Ryan Tubridy

By anyoneÕs standards, 2003 has been a hectic year for Ryan Tubridy. In addition to rising at the ungodly hour of 5AM every weekday morning to present his hilarious and hugely successful 2FM breakfast show The Full Irish, the skinniest broadcaster in Ireland has turned 30, gotten married [to RTE producer Anne-Marie Power, his long-term partner and mother of his 5-year-old daughter] and hosted the Rose Of Tralee with enough panache and professionalism to be asked back. Now, as the year draws to a close, heÕs just released an album.

I know, I know, thatÕs what I said as well, but donÕt worry folks Ð heÕs not singing on it! Ryan TubridyÕs Full Lounge is a spin-off from the breakfast show and features twenty smokinÕ cool tracks from the likes of Chet Baker, Andy Williams, Doris Day and Bobby Darin. His rather retro taste in music wonÕt surprise anybody who knows the man. He may have just turned 30 but, given that he first appeared on Irish screens reviewing films on Anything Goes as a precocious 12-year-old, heÕs actually nearing 60 in RTE years. Even his wife has dubbed him a Ôyoung fogeyÕ.
Born and bred in Dublin Ð and resolutely middle class Ð heÕs been appearing intermittently on radio and television for most of his adult life. In the late-Õ90s he acquitted himself well as Pat KennyÕs roving reporter, before presenting his own radio show Morning Glory. An ill-fated stint hosting the Sunday Show [having replaced Andy OÕMahony] was followed with a far more impressive run as reporter and occasional presenter of Five Seven Live. HeÕs currently two years into The Full Irish on 2FM.
Visiting Galway for a record shop signing session, hotpress finds him holding court in the bar of the Radisson Hotel. Immaculately attired in a natty Paul Smith pinstriped suit and a bright pink shirt, Tubridy immediately bids his companions adieu and suggests we go find somewhere quieter.
We eventually settle in an Eyre Square pub, where he insists on getting the drinks inÉ

OLAF TYARANSEN: Has your new album actually been released yet?
RYAN TUBRIDY: Yeah, it came out last Friday. Ryan TubridyÕs Full Lounge. That was a curious one Ð I didnÕt quite see that coming, to be quite bloody honest with you. But what really happened with that was we were doing The Full Irish Ð the breakfast programme on 2FM Ð and IÕve an absolute love of this music. And I was saying, ÔAny chance I could play a track here at, say, 6.30 in the morning, before people are really listening, and call it The Lounge?Õ And say, ÔLetÕs go to The Lounge now and have a listen to this trackÕ. So it wound up being very popular, people liked to listen to lounge music. And it was being enjoyed by kids and people of our generation, who might only have heard these songs at a wedding Ð Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald and so on.
I notice thereÕs nothing by Frank Sinatra.
No. Largely because that would have been a copyright issue. Because it all happened so fast we could barely get our heads around it. But the rest of the tracks are all hand-picked by myself. The listeners were saying, ÔWhy donÕt you just do an album of these songs?Õ So it just came about Ð we spoke with EMI, and it all happened quite quickly.
A lot of radio DJs seem to be doing albums these days.
Yeah. Well, it is a good idea and, to be honest with you, it does have legs. Tom DunneÕs did very well. Ian Dempsey brought out Mario RosenstockÕs Gift Grub. But I donÕt recall the last time that I saw a 2FM person bringing one out.
Are you not worried that yours will just confirm your reputation as the youngest old fogey in the country?
Yeah [laughs]. I suppose thatÕs part of it. It was my wife who coined that phrase Ôyoung fogeyÕ. And IÕm very comfortable with that expression, but I wouldnÕt like people to think that it was contrived. ItÕs very genuine. I do genuinely love that period musically, but also historically. If somebody asked which period I would most like to have lived through, IÕd say IÕd love to have been involved in KennedyÕs administration, from 1961-63. IÕm very interested in history and most things retro Ð even right down to design or clothes or whatever. I like that era. You can tell by the clothes IÕm wearing. And I like to wear cords and all that kind of stuff.
Are you a fan of any contemporary music?
The stuff that IÕm enjoying playing would be things like The Strokes, for example, which is really not new at all, is it? The White Stripes Ð you could argue the same point. I love some of their tracks Ð ÔSeven Nation ArmyÕ or whatever Ð and yet I wouldnÕt be going home to listen to the White StripesÕ album from start to finish. So yeah, I like that kinda thing. Then I thoroughly enjoy listening to things like BeyonceÕs ÔCrazy In LoveÕ Ð and I can tolerate Shakira.
