Colm Hayes to leave RTE 2fm

Irish radio circles were hit with a bombshell this morning, as RTÉ announced the departure of Colm Hayes. The news emerged in an official RTÉ press release, which has quotes from both Hayes himself and Dan Healy, the current head honcho at RTÉ 2fm.

A veteran of the original Dublin pirate station, Radio Nova, Hayes has been one of the leading voices on the ‘second' national station for the past ten years. He was poached from FM104 – where he had fronted the hugely successful Strawberry Alarm Clock – by former 2fm boss John Clarke. However, a recent reshuffle under new station boss DanHealy saw Hayes being relegated to the weekend. While some of Ireland’s most important broadcasters have made that transition successfully – most notably Marian Finnucane, who has made Saturday and Sunday mornings her own on RTÉ Radio One – it is not choice that most presenters would make.

However, his decision to leave RTÉ, without another station to go to, still comes as a shock.

“Colm Hayes is one of the most outstanding broadcasters in the country," says Dan Healy, Head of RTÉ 2fm. "Over the last ten years he has produced some of the best radio on 2fm. Along with my colleagues I wish him continued success in his future career.”

Colm himself added: “I’ve loved my time at 2fm, and now is the time to move on. Just as 2fm is evolving and changing, so am I. I wish all the team in 2fm the best of luck and I’d like to say thank you to all the people I have worked with in RTÉ over the last ten years.”

He leaves to concentrate on new projects with his entertainment production company.