HAIL TUBRIDY ...KING OF RTÉ

Ryan, the natural entertainer, on the Wild Atlantic Way talks Trump, First Dates and the end of his reign

THERE has always been something unsettling about Irish politicians pressing the flesh and kissing babies. Watching Brian Cowen pluck a petrified newborn from a crowd and jiggle it around was a poorly judged photo op at best. But it seemed as if the worlds of showbiz and politics collided this week as the Ryan Tubridy bandwagon arrived into Kilkee with all the pomp and ceremony of an election campaign run.

For a start, the Radio One star arrived into the seaside village in a vintage bus newly adorned with a giant image of himself.

Schoolgirl Grace McCusker greeted him with a giant pink card welcoming him to Co. Clare. Tubs gave her a big hug and placed the card in the side window of the bus, in full view of the gathering audience, securing a vote for life.

He spent the morning visiting local schools and chatting with those working in local tourism. Talk centred on the many activities along the Wild Atlantic Way.

He looked at ease joking with the boys and girls from Réalt Na Mara School as he draped a Clare scarf around his neck. The biggest cheer came when a newborn baby was thrust in his direction. There was no panic and Tubs, who has politics in his blood, rose to the occasion.

Like a scene from the Lion King, he held baby Bryan aloft for all to see. If they weren’t regular Radio One listeners before this morning, they were now.

‘Look, seeing your head on a bus is a bit weird,’ Ryan admits as we chat on the top level of his doubledecker chariot. ‘This week definitely hasn’t been the toughest week of my life. The Late Late finished on Friday and normally I try to take that first week off just to decompress, but when I knew that the Wild Atlantic Way show was kicking off in this bus, this was the perfect way to transition away from the Late Late madness and into radio for the summer.’

He describes the touring show as a ‘circus’, which is not a bad analogy considering he is very much in the ringmaster role. But it is the first time you get to really see the worker bees who make the Tubridy show a hit.

Through the glass windows of the bus Siobhán Hough, once the late Gerry Ryan’s right-hand woman, drives the show, while Ryan’s producer, Jack Murphy, rarely leaves his side. Researcher Grace Waller acts as a go-between as Ryan works the crowd, ensuring that ad breaks and songs are met without delays. ‘Will I whistle at him?, asks one female fan pushing her toddler in a buggy. ‘My God he is great. I would love to go up and give him an old squeeze.’ Another happy voter.

Head of publicity, Maureen Catterson, showers the guests with goodie bags filled with knickknacks, bells and whistles. These are gratefully received as more listeners sign up to the party. This well-oiled machine would give Fossetts a run for their money.

Next month, Donald Trump’s political circus will roll in to nearby Doonbeg. Surprisingly, Ryan is not one of the doubters – he believes that Donald will be the next US president.

‘I really do think he is going to be the next president,’ he says, leaning back in his seat. ‘I think that we are probably misreading the American situation a little bit in the sense that people are talking about Hillary Clinton as the obvious choice for president. I admire the Clintons, I always thought that Bill Clinton was a great president, but I do think that Trump will actually pull it out of the bag.

‘I just think it is the most bizarre election that I have ever seen. I think that the rule book has been ripped up and I think that when Trump gets on the campaign trail against Hillary, I think he is going to be a real problem for her.

‘Every time Donald Trump says something controversial, everyone says that he is finished – and he only gets bigger and increases the size of the vote.

‘I think that a Clinton presidency would be better for the world at large if we were to go on what we know about Donald Trump. There must be something about Donald Trump that has proven to be very attractive to a lot of people. We will watch this space.’

It is hard not to be impressed by Tubs when he chats. He is so polished and polite that he could talk a taxi driver into a half price fare from the airport.

When the Discovery Channel’s Dee Forbes became the surprise new RTÉ Director General, you would imagine the fear of a new regime sent shockwaves through RTÉ. But Ryan has taken her appointment in his lengthy stride. ‘I haven’t met the new boss yet,’ he says. ‘The only communication we have had is that we were doing a show from Skibbereen and she was listening from London and messaged our Facebook page to ask whether we were having a nice time or not in her home town because she is from nearby Drimoleague. But I haven’t met her and I only know as much as anyone else in terms of who she is. But she

‘I admire the Clintons, but Trump is going to pull it out of the bag’