When we sit down with Anna Daly she is in the middle of back to school week. Her eldest sons Euan and James are heading into secondary school. “They’re so grown up,” she tells us as we chat.
Thankfully, she still has one baby, Rhys, her eight-year-old who is still in primary school.
They’re not the only changes in her life. As a freelancer, Anna is able to roll with the punches. She’s saying goodbye to her clothing brand, Little Bliss, admitting she had to be “ruthless” about that decision. She’s going to be busy this weekend at Dundrum Supercar Weekend
And of course, we had to ask about those Liveline rumours…
Anna, we have to start by asking about the story that has been everywhere…Liveline!
[Laughs] I was asked in an interview last week would I look at the job, and I said, “Absolutely, of course I would”. I’ve worked in live television, and I’d be the first to acknowledge that for all your Heads of State and your Kardashians, all the big interviews and the big names, the most powerful moments happen from real people telling real stories. They’re the moments that have given me the most arresting interviews. They’ve given people at home, that moment where you’re late for work as you’re standing there with your cup of coffee, going, “I have to hear the end of this interview.” I think that is the essence of Liveline. It’s real people. So of course, I’ve thrown my hat in the ring for the job. Why wouldn’t I?
There really is such a staple in Irish culture!
It’s the conversation of Ireland. It’s the fabric of Ireland, it’s the reality. It’s real people and real issues. I think Joe has been incredible. His approach has been a stroke of genius, how he will pair stuff back. and get so much from people. More than you’d ever think at the start of the interview, he’ll keep it going, and people will share more when they trust you and clearly they’ve trusted him so much. He’s a pillar of trust. So I don’t think there’s any replacing Joe. The show needs to evolve and move on and be reshaped by whoever takes the job and whatever team is behind the scenes. I don’t think you’ll have the same show again. You can’t recreate Joe; presenters should never try to be someone else. They should be their authentic selves.
Speaking of evolving, it’s back-to-school season for your three.
I have two gone to secondary school, which feels very grown up! How do I have two kids in secondary school? I can’t say I’m a mother of three little boys anymore. I have one going into second year and one going into first year. Then Rhys is back in third class, he’s eight. But the two going into secondary school are very mature.
That’s not the only big change in your life. You’re in the process of selling your company, Little Bliss. Was that a tough decision to make?
It was, but at the same time, I didn’t linger too long either. I suppose I have the guidance for my husband, whose in retail. He would be very fast to say if something isn’t working commercially or you’re spending a disproportionate amount of time on it, you need to let it go. If something isn’t serving you in any part of life, you need to let it go. So I was kind of a bit ruthless about it and I think you need to be. When you set up your own business it’s like a child. You’re nursing it, you’re developing it and you’re spending all these hours working on it. And you don’t bill for the hours. It’s not like going to present a show and invoicing them afterwards. I had to be honest with myself, I was doing a bit of telly, a bit of radio, MC gigs, and collaborative stuff on digital content. I see a value in that. If I’m away from my family and my kids working there has to be some value in it. But for Little Bliss there was a lot of work for very little return. I had to ask myself if I was willing to stay like this, and try and build this or should I cut my losses. I was at a point where I could just break even with this. So I did. It was kind of ruthless.
You understand the grind like you said. Between freelance and being a mother of three, how do you balance it all? Do you even find a second for yourself?
It’s a good question. I’m freelance about three years now, since I left Ireland AM. At the start, you think you have to say yes to everything. You have a fear that if you turn that down you won’t get booked again, or someone else will get the job… You can burn yourself out. Now I take the jobs that work for me or represent me in the right way. I now pick jobs with people who interest me, I want to work with projects that engage me. Newstalk has been great for me, I’ve been filling in for Anton on the weekends and Andrea on Lunchtime Live. They’re both great shows. I think doing different things, demonstrating you’re wheelhouse that you can jump into different roles are just as important as well. I need to pick and choose the jobs that work for you. Ultimately I need to value my time away from my husband and my children. I think we all need to put a value on your time.
Tell us about the Dundrum Supercar Weekend.
This is the Dundrum Supercar Weekend, I’m there Saturday and Sunday to do talks on everything, from marvelling at the coolest vintage Ferraris to the latest high-tech electric car. Sustainability is a big part of motoring conversations these days. On Sunday, the Dutch Grand Prix is live in a cool lounge. The whole thing takes place in the Red Car Park, which is level one of Dundrum. So that’ll be cordoned off. You’ll have serious car lovers and petrol heads there. But it’s great for families who have younger children. It’s a chance to get close and personal with the latest Lamborghinis or Maseratis or supercars!
And would you be a petrolhead yourself?
I keep being referenced as a petrol head in a couple of the articles around this event. I kind of laughed, and I thought my family would be laughing at that. I grew up in a family of motoring. My dad worked in the the car industry all his life, and my brother’s a mechanic, doesn’t necessarily do it now. A lot of my family and my uncles, my cousins, all run tyre depots. So I grew up surrounded by it!
Dundrum’s underground red car park will be transformed into a high-gloss exhibition space for Ireland’s only red-carpet car event – with wide, accessible walkways, space for buggies and wheelchairs, and the convenience of on-site dining and shopping. Find out more about the free event here.
