Mark Cagney and Maura Derrane have been reunited on the set of RTE’s Today Show.
The pair worked together on Ireland AM, from 2004 to 2006, and while Maura ventured into pastures new, focusing on different projects, the two have always remained good friends.
Reminiscing about old times, Mark noted how Maura was the only woman he’d ever worked with who was willing to start the show without a full-face of makeup on.
He recently told VIP Magazine, ”She’d do it during the show, it was a work in progress. In a business that is so much about vanity, Maura didn’t give a damn and wasn’t giving up her extra half hour sleep!”
Earlier this summer, Mark stepped away from Ireland AM after 20 years on our screens.
Mark told us, “The big question I’ve been asked lately and they’re trying to ask it in all type of ways is, ‘Was it your choice?’ And I’ve responded with, ‘Do you mean was I pushed or did I jump?’
“And I’ve said, ‘Well, they didn’t renew’. You could say I was pushed but it was a push that I needed. I actually should have gone about two years ago.”
After recently jumping back into the radio world, filling some slots on Newstalk, Mark has revealed it’s a role he’d love to explore some more.
“I’m knocking on a few doors to let people know I’m available again,” he said.
“There are two tv discussions coming up in this month so we’ll see where they go. My ambition, in as much as I can say is, I would like to get a project in radio.
“I’ll be 63 next month and I’d like a good project to build, three-five years maybe? Whether that will happen I have no idea, but I’m open to persuasion.”
Words: Catherine Taylor