Joe Duffy said he had a heartbreaking Christmas - attending nine funerals, including the late Marian Finucane and Larry Gogan.
The RTE radio presenter, who celebrated his 64th birthday earlier this week went on to joke about facing the RTE retirement age.
Speaking at the red carpet of the The Lieutenant of Inishmore this week, he jokingly told Irish Daily Mirror: “At least I didn’t get my marching orders from RTE.
Laughing, he went on to quote Paul McCartney’s ‘When I’m Sixty-four’ saying: “Don’t tell RTE I’m 64, will they still need me, still they feed me..”, before clarifying that the retirement policy won’t affect him because he isn’t staff.
Following the sad start to the new year for the broadcaster, which included the deaths of two legendary figures, Larry Gogan and Marian Finucane, the Liveline presenter said there is a sadness looming within the station.
The Dubliner told: “There is a sadness over Marian and a sadness over Larry and the residual from Gay.
“I was texting Kathleen[ Watkins, Gay’s wife] the other day, I think she hurt her foot, but isn’t she brilliant, isn’t she brilliant.”
Going on to open up about his own sadness, he revealed that he has had a rough start to the new year.
He said: “Ah yeah that is fine but the other complication, my Christmas was so sad because my mother-in-law died the day after Marian, my aunt died the day.. So I think I went to nine funerals over christmas.”
But looking ahead to the new year, the author of historic novel, Children of the Troubles, said he is hoping to get his documentary on the BBC.
He said: “Well my book is still out there, and we are pitching it, like we made it and broadcast on RTE but we are pitching it to BBC so we are optimistic they are going to broadcast it because it is about the troubles obviously.”
