His original métier may be comedy but, as he opens proceedings on Wednesday, Oliver Callan (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays) stamps down any expectations of levity. “We do have a serious show for you today,” Callan states, skipping his usual larky monologue. “The topic is sexual violence against women, so I suppose a deep breath for us all.” If nothing else, it knocks the wind out of anyone expecting an hour of lighthearted banter from the impressionist-turned-host.
The sobering introduction is well warranted, however. Callan devotes his programme to an interview with Bláthnaid Raleigh, the young Mullingar woman who waived her right to anonymity to allow the naming of her convicted rapist, Jonathan Moran. “It’s not an easy listen, but I implore you to hear from her,” the presenter says, seeking to stay the hand of listeners tempted to turn the dial.
In clear and composed tones, Bláthnaid recounts how she and some friends went back to a house with Moran – who was in the same rugby club as her brothers – and his pals during the Galway Arts Festival in 2019. As people left, she found herself alone with him: he switched off the light, she remembers, and “it was like a totally different person entered the room”. Bláthnaid starkly describes the immediate aftermath of Moran’s vile sexual attack. “I went upstairs to the bathroom,” she says, “I could see I was bleeding.”
Distraught as she was, Bláthnaid went to a Garda station soon after leaving the house, encouraged and escorted by a group of concerned passersby she encountered. Consequently, DNA evidence was obtained, the scene of the crime was preserved and Moran was charged with rape. “All because somebody said something’s not right with this girl,” she recalls. Far from being the end of the matter, however, Blathnáid’s ordeal continued. The trial was repeatedly postponed, while her attacker continued his life uninterrupted. In contrast, Bláthnaid notes, “I put my life on hold for the past five years.” She suffered night terrors and was often “riddled with proper fear” when going out. “I was just a shell.”
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Raw as this account is, Bláthnaid is keen to share it, partly to highlight how apparently ordinary young men can be rapists – “He’s not your typical sexual predator,” she says of Moran – but mainly to give comfort and support to women enduring the same trauma as her: “It was an extremely lonely place.” Remarkable though Bláthnaid’s honesty is, her on-air demeanour is just as striking: she exudes a hard-won self-possession, even when talking frankly about her vulnerabilities. As forecast, it’s a difficult listen, but one that delivers a powerful message.
Callan lets Bláthnaid speak her truth without unnecessary interruption, though his admiration is clear: “I hope you recognise you are strong.” He wisely doesn’t nudge his guest towards voyeuristic clickbait territory and avoids overplaying his compassionate manner, understandable though that would be. Not so long ago, one mightn’t have predicted that the merry prankster behind the caricatures of Callan’s Kicks would transform himself into a compellingly empathetic interviewer, but there you have it.
Not all the host’s items have the same impact as this encounter. Lengthy chats about forthcoming movie attractions or, the week before, Taylor Swift’s business acumen are too flimsy to anchor a full programme, despite Callan’s gabby irreverence. But his introductory riffs mix quotidian observations about politics, culture and – notably – sport with biting if world-weary humour. “There was no menopause in Ireland until Joe Duffy started talking about it,” he cracks on Tuesday, before pulling back slightly: “I jest.”
Moreover, when his guests have a meaningful tale to share, be it Riverdance composer Bill Whelan, Afghan women’s rights activist Mahbooba Faiz or, of course, Bláthnaid Raleigh, the host draws them out to engaging effect. His comic chops notwithstanding, Callan’s talkshow is no joke.
As regular listeners to Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays) will know, presenter Cormac Ó hEadhra enjoys a good laugh, even when no one else thinks his impromptu gags are funny. On Monday, as he and co-host Sarah McInerney talk to journalist Claire Ronan about the wisdom of holidaying with in-laws (not necessarily a good idea, all agree), Ó hEadhra vividly conjures up the awkward scenarios that might arise.
“Can you think of stripping off at the beach, down to the old budgie smugglers, with granny and grandad there, and the in-laws?” he asks, chuckling at the notion. The long-suffering McInerney mutters in mock-exasperation – “You don’t have to discuss that” – while the image proves too much for their guest: “They might be challenged in the stomach department.” If nothing else, the vision of Ó hEadhra in skimpy togs provides a novel (if vaguely unsettling) twist on the old public speaking trick of imagining the audience in their underwear.
[ Almost half of sunbathers in survey feel getting sunburned is worth it to get tanOpens in new window ]
It’s not all japes, however. On Tuesday, Ó hEadhra discusses calls for sunbeds to be banned with tanning salon owner Joe McGlinchey and consultant dermatologist Prof Anne-Marie Tobin. The former guest is unsurprisingly in favour of such tanning devices, claiming they’re safer than the “uncontrolled environment” of lying in the sunshine, while noting that salons turn away customers with unsuitable skin types.
Ó hEadhra hears this out in affable fashion, before homing in on the link between sunbed use and skin cancer, a connection that Tobin affirms but which McGlinchey disputes. “We’ll agree to disagree,” he says, “She has her point and I have mine.” It’s an unconvincing argument, particularly when Tobin points out there have been 257 papers on the subject. Using sunbeds is of course a personal choice, but you’d think twice about jumping on one by the time Ó hEadhra concludes his item. His beachwear choices notwithstanding, the host is better at casting light on tricky topics than catching a few rays.
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