Ray D’Arcy, on RTÉ Radio 1, describes his chat with two professional cleaners with unabashed candour. Photograph: Andres Poveda, weekdays) has hosted his share of forgettable filler down the years, but it’s still something of a jolt to hear him talking genuine rubbish. However, that’s the case on Tuesday’s show, when D’Arcy is so transparent about the nature of the subject he’s covering that he describes it with unabashed candour.
Overall, while the host’s output sticks firmly to the lifestyle and human-interest format, this week’s items are a cut above generic fare. He conjures up the chatshow equivalent of a royal flush by combining, and her sister Bonnie, who survived a catastrophic accident in Thailand earlier this year. Considering the circumstances, it’s a surprisingly chipper conversation., who appears on Wednesday’s show to talk about his enduring love for stand-up.
Though both guests agree on the outrageous cost of energy here, it’s a tetchy discussion. But, amid the sniping, a kind of implicit angry consensus can be detected, one of deep dissatisfaction with the cost of living’s effects on people’s lives despite all the money sloshing around the country. One must hope that such discontent doesn’t give way to darker impulses, or we could be in deep doo-doo., when the presenter Shane Coleman talks to Jean’s son Michael McConville.
Sounding more distressed than angry, McConville now hopes people will stop bringing up his mother’s story. “I would love for everyone to leave us alone. My mother’s dead. Let her rest in peace.” It’s an uncomfortable conversation, sympathetically handled by Coleman, but also a reminder that the trauma of the Troubles resonates to this day.