What recruitment freeze? Delaney given Lyric slot
ACTOR Simon Delaney will present a new radio show on RTÉ Lyric FM.
The national broadcaster has announced the new addition to its schedule, Sunday Afternoon with Simon Delaney.
The 53-year-old’s show will air from 1pm to 4pm with a blend of jazz, classical favourites and easy listening tunes.
Delaney, a father-of-four and native of Raheny, Dublin, revealed he has been an ‘avid RTÉ Lyric FM listener for years’. He explained: ‘Whether it’s Marty Whelan keeping me company in the car on the morning commute or the brilliant Movies And Musicals with Aedín Gormley, there’s always something that tickles my music taste buds.’ He said he is ‘beyond excited’ to bring the new show to listeners.
Delaney continued: ‘The chance to get to share my music tastes with the audience is hugely exciting... Being a musical theatre fan, there will be flashes of West executives in its annual report.
It is the latest appointment at Montrose with strong links to Fine Gael. Former director of strategy Rory Coveney, who spearheaded the €2.3million loss-making Toy Show The Musical, is a brother of party member and Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney.
Former RTÉ director general Dee Forbes also comes from a Fine Gael family. Her father, Vin Forbes, was the head of his local Fine Gael cumann.
Mr Collins left in October, during the fallout from the payments scandal. He was given a payment on his departure, but his exit package has not been revealed, as Mr Bakhurst insisted that it was subject to a confidentiality agreement. Ms O’Keeffe received €450,000 in a redundancy package Side Story and Miss Saigon, and with a dad who played in the showband era, the crooners won’t be far away either.’
The former host of Weekend AM on Virgin Media is known for his roles in The Conjuring 2 (2016), Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013) and The Good Wife (2009).
Head of RTÉ Lyric FM Sinéad Wylde said: ‘Simon has been a friend to RTÉ Lyric FM for some time and we are now delighted to welcome him officially into the RTÉ Lyric FM family.
‘He has been working closely with producer Ian McGlynn in developing a new show for Sunday afternoons, and along with his warm presentation style, sense of fun and mischief, he will bring his knowledge of musical theatre, movies, stage and screen to every Sunday afternoon.’
When asked about his salary, a spokesperson for RTÉ said that the broadcaster ‘cannot provide such details relating to individuals’. when she left in April 2020, despite the fact that her role was not made redundant. Ms O’Keeffe’s admission that she received this package prompted an external investigation of historical exit payments at RTÉ.
Ms Hurley is a former CFO of AA Ireland, National Lottery operator Premier Lotteries Ireland, Hostelworld and the Sherry FitzGerald Group. She is a graduate of University College Cork and has completed the executive management programme at Harvard Business School in the US.
A Fine Gael spokesman confirmed Ms Hurley is no longer a party trustee, and has not been one for several years. Individual membership of a party cannot be disclosed by headquarters.