Radio man - Brendan Balfe

Since 1964, one voice on Irish radio has been synonymous with everything from pop shows and documentaries to comedy programmes and symphony concerts. The voice is that of Brendan Balfe, who in 1964 at the age of eighteen became Ireland's youngest-ever radio announcer. In the years since he has worked with some of the most illustrious names in Irish broadcasting - Mike Murphy, Gay Byrne, Terry Wogan, Larry Gogan, John McColgan, Twink and Pat Kenny, to name but a few.

His career parallels the major developments in Irish broadcasting, from the GPO studios to the high tech environment of RT Radio and Television in Montrose. But it is Brendan's stories that are unique. His recollections of the cast of characters in the studios - the announcers, the actors, the presenters, the technicians, the poets, the eccentrics - provide fascinating insight into the people behind the voices.

In this memoir Brendan reveals what his years of broadcasting have really been like. From taking a worse-for-wear announcer off the air and having to substitute for him without script or running order, to breaking a record with the twelve-hour non-stop coverage of Robert Kennedy's funeral, we are given a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what life in radio is all about.

Already the winner of three international Radio Awards for comedy writing, his laconic writing style brings the last forty years of Irish broadcasting to life, mixing character insights with a fascinating chronicle of Irish life.