Ian Dempsey | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ian D. Dempsey (1961-01-16)16 January 1961 (age 64) |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Broadcaster |
| Employer(s) | RTÉ (1980–1998) Today FM (1998–present) |
| Known for | Children's television, breakfast radio show, |
| Website | Official website |
Ian Dempsey (born 16 January 1961) is an Irish presenter of television and breakfast radio. He is the long-running presenter of the breakfast show onToday FM, self-titledThe Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, which runs from 6-9 am each weekday. He has won several major awards for his programmes[1] and was theRepublic of Ireland's tenth most-listened-to broadcaster in 2007.[2]
On 9 June 2010, he co-hosted the opening ceremony of the2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games Irish heats atThomond Park withDes Cahill.[3]
 | This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Ian Dempsey" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Dempsey began his first experiments in radio in 1967 when at the age of six he made his first radio show in a friend's house. In 1978 he joined Dublin pirate stationCapitol Radio, and later worked for Alternative Radio Dublin and Radio 257.[4]
| This section of abiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Ian Dempsey" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
On 29 February 1980, he joined the national broadcaster,Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), to presentThe Weekend Breakfast Show onRTÉ 2fm, and later, shows such asPoparama,The Hotline,Night Train andThe Great Giveaway Show.[5] Dempsey later hosted the lunchtime show before moving to the breakfast slot in the mid-1980s. He picked up whereMarty Whelan had left off, engaging the audience with his natural personality, a world apart from the 'jocks' that stalked the Radio Centre in Montrose at the time. Apart from a brief time off breakfast following 2fm's 1989 relaunch, he has remained on early mornings since.Maxi was placed on the breakfast show at that time, but, after a few weeks, it was apparent to all that her style was not suited to the format; Dempsey was promptly reinstated.
1986 saw Dempsey's first major exposure to television, with the children's showDempsey's Den, which also gave the alien twin puppetsZig and Zag their first break to the small screen. Noted for his choice of brightly coloured jumpers, Dempsey presentedThe Den until the summer of 1990 and later reflected on his time at the helm in a 2008 RTÉ documentary.[6] He also worked on variousTV shows including the pop music quiz showNumber 1 and three seasons ofThe Beatbox, a two-hourmusic video showsimulcast onNetwork 2 andRTÉ 2fm. He was also the first host of the Irish version ofTalkabout.[7]
Dempsey weathered the storm of the advent of independent radio in Ireland on RTÉ 2fm breakfast. His style was informal and relaxed. His rapport withDes Cahill was particularly strong. John Clarke, later head of RTÉ 2fm, produced the show and occasionally deputized.
Dempsey shocked the Irish radio world in 1998 by announcing a move to the newly relaunchedToday FM. He had been tempted by a sizable salary package to join the station that 12 months beforehand had languished with a minimal JNLR result. He left RTÉ for Today FM in July 1998 and since 21 September 1998 (when his breakfast show was launched) he has worked at the station with hisGift Grub team providing comedic value. 2fm has struggled to find a suitable replacement ever since. Attempts have includedHector Ó hEochagáin,Ryan Tubridy,Colm Hayes andMarty Whelan in recent years. When the move was announced he was refused entry to the Montrose campus and publicly complained that over 20,000 albums of his were not returned to him by RTÉ. In recent years it has been widely reported that 2fm has tried to tempt him back. In 2007 Dempsey started presenting an online radio show for Irish people abroad calledThe Craic.
Dempsey appeared onThe Restaurant where he bamboozled the critics with his Mini Bloody Mary Burgers, JFK's Lidded Lobster Soup, Swedish Meatballs, Tagliatelle with Lightly Curried Prawns, Deeply Bitter Chocolate Mousse and a dish he called "The Bomb".[8][9]
In late August 2015, Dempsey and Today FM colleague Louise Duffy presented The Seven O’Clock Show on TV3 filling in for usual hosts Martin King and Lucy Kennedy.[10]
Dempsey lives inSutton, Dublin. He is married to Ger and has three children.[11][12] Evan is a member of the band The Kapitals who have played theOxegen Festival twice while Shane works as an engineer for Today FM.[13][14]
Dempsey was nominated in the category of Best Radio DJ - National at the2010 Meteor Awards.[15]
On 16 September 2016, it was announced that Dempsey had been inducted into the PPI Radio Awards Hall of Fame along with RTE 2FM DJDave Fanning and South East Radio's Eamonn Buttle and Downtown Radio's Trevor Campbell.[citation needed]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Ian Dempsey | Best Radio DJ - National | Nominated |