Bryan Dobson retired from RTÉ after 37 years this month.
He had been helming News at One on RTÉ Radio 1 since 2017.
Now his replacement has been confirmed by RTÉ.
Rachael English will take on the radio slot.
After 14 years as part of the team of Morning Ireland presenters, the broadcaster will move to be a permanent presenter on RTÉ Radio 1’s flagship lunchtime radio programme with over 300,000 listeners each weekday.
Speaking about the move for the first time, Rachael English said: “One of my first jobs in RTÉ was as a reporter on the News at One. It was also where I first worked as a stand-in presenter.
“I’ve always hoped that one day I’d get to return, so I’m delighted to be doing so now. It feels like coming home. It’s been a privilege to present Morning Ireland, and I’d like to thank the colleagues who have made getting up at 4am bearable. I’m looking forward to working with the fantastic team on the News at One.”
Rachael joined RTÉ in 1991 as a 2FM news reader and later worked as a reporter for Morning Ireland; the News at One, Today With Pat Kenny and RTÉ Television News. Rachael’s first full-time presenting job was on Five Seven Live on RTÉ Radio 1.
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She presented The Late Debate and Saturday View before joining Morning Ireland in 2010. She has also worked on a number of special series. These include The Constituency which focused on the issues and candidates in all of the Dail’s constituencies and The Big Science Debate where an expert panel discussed the ethical challenges presented by scientific developments.
Since 2002, she has been a presenter on RTÉ Radio 1’s General Election results programmes. She has also presented coverage of local, European and presidential election counts and has anchored election coverage from Belfast, London and Washington.
As a reporter and presenter, she has worked on a huge range of national and international stories from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement to the Olympics Games to the 9/11 attacks. In 2022, Rachael’s outstanding contribution to radio broadcasting in Ireland was recognised and she was inducted into the IMRO Awards Radio Hall of Fame.
Rachael is the author of seven novels, most recently the top-ten bestseller, Whatever Happened to Birdy Troy?. A communications graduate of Dublin City University, she began her career in local radio at Clare FM in Ennis. She is a native of Shannon in Co. Clare.
Rachael will begin presenting the News at One on RTÉ Radio 1 on Monday 15th July.
