AFTER THIRTY years Ennis’ Kieran Hanrahan has retired at the helm of popular RTÉ Radio One traditional music show Céilí House.
Kieran’s final show was aired on Saturday evening live from the Gig Rig at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Wexford. The show featured the best of Wexford musicians, including a quartet of Wexford pipers, music from some of the weekend’s award winners and special guests.
His family members were among those in the audience in Wexford to mark the end of an era including his wife Pat, son Conor who travelled all the way from Hong Kong and his daughter Niamh who flew in from Brussels and his siblings Mike, Gabriella, Ger, Joe and John.. Thousands were in attendance to say thank you to a giant of the Irish traditional music scene.
Appearing on the show for only the second time, Mike dedicated a rendition ‘We Had It All’ to his sibling, “We’re all so proud of you and what you do,” Mike told his brother.
In 1992, Kieran first joined RTÉ initially presenting Fleadh Club and Both Sides Now before assuming hosting duties of Céilí House in 1995.
Céilí House has been on air on RTÉ Radio since the 1950’s but over the past thirty years Hanrahan has made the show his own. His warmth, knowledge and passion for music and real interest in the stories being told have firmly established the show as a stronghold for weekend listeners on RTÉ Radio 1. Every Saturday, listeners are guaranteed to hear the best of Irish traditional music played in halls, houses and theatres all over the country.
Reflecting on his three decades in the hotseat, Kieran said, “It has been an honour and a joy to present Céilí House on RTÉ Radio 1 for the last thirty years. For me, every night was a highlight whether we were in someone’s home, the local pub, the parish hall or the National Concert Hall. I am deeply grateful to our loyal listeners, and to the countless musicians, singers and dancers, whose talent and generosity brought the music to life. Thank you for making this phase of my life so rich, rewarding, memorable, and truly special”.
“It’s been fantastic, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, every night we go out with Céilí House is a highlight for me,” Kieran said on his final show. “Thanks to RTÉ for the opportunity, it has been amazing, our audiences have been amazing, our listeners who are out there in their drovers, I met some of them during the week and they were more emotional than myself about what was happening, thanks a million to all of you for being part of the whole Céilí House story for the last thirty years, I do appreciate it”.
He continued, “There’s a very special woman in the audience who is about to be mortified now and that is my wife Pat, she’s been the support and rock for the last thirty years, we’ll have a few weekends together now. Conor was mentioned, he has come from Hong Kong to be here, he flew in with his partner Liana to be here for the programme. My daughter Niamh came in from Brussels with her partner Jordan to be here tonight. Sisters and brothers, Ger, Joe, John, Gabriella and whoever else is out there, the Clearys are here from Dublin, we’re delighted you’re all here”.
Tara Campbell, Head of RTÉ Radio 1 stated, “Céilí House under the masterful stewardship of Kieran Hanrahan for the last 30 years has represented public service broadcasting at its best. It’s such a privilege for Radio 1 to be so warmly welcomed by musicians and performers in the heart of their communities and to be able to share their amazing talents with our loyal listeners. We wish Kieran the very best in whatever comes next and thank him most sincerely for his significant contribution to Radio 1 over more than three decades”.
Speaking on Saturday’s show, producer of Céilí House, Dublin-born fiddle player Aoife Nic Cormaic said, “On behalf of everybody here including the RTÉ team and everyone here, I want to say congratulations to you on a remarkable thirty years of broadcasting, I did catch him out, it’s been such a pleasure working with you and you bring so much to every programme you do”.
For over forty years, Kieran has worked in the Traditional Arts as a performer, promoter and educator. As the co-founder of Stockton’s Wing, he took to national and international stages for over a decade with the folk-trad group.
He is the current Director of Scoil Éigse, the premier education programme administered by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. In 2012, he received the DIT Gold medal for academic achievement. In July 2019, he was appointed as the Chair of the Culture Ireland Expert Advisory Committee.
