Dermot Whelan of Dermot and Dave to leave Today FM

Dermot Whelan, one half of the comedy duo Dermot and Dave, has announced his departure from the popular Irish radio show today. He said in a statement that he would be saying goodbye to radio altogether, bringing an end to the duo's two-decade-long career.

Dermot Whelan and Dave Moore have been making radio together for more than twenty years, starting on 98FM and switching to Today FM in 2014. They amassed a massive amount of success across Ireland, winning awards and even embarking on an international tour. They recently toured Australia in support of the Irish Women's Football Team in the World Cup.

Dermot cites the reason for his departure to be a desire to devote more time to other passions in his life, specifically writing and meditation. As a qualified meditation teacher, he recently released a bestselling book Mind Full, and toured Ireland earlier this year in support of it.

As he said in a statement made on air, Dermot did not come to this decision lightly. "I actually made this extremely difficult decision because I have other areas in my life that I’m really passionate about and I want to spend some time really devoting my time to them," he said. "Over the last few years, I have worked in the area of meditation and have sought to blend comedy and humour with meditation so that I could help people deal with stress, worry and anxiety in their daily lives."

Dave's response to the announcement was bittersweet. "Dermot Valentine Whelan, I’ll miss being in a small room with my best friend for five hours every day and I am incredibly proud and excited for you for what’s next," he replied on air.

Dave Moore will now take over for the duo on his own and has announced a brand-new solo show on Today FM that will begin airing 28 August.