What did you think of Robbie WilliamsÕ Swing When YouÕre Winning album?
I thought that was an atrocious travesty. I thought it was an assault on the senses. And I said that at the time and I wrote about it at the time Ð and I stand by it. I thought it was his JimÕll Fix It moment Ð Dear Jim, Please will you fix it for me to fulfill a fantasy? And you know, if I was Robbie Williams, IÕd probably do the same thing. But as an album? I was appalled.
Do you sing yourself?
Not before many, many pints. Actually, about 7,000 pints [laughs].
You turned 30 earlier this year, didnÕt you?
I turned 30 in May. It was fine. IÕll tell you, I got married in May of this year and by the time I hit my 30th birthday, it was an irrelevance because I had too much going on. I came back from my honeymoon and I got a phone call about the Rose of Tralee and at that stage my world was torn asunder. So hitting 30, I never had a problem with it, to be honest with you.
Do you have any brothers and sisters?
Two of each. My parents are divorced and my dad now has two little girls whoÕre also my sisters from a second marriage. TheyÕre much younger.
When did your parents get divorced?
They wouldÕve been separated in the mid- to late-Õ80s. They now lead their own lives very happily, thankfully.
Did their separation have a big affect on you as a teenager?
I wouldÕve been 12 or 13 when they broke up. It was tough enough becauseÉ
Well, divorce still wasnÕt particularly acceptable in Õ80s Ireland.
No, but we came from a very straight-talking family and we didnÕt really dilly-dally around. And I always said that IÕd rather them happy apart than unhappy together. That was my philosophy and that kept me going Ð that mantra. Obviously, of course IÕd have preferred if they were together, but now that theyÕre exceptionally happy and doing their own thingÉ Also, theyÕre not living a million miles away from each other now so I have access to them both all the time. So, yeah, it was a tough thing at the time, but you just acclimatise.
Were you bullied at school?
No, never. Hate bullies.
Was that because you could always talk your way out of it?
Yeah, but it was never an option if you like. HatedÉ hated physical abuse of women Ð I donÕt know why IÕm even saying this Ð but it absolutely turns my stomach. Anything against women, in any shape or form, really bothers me. But probably what would make me angry as much as anything else, the immediate one, is rudeness. I hate bad manners.
Have you ever surfed the net for porn?
No, funnily enough. I mean, even as a kid Ð this will make me sound very prudish Ð but I was never really porn material. So no Ð not an option.
You first appeared on RTE television at the age of 12. Did you always want to be a broadcaster?
Well I did in the sense thatÉ Em, I feel IÕm always trotting out this line, but itÕs true. I wrote a letter to the Irish Times when I was 12 about how IÕd been to all these cinemas to see films, and I ran out of films to go and see for under-12s. And it got published. It was a very precocious and obnoxious thing to do Ð it was ultimately a very middle class scenario. So that happened. And somebody in Anything Goes, which IÕm sure you recall, picked up on the letter and they rang and asked me to come in and review a couple of movies for them. And I remember them Ð they were The Adventures of Young Sherlock Holmes and The Journey of Natty Gann. So I reviewed those two movies. And then I remember hearing kids on the radio reviewing books and I thought, ÔIÕd love to have a go at doing thatÕ.
You were bitten by the bugÉ
Yeah, I got bitten by the bug straightaway Ð I was 12, you know. And I wrote to Poporama saying ,ÔAny chance I could review some books for you?Õ Kevin Hough sent an envelope full of books Ð I was very excited Ð with a note saying, ÔWould you like to review these?Õ So I made a tape of me reviewing these books and sent the tape off. And they said, ÔCome on inÕ. So I went into this smoke-filled studio, which was kind of Ruth Buchanan smoking More cigarettes and Simon Young smoking B&H. I could just about make them out through the haze.
How times have changed!
How times have changed indeed. Smoking is not an option anymore. But itÕs not actually a problem because nobody on the breakfast show smokes.
YouÕre smoking now.
Yeah, but thatÕs just with the pint scenario [taps packet of Silk Cut Blue]. I donÕt usually smoke. But anyway, I went in and did this, and they ended up calling me back. So I did that every month for about two years Ð reviewing books on radio and TV and stuff like that. Then I had my Aled Jones moment where the voice was breaking and I was unacceptable to anyone or anything Ð including women (laughs) Ð so it was time to then hit the books and do the Leaving Cert, go to college, all that kinda thing. So it went on hold.
You studied history at UCD, didnÕt you?
