"She changed the face of Irish broadcasting" A fitting tribute.
It was an emotional Late Late Show as friends, colleagues, and fans of Marian Finucane paid their respects to the broadcaster following the
sad news that she passed away at the age of 69.
During the discussion on Finucane's career and legacy, Ryan Tubridy was was joined by Clare Duignan, Claire Byrne, Olivia O'Leary and Maureen Gaffney.
Former Managing Director of RTÉ Radio 1 Clare Duignan said that Finucane "changed the face of Irish broadcasting and was one of the first women who broke through and became one of the top broadcasters in this country. She changed public opinion, she brought the women's agenda to the mainstream news agenda. "
Born in 1950, Finucane first worked with
RTE in the 1970s.
A qualified architect, she became a presenter working on programmes concerned with contemporary social issues, especially those concerning women, notably on Women Today.
She became a household name with her Liveline programme on
RTE Radio 1. A winner of the Prix Italia, her television work included Consumer Choice and Crime Line.
On Gay Byrne's retirement in 1999, she took over his early morning radio slot to present The Marian Finucane Show, ultimately taking over the morning slots on Saturday and Sunday.
In a brief highlight reel, viewers were treated to some of Finucane's best work which captured her unique skills as a journalist.
For example, we get to see her challenging Mother Teresa on the conventional belief that women are the heart of the family. Elsewhere, she raises the issue about why older women don't appear on TV and discusses a variety of subjects that were deemed to be controversial and taboo at the time, like contraception and sexuality.
The montage also gave a small insight into Finucane's exemplary charity work in Africa too.
During the show, writer and current affairs presenter Olivia O'Leary praised Finucane's presenting skills for being relaxed yet "sharp and incisive" while giving "people room to say what they wanted to say."
A fitting tribute to a talented broadcaster.
Take a look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z37EKXJoUE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2mh1Qe6ZlQ
Clips via The Late Late Show
