Áine Lawlor (born 1961) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

radio and television broadcaster who has hosted many shows on

RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 1 ( ga, RTÉ Raidió 1) is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926. The total budget for th ...

. She has worked on various news and current affairs radio and television programmes, including ''News at One'', ''The Week in Politics'', ''

Today with Pat Kenny Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'', ''Today at 5'', ''The Nature of Things'', ''Tuesday File'', ''

Today Tonight ''Today Tonight'' is an Australian current affairs television program produced by the Seven Network. It aired from January 1995 to November 2019 in Adelaide and Perth. Editions in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne were previously produced befo ...

'', ''The Marian Finucane Show'' and '' One to One''. On 7 December 2008, Lawlor presented the first Sunday morning broadcast of ''

Morning Ireland ''Morning Ireland'' is the breakfast news programme broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1 in Ireland and is noted as that country's most listened to radio programme. It is broadcast each weekday morning between 07.00 and 09.00 and alternate items are normall ...

'', during which she announced news of the Irish pork crisis. She has also narrated ''States of Fear''. Lawlor has been described as one of Ireland's "sharpest, most experienced broadcasters".

Career

Lawlor attended Manor House School,

Raheny Raheny () is a northern suburb of Dublin, Ireland, halfway from the city centre to Howth. It is centred on a historic settlement, first documented in 570 CE ( Mervyn Archdall). The district shares Dublin's two largest municipal parks, Saint Anne ...

. She graduated from

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

in 1984 having spent time as President of the Students' Union. She moved to arts administration, before going to

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

as a radio announcer. She went on to be a trainee journalist. In radio, she worked on ''

'', ''Today at 5'' and

RTÉ 2fm (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

News. In television, she has worked on ''The Nature of Things'', ''Tuesday File'' and ''Today Tonight''. She was also a narrator of ''States of Fear'', a programme on abuse in residential institutions.

''Morning Ireland''

For many years, Lawlor co-presented ''Morning Ireland'', Ireland's most listened to radio programme which has been on air since 1984. She has interviewed, amongst others, ESB union boss David Naughton, US Democratic official

Samantha Power Samantha Jane Power (born September 21, 1970) is an American journalist, diplomat and government official who is currently serving as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. She previously served as the 28th ...

, and

Harald zur Hausen Harald zur Hausen NAS EASA APS (; born 11 March 1936) is a German virologist and professor emeritus. He has done research on cervical cancer and discovered the role of papilloma viruses in cervical cancer, for which he received the Nobe ...

Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...

and the first doctor to prove that

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...

was caused by a virus. It was Lawlor's voice that first informed morning radio listeners on the island of Ireland that all international Irish pork products had been recalled in December 2008. This was particularly unusual because her voice (and the ''Morning Ireland'' theme tune) was heard on the airwaves on Sunday, despite the show being scheduled to air on weekday mornings only. The ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' described the occurrence as "a kind of a

War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...

moment", with nobody able to recall the show being broadcast on a Sunday before, and speculation mounting that the sound of the theme music must signal a major death or nuclear war. When former minister for agriculture Brendan Smith promised free cheese for the masses her interview with him made worldwide headlines. On 14 October 2011, Lawlor announced on air at the end of ''Morning Ireland'': "That's all from me for a while as I'm taking a break for medical treatment. Thanks to all of you who have listened over the past 16 years". ''The Irish Times'' reported that she had been diagnosed with cancer. She returned to

in 2012, but moved to ''News At One'' in the re-shuffle brought about by Pat Kenny's departure from the station the following year.

''One to One''

Lawlor also presents on an intermittent '' One to One'', a current affairs interview programme on

RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís � ...

. She spent one interview with Libertas Institute leader,

Declan Ganley Declan James Ganley (born 23 July 1968) is an English-born Irish entrepreneur, businessman, and political activist. He was the founder and leader of the Irish branch of the Libertas Party. Primarily a telecommunications entrepreneur, Ganley has ...

, "looking over the top of her glasses at him, utterly determined to put a halt to his gallop, and still he kept on coming". In her interview with academic

, Lawlor "allowed Power to drone on in that earnest and humourless way peculiar to people who think that what they have to say is of grave global import".

Personal life

Lawlor currently lives in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

with her husband Ian Wilson, and her four children, David, Ella and twins Megan and Jack. Her husband is also a well known producer in RTÉ 2fm. Her interests include gardening and growing and cooking her own food. She does yoga and Pilates twice a week. Lawlor was presented with the Trinity College Alumni Award in 2008. Lawlor featured in the RTÉ Television production 'Keys to my life' which was broadcast on 19 September 2021.

References

External links

''Morning Ireland'' profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawlor, Aine Living people People educated at Manor House School, Raheny Alumni of Trinity College Dublin RTÉ newsreaders and journalists RTÉ Radio 1 presenters 1965 births People from Rathmines Irish women radio presenters Irish women journalists