RTÉ broadcasters Mary Wilson and Áine Lawlor have presented their final Morning Ireland radio programme on Wednesday.
Ms Wilson has retired from the national broadcaster, while Ms Lawlor is taking a step back from the show. She will continue to present The Week in Politics and feature across RTÉ’s coverage of the forthcoming presidential election.
New presenters of Ireland’s most listened-to radio show are due to be unveiled by RTÉ in the coming weeks.
Ms Wilson said she felt “incredibly lucky” to have had “35 wonderful years” in RTÉ and thanked her colleagues and listeners.
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She said her standout memory, while working as legal affairs correspondent, was “ordinary people” trusting her to tell their stories.
“There’s big names who sail in and sail out…[but] it’s those ordinary people who fight the good fight and trust you to tell their story for them, be true to them. I know that’s what will stand out to me,” she said.
Ms Wilson joined the broadcaster’s newsroom in 1990. Since then, the Tipperary native’s career has been book ended by roles at Morning Ireland.
She began as a reporter on the show before going on to be legal affairs correspondent, editor and the first presenter of Drivetime in 2006. She returned to present Morning Ireland in 2020.
Ms Wilson said she was “fortunate” to be able to retire, saying she was looking forward to becoming a radio listener, as opposed to a presenter, alongside “indulging my many hobbies”.
Ms Lawlor, who has presented Morning Ireland for 17 years in total, joined the broadcaster in 1984.
“It’s been a privilege to be part of Morning Ireland for so many years, to be a part of the programme so many listeners turn to at the start of the day,” she said.
Sports presenter Des Cahill said he wanted to acknowledge the “two wonderful broadcasters” and thanked them for their “professionalism, dedication, and commitment to the important role of public service broadcasting”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin also acknowledged the two presenters on X and said they would “both be missed”.
In a statement, RTÉ said new Morning Ireland presenters would be announced shortly.
Last month it was announced that Claire Byrne would be departing RTÉ and her Today programme to join rival Newstalk.