Yeah. History and Greek & Roman Civilisation. Two subjects very close to my heart.
Your old fogey-ish tendencies were beginning to show!
Well, I suppose it all fits in. I did Latin for the Leaving Cert [trades a few Latin expressions with hotpress]. But thatÕs all very pretentious and IÕm aware of that. And I was also a very poor student. I was very distracted in class Ð always talking. I put all my energies into English and History, which were my great loves. I come from a very political and historically interesting family Ð I think Ð so my family is steeped in history and politics.
Tell meÉ
Sure. My grandad on my mumÕs side was a guy called Paul Andrews, who was a founding father of the state in terms ofÉ he was chairman of Bord na Mona and then later CIE. And then his two sons went into politics Ð David Andrews would become the local TD in Dun Laoghaire and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
David Andrews is your uncle?
Yeah, heÕs my mumÕs brother. And Neil Andrews, whoÕs an MEP, is another uncle. On my dadÕs side Ð itÕs interesting that weÕre in Galway Ð but his dad was the local TD in Oranmore. So thereÕs a lot of politics.
All Fianna Fail?
There would have been very much a Fianna Fail background. And my grandfather on my dadÕs side Ð Sean Tubridy Ð was a member of the first Dail. So while a lot of people get the Andrews connection, thereÕs also this other political side. So I was really steeped in it from the off and that encouraged my interest in history, which I adore.
Do you vote Fianna Fail?
Well, I wouldnÕt be inclined to, emÉ I have to kind of cut off my political ties when you go to work somewhere like RTE. My local TD is my first cousin, em, so itÕs kind ofÉ [laughs]. I think IÕll let you do the sums there. But having said that, my vote goes all over the place. IÕm not a flag waving, standard bearer for Fianna Fail by any means. But my vote would be pretty predictable.
Were you pleased to see George Redmond imprisoned?
I argued about this with my friend recently. I just saw a picture of him and he was reading Shelley, I think. He had Shelley in one hand, an umbrella in the other and he was shackled to a guard. And heÕs 79 years old. And I said to my friend, ÔIÕm having problems with RedmondÕ. I donÕt like Redmond, he was not a clean character, but heÕs 79. And my friend said, ÔLook, heÕs gonna be put away for two weeks. The likelihood is itÕll be a suspended sentenceÕ. I mean, we donÕt know Ð thereÕs a lot of legal stuff, but theyÕre probably just giving him a taste of it.
So when I was reading today that he had chicken curry for his dinner last night and heÕs sharing his cell with a traveller and a foreign national, I just thought, ÔOK, well, you know what? You pay for your sinsÕ. I would hate to see him in prison for a long, long, long time. I think just giving him the taste of prison is good enough for me. IÕm not for hanging and flogging him. And then thereÕs the shame. I think his family must be going through a horrible time. Because whenever thereÕs a scandal, thereÕs a family. So I hope theyÕre OK.
How wild were your college days?
I was never very wild. I enjoyed my pints, I enjoyed meeting the girls, I enjoyed mixing it with, you knowÉ I was the auditor of the History Society in UCD. I was never a debater. I was never in that league. But I loved the History Society Ð which is apart from the Hist, which is ÔhistrionicsÕ. So I got involved in every element of college life, but I would never have been considered wild.
Did you take any drugs?
No, funnily enough, never. Nothing. I was never into drugs, never bought anything. In college, I maybe wouldÕve had a drag of a spliff at the end of the night, but I was normally too plastered to get it. IÕve no problem if somebody in my company is spliffing away Ð thatÕs fine. But IÕm quite nerdy that way. ItÕs not an anti-drugs thing, as much as it is a ÔdonÕt-need-itÕ thing. Because (1) IÕve adrenaline to beat the band, (2) I love my pints and I donÕt need another buzz. IÕve been offered EÕs and IÕve been offered coke Ð on a plate Ð but I just didnÕt need it.
My old manÕs a psychiatrist and heÕs dealt with alcoholics all his life and he always said, ÔDrink by all means Ð but always in moderationÕ. Now thatÕs a lofty ambition. We donÕt drink in moderation in Ireland, as you know. But it meant that, at 16, IÕd have a bottle of beer with him at home, and it wasnÕt taboo. Rather than the pioneer badge and the finger-wagging, so it was cool.
What did you do when you finished college?
