Ray D'Arcy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ray D'Arcy
A pencil portrait of Ray D'Arcy
Born	Raymond Michael D'Arcy (1964-09-01) 1 September 1964 (age 60) Kildare, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Education	Psychology graduate
Alma mater	Trinity College Dublin
Occupation	Radio presenter TV presenter
Employer	RTÉ
Spouse(s)	Jenny Kelly ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	Kate Tom

Raymond Michael D'Arcy (born 1 September 1964) is a well-known Irish TV and radio presenter. He works for RTÉ, which is Ireland's main public broadcaster. Ray has worked there twice in his career.

Ray became famous in the 1990s for his TV shows on RTÉ. He presented children's TV on The Den. He also hosted a quiz show called Blackboard Jungle. Later, he presented the youth music show 2Phat. In the 2000s, he hosted the Rose of Tralee beauty pageant for four years.

Ray also had his own weekday morning radio show. It was called The Ray D'Arcy Show on Today FM. His co-worker on that show, Jenny Kelly, later became his wife. They got married in 2013 and have two children together. Ray D'Arcy returned to work at RTÉ in 2015.

Ray D'Arcy's Early Life

Ray D'Arcy was born in 1964 in Tipperary, Ireland. He grew up in a big family with nine people. His father was the only one working. Ray's grandmother passed away when he was 11 years old.

Ray loved music and broadcasting from a young age. He started working as a DJ for discos when he was 15. He later went to Trinity College Dublin. There, he studied psychology and graduated in 1985.

Ray D'Arcy's Career Journey

Ray D'Arcy has worked as a presenter for both TV and radio. He began his career in 1985 at RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

Television Shows Ray Hosted

Ray's first job as a TV presenter was in 1988. He worked on a show called Jo Maxi.

In 1990, Ray took over from Ian Dempsey as the host of The Den. This was a very popular children's TV show on RTÉ. He was the main presenter until 1998. His time on children's TV was even featured in a documentary in 2008.

Ray also presented the quiz show Blackboard Jungle. After that, he hosted the youth music quiz 2Phat. He also presented a travel show called Bon Voyage! for one season.

He hosted other shows for RTÉ too. These included Ireland's version of Test The Nation. He also presented the Irish Young Scientist Awards. Until 2005, he hosted You're a Star. This was a talent show to find Ireland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.

In 2005, Ray became the presenter for the Rose of Tralee. He hosted this popular event for five years. He decided to step down in 2010 to spend more time with his growing family.

Ray also hosted When Dreams Come True in 2005. He presented Eurosong 2008. He even hosted one episode of The Panel. In 2008, he announced he would join Celebrity Bainisteoir. He managed the Rathangan team from County Kildare.

Ray D'Arcy's Radio Career

In 1998, Ray D'Arcy started hosting The Ray D'Arcy Show on Today FM. His show was on from 10:00 AM to 12:45 PM at first. Later, it changed to 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. This put him in direct competition with The Gerry Ryan Show on RTÉ 2fm.

Ray often said his show's success was thanks to his team. This included Jenny Kelly, Will Hanafin, and Mairead Farrell. The show became very popular for its fun segments. These included "Fix-It Friday" and the "Odd One Out Quiz".

In 2014, Ray D'Arcy left Today FM. He returned to RTÉ Radio after they had asked him to join many times. The Ray D'Arcy Show continued on RTÉ Radio One. It was also announced that his wife, Jenny Kelly, would join him at RTÉ. She would produce his new radio show.

His first show back at RTÉ was on 2 February 2015. It aired every weekday from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM.

Ray D'Arcy's Earnings at RTÉ

In 2018, RTÉ shared Ray D'Arcy's salary for 2016. It was €450,000, which was up from €400,000 in 2015. In 2023, Ray said his current salary was €250,000 per year. This was just for his radio show, as he was not working in television at that time.

Ray D'Arcy's Personal Life

Ray D'Arcy is a very well-known person in Ireland. However, he does not see himself as a celebrity. He often turns down requests for interviews.

Ray D'Arcy's Family

Ray D'Arcy was once engaged to TV presenter Geri Maye. However, their wedding was called off. Ray later married Jenny Kelly, who was his producer and co-presenter. They got married on 24 August 2013.

The media became very interested in their relationship. This happened after Ray talked about it on Saturday Night With Miriam in 2005. Their daughter was born on 25 November 2006. Jenny went into labor while watching The Late Late Show.

In January 2012, Ray and Jenny announced they were engaged. They also shared that they were expecting their second child. In June of that year, they welcomed their son. Earlier that year, Ray had an accident. He tripped and broke his nose, needing surgery.

The D'Arcy family has a dog named Teddy. Ray's father, Ray D'Arcy Snr, passed away on 28 December 2017.

Ray D'Arcy's Awards and Recognition

Ray D'Arcy has won several awards for his work.

In 1993, he won a Jacob's Award. This was for his excellent presentation of The Den.

Ray won the Best Irish Radio DJ award at the Meteor Music Awards three times. He won in 2005, 2006, and 2007. This showed he was one of Ireland's most popular radio presenters. Ray always says these awards should be shared with his team. He gives credit to Jenny Kelly, Mairead Farrell, and producer Will Hanafin.

In 2006, The Ray D'Arcy Show won an award at the PPI Irish Radio Awards. It was the Community/Social Action award. This was for their work on road safety issues in Ireland.

In 2007, The Ray D'Arcy Show won another PPI Irish Radio Award. This time it was for Best Light Entertainment Programme.