RTÉ was never a place for retiring personalities

DESPITE never-ending funding headaches and low morale, RTÉ must be a terrific place to work, at least for its household names.

No sooner had Judge Mary Fahy dismissed all charges in the Golfgate saga in which he was embroiled, than retired broadcaster Seán O’Rourke was out of the traps, basically applying for some class of a gig at his home-fromhome.

Aged 66, Seán, pictured, still feels he has something to offer. It is the same with Mary Kennedy who virtually had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of Montrose when she hit 65, the mandatory retirement age.

For Mary who had worked with RTÉ for 40 years and is now a freelancer, the idea of retiring was simply ‘bonkers’.

Only those who truly love their jobs, whose identity is sewn into their work could baulk at retiring after a lifetime of paid employment. What’s not to like about suiting yourself, free to travel the world or follow your passion on a big fat Statesubsidised pension?

Yet for those who still hanker after their fulfilling, well-paid and arguably glamorous job, that is just not enough.

The flipside of highly soughtafter, premium positions is the insecurity that comes from knowing that there are always people waiting in the wings, hustling to step into your shoes and perhaps outshine you.

It’s a threat that doesn’t just come from hungry upstarts angling for their big break but from those who are retired but still hopelessly in thrall to the smell of greasepaint.