning.
The Gerry Ryan Show
The Gerry Ryan Show started in March 1988. It was a three-hour morning radio show on RTÉ 2fm. The show featured interviews and calls from listeners on the "Ryan Line". Each morning, Gerry would start by talking about the day's newspaper headlines.
After the 10:00 AM news, he would introduce Nob Nation. This was a funny part of the show that made fun of politicians and other RTÉ personalities. The Gerry Ryan Show was one of the most popular radio shows in Ireland. It was a very important show for RTÉ.
A key moment for the show happened in 1993. A listener named Lavinia Kerwick called in to share her feelings. This made Gerry realize that the stories from his listeners were very important. The Ryan Show became a national favorite and was the longest-running show on 2fm.
In October 1990, Gerry Ryan received a Jacob's Award for The Gerry Ryan Show. The award ceremony described it as "unbelievably bizarre and unprecedented – and at the same time being serious, hilarious and unpredictable".
Television Work
Gerry Ryan hosted many TV shows throughout his career. One of his early popular shows was Secrets, which aired on Saturday nights.
He also co-presented the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 with Cynthia Ní Mhurchú. During this event, he had the honor of introducing Riverdance as the interval act. He had seen Michael Flatley and Jean Butler practicing the act many times before the show.
Some of his other TV shows included Ryantown and Gerry Ryan Tonight, which was a chat show. Later in his career, he hosted Gerry Ryan's Hitlist, Ryan Confidential, and the first three series of Operation Transformation.
On 24 October 2008, Gerry Ryan presented The Late Late Show. He filled in for the regular host, Pat Kenny, who was away. Gerry received a lot of praise for how well he hosted the show. The episode he hosted had the largest audience of that season, except for the annual The Late Late Toy Show.
Autobiography
In 2008, Gerry Ryan announced that he was writing a book about his life. The book was called Would the Real Gerry Ryan Please Stand Up. It was published on 16 October 2008.
Personal Life
Family Life
Gerry Ryan was married to Morah Brennan for 26 years. They had five children together: Lottie, Rex, Bonnie, Elliott, and Babette.
When Gerry worked for the pirate radio station Big D, Morah helped him with his show. She helped him choose music and carry his equipment.
In March 2008, Gerry and Morah announced that they were separating. Gerry described this as a "very painful experience".
Later in 2008, Gerry began a relationship with Melanie Verwoerd. Melanie was the former South African Ambassador to Ireland and later worked as the executive director for UNICEF Ireland.
Death and Tributes
Gerry Ryan was found dead at his home on Leeson Street, Dublin, on 30 April 2010. An investigation later showed that he died from a heart problem called cardiac arrhythmia.
Many important people sent their condolences after his death, including Bono, former US President Bill Clinton, and the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese. Because he passed away on a Friday, that night's episode of The Late Late Show was dedicated to discussing his life and career.
About 10,000 people waited in line to sign books of condolence. His funeral took place on 6 May and was broadcast on 2fm, which was the radio station where he hosted his show. This was a very rare event for the station. His death happened exactly sixteen years after he hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1994.
See also
- List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters
Images for kids
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Gerry Ryan at the opening of the Grand Canal Theatre in March 2010.
