Galway BayFM

This is a good a time as any to look at former Galway Bay FM presenters now involved with other Irish radio stations. Classic Hits has at least two for starters: Gareth O'Callaghan and Brian Walsh. Any more examples?

I’ll just say here and now that I enjoy Declan’s posts and also note he’s been an active forum member a lot longer than you.

It's a bit of a stretch for Neil Molloy to claim he's been with the station for 30 odd years. He first did a weekend show and a bit of filler-in stuff 20-25 years ago, for a relatively short time. Then he left for many years (I think he was with Mid-West radio?) and many years later he returned and did his first stint on the breakfast show. He quit that again after a few years, then he turned up on Midlands Radio for a while and then around Covid time, he returned once again to the morning show. So I'd say out of that 30 years, he was an actual employee for no more than 6-7 years in total!

Yes, KC (or Keith Cunningham as he was then known) had a stint on the station too, probably late '90's or early '00's. He was doing the breakfast show too and also left in sudden/controversial circumstances if I recall.

Another one is Shane O'Donoghue, he also did breakfast on GB FM for a while, formally of RTE 2FM and now a sports reporter (mainly Golf) and occasionally turns up today on Classic Hits.

And one more that comes to mind - Will Leahy! He did a late night talk/music show on the station in the mid 1990's before he moved to 2FM. I think he was studying in Galway at the time, so only a young lad back then.

The name most associated with GB FM breakfast over the last 30+ years is still probably Jimmy Norman. The original presenter and left/returned several times over the decades. I think he has his own media production company now and does a lot of work with RTE.

Jon Richards and Donal Mahon are still there yes, I don't think Richards does much on-air stuff, he's in the background. Donal has a late night graveyard slot, or at least I think he has, I've never heard it. Possibly a pre-recorded thing.

Neil molloy was never with Mid West Radio in Mayo, though I do remember he turned up on Classic Hits 4FM for a few weekend afternoons during one of his few departure periods from GBFM.

I think KC couldnt get up out of bed for the GBFM breakfast show and slept in numerous times, so that ended his time there.

Gareth O'C was also a few years with GBFM breakfast between his time with 2FM, becoming a Counsellor and Classic Hits. At the time it was a big deal having him on board.

Donal Mahon started a nightly show "The Nightfly" from 10pm to midnight around a year or 2 ago, playing 'album' tracks, was good for a while....however the last time I tuned in it was back to the usual radio friendly oldies.

I think Jimmy Norman hasnt been on GBFM for at least 3/4 years at this stage. Yes RTE outsource a lot of news reports and pieces for "Nationwide" to his company.

I never remember Shane O'Donoghue on the breakfast show, just weekend early evenings in the early to mid 90s.

Remember GBFM using their city FM frequency 95.8 in the late 90s / early - mid 00s 'the sound of the city' playing dance music in the evening? "Sir Fla" was the main guy on this opt out service.

Will aims his show at his former 2FM listeners tuning in, some who have children so the odd chart or recent song the children might like, is no harm. Also the recent or new music he plays might be an 80s or 90s acts already featured on Gold, say Duran Duran... who might have a new single out, no harm promoting that.

Leah’s was in UCG when he was on Galway Bay FM

He talks about Galway Bay FM on his morning show from time to time. Whoever was the controller at the time was the guy who gave him his break. In fairness he was probably doing it for peanuts. A lot of the local stations had a chart hits show in the evenings - Highland certainly did after playing C&W in the daytime

There must be more examples of ex-Galway Bay FM presenters now involved with other Irish radio stations.

I think the obvious ones have already been mentioned. Their schedule / line up was pretty static for the most part for decades, i.e. the aforementioned Jon Richards and Donal Mahon covered afternoons/evenings for eons and Jimmy Norman in the morning likewise.

Barbara NicDhonnacha, formally of iRadio (and Classic hits?) did the drive time show for about 8-9 months a year or two back and also seemed to leave in very sudden unexplained circumstances.

After that and the likes of Will Leahy, KC, Shane O'D and Gareth, the names would be getting very obscure I'd say. But I'm sure there's been a couple who've gone to/come from Mid-West radio or Clare FM.

One other name that comes to mind is from the newsroom, and he's featured heavily in the news in the past week - Frank Greaney of Today FM / Newstalk, their courts correspondent. He was a news reader on GB FM early in his career. I know there's been 1-2 other former GB FM news reporters who've gone on to greater things too but their names won't come to me.

Edit - a few more lesser known guys who were on GB FM in the past:

• Padraic Flaherty - currently on Clare FM
• David Cawley - Midwest radio
• Ed Myers - not sure where this guy is now, Limerick's Live 95 I think?

Was "Sir Fla" not Padraic Flaherty? Was on GB FM for years on various shows / filler-in guy and now on Clare FM. Think he does a lot of VoiceOver / ads too.

Alan Murphy was last on the early afternoon slot before departing them completely a couple of years ago. I think he left the radio business entirely. He had his own dance/dramatics business afaik.

Finnegan was there in that mid-morning slot for 30 odd years. He was also CEO for a long period.