Marty Whelan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marty Whelan
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Whelan in 2018
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| Born |
Martin Whelan
7 June 1956 Dublin, Ireland
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Broadcaster |
| Employer | Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) |
| Spouse(s) |
Maria Whelan
(m. 1985) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | John and Lilly Whelan |
Marty Whelan is a well-known Irish radio and television presenter. He was born on June 7, 1956. He works for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), which is Ireland's national broadcaster.
Marty is famous for hosting many popular shows. These include game shows like Millionaire and Fame and Fortune. He also hosted the afternoon show Open House.
He hosted the annual Rose of Tralee contest from 1997 to 2003. He also presents Marty in the Morning on RTÉ Lyric fm. Marty has been a co-presenter of the popular game show Winning Streak since 2009. He is also the voice of the Eurovision Song Contest for Irish TV viewers.
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Marty Whelan's Early Life
Marty Whelan was born in Dublin, Ireland, on June 7, 1956. He grew up as an only child. He remembers his childhood as being full of fun with cousins and friends.
He went to school in Killester. Before starting his career in radio, Marty worked for an insurance company for five years. His journey into broadcasting began at a pirate radio station called Radio Dublin.
In April 1978, Marty and many other DJs left Radio Dublin to start a new station called The Big D. He first worked on weekend shows. By September 1978, he got his first daily show, presenting the drivetime slot.
Marty's Career in TV and Radio
Starting at RTÉ Radio
In 1979, Marty Whelan joined RTÉ Radio 2, which is now known as RTÉ 2fm. Before this, he used the name Marty Hall on pirate radio. During his first time at the station, he hosted shows like Drivetime and Marty till Midnight.
He also spent three years presenting RTÉ 2fm's Breakfast Show. He would return to this role later in his career.
Moving to Television
In the mid-1980s, Marty started working in television. He became the first male presenter of a popular fashion show called Head 2 Toe. More TV shows followed, including the quiz program Where in the World? from 1987 to 1989.
He also hosted Video File from 1983 to 1989. On this show, he interviewed many famous music stars.
In 1989, Marty left RTÉ radio to work for a different station, Century Radio. When that station closed, RTÉ was not keen to have him back right away.
Returning to RTÉ
Marty Whelan returned to RTÉ in the mid-1990s. He presented shows like Go For It, Off the Record, and Millionaire. For over ten years, he hosted RTÉ One's summer lottery show Fame and Fortune on Saturday nights. He also spent ten years presenting the John Player Tops.
In 1997, Marty became the host of the annual Rose of Tralee contest. He hosted this popular event until 2003, when Ryan Tubridy took over. In 2004, RTÉ's afternoon show Open House was cancelled. Marty had been a co-host with Mary Kennedy since 1998. He was very surprised and disappointed by this news.
Recent Career Highlights
In the summer of 2005, Marty filled in for Gerry Ryan on his morning radio show on RTÉ 2fm. This led to him getting his own show, Marty in the Morning, which started on September 26, 2005. This show ended in March 2007.
Since then, Marty has appeared in movies as himself. He also made a guest appearance on the Irish soap opera Fair City. He continues to provide commentary for RTÉ's television coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest every May.
From March 2009, Marty presented Sunday with Marty Whelan on RTÉ lyric fm. In July 2009, he provided commentary for the Michael Jackson memorial service on RTÉ Two. Following his Sunday show, he got his own weekday lunchtime show on Lyric fm, Marty at Midday, starting in September 2009.
In that same month, he began co-presenting Winning Streak on RTÉ One every Saturday night. He has been doing this ever since. As of October 2010, Marty presents Marty in the Morning on RTÉ Lyric FM on weekday mornings. He also presented TV series like A Little Bit Funny in 2009 and A Little Bit Eurovision in 2011.
Eurovision Song Contest Commentary
Marty Whelan co-hosted Eurosong, the Irish heats for the Eurovision Song Contest, in 1987 and 1988 with Maxi. RTÉ had different commentators for Eurovision between 1988 and 1999.
In 1999, it was decided that Marty would return as the commentator. He began commentating for Ireland at the 2000 Contest in Sweden. He has continued to provide commentary for RTÉ for the Eurovision Song Contest every year since then.
Marty's Personal Life
Marty Whelan is married to Maria. They have two children together. Marty and Maria first met in 1974. They dated for over ten years before getting married on August 13, 1985.
Maria used to work as an air hostess for Aer Lingus but stopped after they got married. Marty enjoys sports like badminton, rugby, and football. He also likes doing DIY projects around the house. He sometimes plays indoor football with his colleagues at RTÉ. In October 2015, Marty released his life story in a book called That’s Life.
Awards and Recognition
In 1986, Marty Whelan won a Jacob's Award for his work on the show Video File.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Marty Whelan | Jacob's Awards | Won |
Advertising Work
Marty Whelan has also appeared in advertisements. In 1984, he was in an advert for Knorr sauces. From 1992 to 1996, he featured in a series of adverts for Daz washing detergent.
