Who is Claire Byrne? RTÉ star born and raised in Laois, family life and big career decision

The pride of her native Laois and a household name across Ireland, Claire Byrne has had an extraordinary career so far. 

At just 48 years of age, Byrne has had a meteoric rise to fame; from humble beginnings on her family's farm to presenting flagship shows with the national broadcaster, she is an inspiration to many aspiring journalists. 

Well known for her unshakeable interviewing style, Byrne - who has worked as a broadcaster across Ireland and the UK - doesn't shy away from heated discussions with the likes of Ryanair's Michael O'Leary and controversial politicians such as Nigel Farage. 

Like many in the public eye, she has had her fair share of criticism, most notably following a 2022 episode of Claire Byrne Live entitled 'The Rise of Sinn Féin', when she was accused of alleged bias against the party, however, she has also received praise for her tenacity and decorum. 

Her radio programme continues to be a firm favourite in the RTÉ roster, with hundreds of thousands of listeners every morning, and despite having recently stepped away from her popular current affairs programme, Claire Byrne Live, Byrne is sure to be a permanent fixture on our airwaves and screens for many years to come. 

Where it all began

Raised on her family's farm, she studied politics, sociology and social science at University College Dublin before dropping out and studying journalism at Rathmines College of Further Education. 

She began her broadcasting career with East Coast Radio in Bray, before turning to the Channel Islands to work with BBC Radio, eventually becoming the news editor with Channel 103 in Jersey. 

She spent several years working with a number of different stations, searching for the right fit. She worked as a TV reporter with TV3 before working in London as a news anchor with Channel 5, and later with ITV News before being lured back to Ireland to present TV3's breakfast show, Ireland AM. 

She then had a four year stint at Newstalk before moving on to RTÉ, where she presented The Daily Show with Daithí Ó' Sé until March 2012. 

A rising star

Continuing her upwards career trajectory, she joined flagship current affairs programme, Prime Time, as an anchor alongside RTÉ stars Miriam O'Callaghan and Pat Kenny and cemented herself as a true rising star.

She soon found herself as the presenter of her very own current affairs TV show, Claire Byrne Live, in 2014, and became as familiar a face to Irish viewers as former Late Late Show host, Ryan Tubridy. 

She is perhaps best known for her coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, particularly after announcing she had tested positive for the virus in March that year. 

She went viral - pun not intended - online after presenting Claire Byrne Live from her garden shed to much applause, before returning to RTÉ studios several weeks later. 

She briefly returned to the shed to present both her radio and television show when she tested positive for a second time in April 2022. 

Twenty twenty was a banner year for Byrne for reasons other than her Covid infection, however, as she returned to her radio roots as presenter of Today with Sarah McInerney, which was re-titled Today with Claire Byrne. 

Big career decision 

Fans of Byrne were left saddened as Claire Byrne Live came to an end in May 2022 after seven years on air, with Byrne stating she wanted to concentrate on her radio show. 

However, she said she hoped to return to television "in time". 

According to RTÉ, she said, "When we started Claire Byrne Live in 2015, we wanted it to be a forum for people in Ireland to shape the news, respond to unfolding events and most importantly, to have their say. 

"We came through two general elections, two hugely significant referendums and one global pandemic in the time that we have been on air. 

"I have made the decision now to focus on my radio show and I am very much looking forward, in time, to working on other television projects for RTÉ." 

Byrne has since hosted an RTÉ quiz show, Ireland's Smartest, and was also tipped to replace Ryan Tubridy as the host of the Late Late Show before ruling herself out of contention. 

Family life 

Byrne has been married twice, having tied the knot with radio executive Richard Johnson in 2003, a union which lasted three years. 

She then became engaged to business consultant, Gerry Scollan, in 2013 and married him at a Dublin ceremony attended by close friends and family in 2016.

Byrne has three children with Scollan; a boy called Patrick born in 2013, and two girls (Jane and Emma) born in 2014 and 2017 respectively. 

The desire to spend more quality time with family has been cited as one of the reasons Byrne chose to step back from Claire Byrne Live, as well as to focus on her ongoing morning radio show.