I was in college from 1991-94. I went into RTE in Õ95 or Õ96, and then I started Morning Glory in about Õ97. I latched onto a producer friend of mine, Michael Kiely Ð and we just get on exceptionally well. My philosophy really in broadcasting Ð as much as in business and generally in life Ð is you meet somebody you like and you like to work with, the question you ask yourself is, can you go and have a pint with this man at the end of the day? If you canÕt, you have to ask yourself why. If thereÕs a long list, walk away. If itÕs short and dealable with Ð if youÕll excuse the expression Ð deal with it. But if itÕs a straight yes, then youÕre in. So we devised Morning Glory together and it went well.
Do you find that thereÕs a lot of politics within RTE?
My feeling when I got into RTE was I wanted to swim with the big fish, if I could. I didnÕt want to be wandering around the shallow end forever. Because there are too many corpses there. Too many bodies of people who have come in, shone and then faded away. ItÕs a very tricky game. And I have to say, I find broadcasting very akin to politics. ItÕs absolutely a political game. Because everyone you meet is a vote. ItÕs somebody who has something to say about somebody else. If you say something nasty to someone Ð domino! All the way down!
You have a reputation as being a very good player of that game.
WhatÕs Ôthat gameÕ? [sharply]
Politics within RTE.
Well, what does that mean?
That you donÕt piss anybody off.
Well, IÕm sure I do. But my point is I donÕt set out to. People might say thatÕs cute or thatÕs clever or thatÕs whatever, but my attitude professionally is weÕre allÉ everyoneÕs in the media game, theyÕre all out to do well. Of course youÕre ambitious, of course youÕre keen to succeed in your game, butÉ I see some people representing RTE out of Montrose badly. I think that you are always Ð and this may sound a little arsey and IÕll be the first to say it Ð but you are always representing RTE. As long as IÕm employed by RTE, IÕll try to be a representative of the place. IÕm front of house. And if that means saying hello or stopping to take requests or sign autographs or something, thatÕs my philosophy. And though thatÕs not for everyone, IÕll happily do it.
Your wife [Anne-Marie Power] is a producer on the Joe Duffy show, isnÕt she?
SheÕs the producer in charge of Liveline, yeah. We met in RTE about seven years ago, maybe more. And I was freelancing, trying to get reports and I walked into Studio 2 Ð a very old fashioned Õ70s studio Ð to do a report and she was coming out. And she was wearing a skirt and she had very long legs and I could tell that she had this enormous brain. She does the brains in the relationship. So I had to get her number surreptitiously and I called her up and we met up, then she went to my brotherÕs 21st and then we smooched in the back garden of my mumÕs house Ð and it all happened from there.
I know you only got married earlier this year. WasnÕt there a rocky period in the relationship before that?
Well, I think, you knowÉ [slightly alarmed]. What was I? I was 25 when we had Ella, so I was 23. ThereÕs always gonna be ups and downs and rockiness in everything. I think thatÕs to do with being in your mid-twenties and suddenly youÕre in this massive relationshipÉ problems might arise. And I think thatÉ To be honest with you, problems arose Ð and problems were dealt with. They were ironed out. And now weÕre very happily married. So I think that very human things happen and we sorted it out. WeÕre very straight talking people and if thereÕs a problem weÕll sit down and say, ÔOK, whereÕs this going wrong?Õ or ÔWhereÕs this going right?Õ And everything is sorted. So yeah. WeÕve had our fair share of ups and downs. But now I think weÕre at the happiest place weÕve ever been.
Which side of the Dunphy vs. Kenny debate did you come down on?
Pat was very good to me when I was starting out. He was presenter, I was his reporter, and I have a lot of respect for Pat. But there are those who would argue that Eamon Dunphy was the best thing that ever happened to Pat KennyÕs career in recent years, in that Eamon wasnÕt coming up with the goods. Audience wise. I mean, thatÕs just a statement of fact. And for all the critics say about him, Pat is pulling in massive audiences every week. Is that the brand or is it Kenny? Well, PatÕs doing something right. I mean, if he was as awful as the people who write about him say, they wouldnÕt watch him. But they do. I think Dunphy was probably a little premature in his departure from The Last Word. I think there was another two years there in him.
But I meet Dunphy around town and, you know, heÕs good fun. I think that if you didnÕt have Dunphy, youÕd have to invent him. I think heÕs great value, great colour Ð and he brings a splash of colour to what is often a black and white city and country.
Do you have a motto in life?
I do actually. ItÕs a Latin expression that goesÉ [indecipherable on tape]. Essentially what it means is, ÔSomeday we will look back on all of this and laughÕ.[laughs]

[Photographs: Liam Sweeney]