Joe Duffy reflected on his decades at RTÉ and his decision to leave Liveline during an emotional Late Late Show interview.
In a wide-ranging and often poignant conversation with host Patrick Kielty, Duffy spoke movingly about the importance of radio, the power of storytelling, and why now is the right time to step away.
"I’m younger than the new Pope by 135 days," he quipped, before adding more seriously, "I’ve been doing Liveline for 27 years. New voices will invigorate it again. And I don’t regret a single day - I’m sure a lot of other people do - but I don’t.
"I love getting the calls from people who have been ripped off, badly treated. And that's just the internal calls," he joked.
Watch: Joe Duffy tells Patrick Kielty why now is the right time for him to leave Liveline
"The great thing about Liveline... It's a gift and a privilege. I go into the studio with an idea of how it might start, but no idea how it will end. It could end in laughter, it could end in tears."
Duffy spoke with typical wit and warmth about the intimacy of radio. "Talk radio is like a neighbour calling in without knocking. You’ll always hear voices from all over the country - different stories, different accents.
The show also honoured some of Liveline’s most impactful moments, including a call from Imelda Murphy in the US that sparked a nationwide reckoning with Ireland’s institutional past.
Margaret Bullen, who died in a Magdalene Laundry, had been buried without a funeral. Her daughters, who didn’t know she had passed away, heard the story on Liveline.
Finding out that their birth mother had died on live radio "lit a spark," her daughter Samantha Long told Kielty, "and that spark turned into a fire that lit under the church and state."
Samantha continued: "That led to a massive national campaign and a number of campaigning groups being formed. It led to an apology by the then Taoiseach Enda Kenny in 2013."
An emotional Duffy said: "That’s not a product of radio. That’s a product of campaigners like Samantha, of politicians, and of people participating."
Duffy also spoke about his hatred of violence, recalling his interviews with families affected by The Troubles.
"The bullets that killed my James haven’t stopped travelling," he quoted one father as saying.
"Bullets don’t stop travelling. We have to be much stronger as a country in rejecting violence," Duffy said.
Reflecting on how far Ireland has come since his mother was born in 1929, Duffy said: "She was born as the Dáil debated the abolition of workhouses.
"By the time she died, she owned a home with the deeds in her handbag."
Duffy ended the interview by telling Kielty that after he presents his last Liveline on 27 June, he hopes to embrace a more active and mindful lifestyle.
He's also looking forward to spending more time with family and friends, travelling around Ireland and taking a break from the demands of daily broadcasting.
Joe Duffy's final Liveline will be on 27 June on RTÉ Radio 1.
You can catch up on The Late Late Show on RTÉ Player.
