Marian Finucane ( ; 21 May 1950 – 2 January 2020) was 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 ...
broadcaster with
Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann
Raidi (; ; also written Ragdi; born August, 1938) is a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2008, and the highest ranking Tibeta ...
(RTÉ). She began working with the national broadcaster in 1974, starting as a continuity announcer. She was the first presenter of ''
Liveline
''Liveline'' is an Irish radio interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday afternoon between 13.45 and 15.00. The programme, which is currently presented by Joe Duffy and known for its slogan "Talk to Joe", seeks the ...
'' and presented ''
The Marian Finucane Show
''The Marian Finucane Show'' was an Irish radio programme, presented by Marian Finucane. It aired Saturday - Sunday at 11:00 to 13:00. According to statistics from 2009, it was then the highest-rating weekend radio show in Ireland.
When Finucane ...
'' at weekend lunchtimes 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 ...
until her death.
Career
Marian Finucane was born 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 ...
and educated at Scoil ChaitrÃona,
Glasnevin
Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...
. She studied architecture at
Dublin College of Technology in Bolton Street. Finucane practised as an architect until 1974 when she joined
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
continuity announcer
In broadcasting, continuity or presentation (or station break in the U.S. and Canada) is announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. It typically includes programme schedules, announcement of the ...
, having been recruited by
Eoghan Harris
Eoghan Harris (born 13 March 1943) is an Irish journalist, columnist, director, and former politician. He has held posts in various and diverse political parties. He was a leading theoretician in the Marxist-Leninist Workers' Party of Ireland, p ...
. In 1976 she became a programme presenter, working mainly on programmes concerned with contemporary social issues, especially those concerning women, in particular ''Women Today''.
Finucane in 1979 was the recipient of a
Jacobs' Award for ''Women Today''. Her ''
Liveline
''Liveline'' is an Irish radio interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday afternoon between 13.45 and 15.00. The programme, which is currently presented by Joe Duffy and known for its slogan "Talk to Joe", seeks the ...
'' radio programme was a combined interview and phone-in chat show on weekday afternoons. In 1980 Finucane won the
Prix Italia
The Prix Italia is an international Television, Radio-broadcasting and Web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with the ...
for a documentary on
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
: she interviewed a woman who was about to have an abortion, had travelled with her to England, been with her in the hospital and talked to her afterwards. The Radio Journalist of the Year Award followed in 1988.
Her television work included information programming on RTÉ such as ''Consumer Choice'' and the
Garda investigation programme ''
Crimeline''.
On
Gay Byrne
Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne (5 August 1934 – 4 November 2019) was an Irish presenter and host of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of '' The Late Late Show'' over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999. ''The Late Lat ...
's retirement in 1999, Finucane took over his mid-morning radio slot to present ''
The Marian Finucane Show
''The Marian Finucane Show'' was an Irish radio programme, presented by Marian Finucane. It aired Saturday - Sunday at 11:00 to 13:00. According to statistics from 2009, it was then the highest-rating weekend radio show in Ireland.
When Finucane ...
''. Another broadcaster,
Joe Duffy
Joseph Duffy (born 27 January 1956) is an Irish broadcaster employed by Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (RTÉ). One of RTÉ's highest-earning stars, he is the current presenter of ''Liveline'', an interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTà ...
, took over ''Liveline''. On 24 June 2005, Finucane presented her final ''Marian Finucane Show'' in the weekday morning timeslot. Later that afternoon she received an
honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
from
NUI Galway
The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...
. Apart from recognising her media work, this degree was in recognition of her work raising funds, along with Clarke, towards the building of an
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
hospice and orphanage in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. In June 2005 she was replaced in her radio timeslot by
Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy (born 28 May 1973), nicknamed 'Tubs
' is an Irish broadcaster. He presents ''The Ryan Tubridy Show'' and '' The Late Late Show''.
Tubridy previously presented RTÉ 2fm breakfast radio show ''The Full Irish'', which at its end was ...
; in turn she took over morning slots on Saturday and Sunday.
Personal life and death
Finucane grew up in
Glasnevin
Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...
in Dublin. Her father Daniel Finucane was a
Garda sergeant, and her mother Maura Finucane was a teacher at Francis Xavier School. Her father died when she was 12.
Her first marriage ended in separation.
She then had two children with her partner, John Clarke. Their daughter developed leukaemia and died, aged eight, in 1990. She and Clarke married in January 2015.
Finucane suffered from
heart arrhythmia
Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults ...
which did not respond to treatment; John Clarke stated after her death that "I believe for two years that she had been very unwell", noting "she wouldn't go to doctors". In one case, Finucane convinced one of her sisters to mimic her symptoms to a doctor in order to obtain a diagnosis.
After a long flight from India where she had attended a friend's wedding, Finucane reported feeling very unwell upon arriving at her home in
Naas
Naas ( ; ga, Nás na RÃogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge.
History
The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...
,
County Kildare
County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...
, and decided to go to bed; she died unexpectedly in her sleep from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
on 2 January 2020, aged 69. Her laboured breathing had been noticed in her final broadcast on 8 December 2019.
Her funeral took place on 7 January 2020.
In October 2022 a sculpture in her honour was unveiled outside the RTE Radio Centre in Dublin.
References
External links
''The Marian Finucane Show''at
RTÉ.ie
RTÉ.ie is the brand name and home of Irish broadcaster Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (RTÉ)'s online activities, located at the URL https://www.rte.ie/. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. According to RTÉ, it operates on an entirely com ...
Friends In Ireland Homepage*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finucane, Marian
1950 births
2020 deaths
Mass media people from Dublin (city)
Ballygall
20th-century Irish people
Alumni of Dublin Institute of Technology
Alumni of the University of Galway
RTÉ Radio 1 presenters
RTÉ television presenters
Jacob's Award winners
Prix Italia winners
21st-century Irish people