Barry Cowan was one of the leading faces of BBC Northern Ireland news and current affairs during the worst of The Troubles in the 1970s and 1980s. He was much-respected by broadcast colleagues and by politicians. Born in Coleraine, County Derry/Londonderry, Barry was educated at Ballymena Academy and graduated in physics from Queen’s University, Belfast. His broadcasting career began in the early 1970s with the BBC, where he was a studio manager. But the man who would eventually become a formidable on-air talent quickly moved into reporting and presenting. In 1974, he became the main anchor on BBC Northern Ireland’s flagship current affairs/news programme, Scene Around Six.
…Doyle, Bernadette
Bernadette was a relief continuity announcer at RTÉ in the late-1960s. She was also a teacher.
Maxwell, Raymond
Raymond was an announcer/newsreader with UTV from the late-1960s. He later moved to RTÉ in Dublin, where he was one of the announcers appearing during the opening night of RTÉ 2. He was accompanied at the launch of RTÉ 2 by fellow announcers Bernadette Ní Ghallchóir and
Róisín Harkin.
Crowley, Sharon
Sharon joined RTÉ in 1979. She was a continuity announcer on RTÉ 2 from the early to mid-1980s.
Finnerty, John
John was an announcer on both RTÉ TV channels from the mid-1980s. In the early 1990s, he moved across to the newsroom to present TV and radio news bulletins. John was one of the main presenters of the RTÉ One One o’Clock News from 2005 until his retirement in June 2017.
Leonard, Aidan
Aidan joined the RTÉ TV continuity announcing staff in 1994, and worked mainly on RTÉ One. This was in addition to presenting his 2FM radio shows. Aidan left the TV job within a year or so.
Finucane, Marian
Marian was an RTÉ continuity announcer in the mid-1970s before moving on to present many radio and TV programmes at the station.
Dowling, Aoife
Aoife joined RTÉ in the late-1990s, working as a continuity announcer on both television channels, though mainly on RTÉ Network 2. She later went on to present RTÉ weather forecasts – on both channels – from 2002. She left RTÉ in summer 2003.
Cronin, Cath
Cath joined the RTÉ One announcing team in summer 2005. She can also be heard occasionally on RTÉ 2.
Sherwin, Jim
Jim was an RTÉ TV continuity announcer in the early 1970s.
He moved into sports broadcasting, where he had a long and successful career as a presenter, commentator and producer. He was RTÉ’s main commentator at eight Olympic Games.
His rugby commentaries on radio and TV began in 1970 and ended at the Rugby World Cup in Sydney Australia in 2003. He commentated for over 20 years on racquet sports for RTÉ TV including Wimbledon and Roland Garros and was RTÉ’s main commentator on all major non-sporting outside broadcasts, including installation of presidents, live transmissions of visiting celebrities and state funerals.
O’Reilly, Brendan
Brendan joined RTÉ as a continuity announcer in 1961. Previously the Irish high jump and javelin champion, he went on to present Sports Stadium, RTÉ’s long-running Saturday afternoon sports magazine, from the 1970s to the 1990s.
…O’Shea, Neil
Neil is a former RTÉ Radio 1 presenter and announcer. He moved to TV presentation in the early 1990s, where he was an announcer on RTÉ Network 2. He also had occasional shifts on RTÉ One.