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Chuaigh Ryan Tubridy i bhfeidhm go mór ar an bpobal nuair a tháinig sé chun an clós spraoi a oscailt. Ach, chuaigh muintir na Ceathrún Rua i bhfeidhm air siúd chomh maith, mar a mhíníonn sé san agallamh seo le Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.


Ryan Tubridy had a huge impact on the people of Carraroe when he came down to open the playground. But the people of Carraroe also had a great effect on him, as he explains to Trevor Ó Clochartaigh


Thosaigh gaol Ryan Tubridy leis an Cheathrú Rua nuair a bhíodh sé ar saoire clainne i mBaile na hAbhann agus thagadh siad siar chuig Trá an Dóilín agus An Chistin. Ansin anuraidh, mar chuid den chlár ‘Who Do You Think You are‛ fuair sé amach go cinnte go raibh a shin sheanathair agus a bhean siúd mar fhoireann teagaisc i Scoil Mhic Dara. Le linn dóibh a bheith ansin rugadh a sheanathair Seán i mBéal a‛ Daingean. Bhí tuairim aige go raibh ceangal ann, ach deir sé nach gcreideann tú ar fad é, go dtí go bhfeicfi dh tú scríofa i ndubh agus bán é.


Tagann Ryan anuas go dtí an tIarthar faoi dhó nó trí huaire sa bhliain. Is cineál ‘éalú‛ a bhíonn ann dó ó chraiceáil Bhaile Átha Cliath. Agus, nuair a thagann sé anoir, déanann sé iarracht teacht go dtí an Cheathrú Rua.


Nuair a chuir muid faoi agallamh é, ní raibh sé ach tar éis fáil amach go mbeadh sé ag glacadh áit a sheanchara Gerry Ryan mar láithreoir ar sheó na maidine ar 2FM. ‘Is é an trua gur tharla sé mar a tharla,‛ deir sé, ‘B‛fhearr liom a bheith fós san áit ina raibh mé agus Gerry ina áit féin, ach ní mar sin a bhí i ndán dúinn. Cheapfainn go mbeadh sé sásta. Déarfadh sé ‘A Íosa, bhí sé chomh maith duit‛. Mar sin tá mé chun tabhairt faoi, ‘welly‛ a thabhairt dó.‛


An bhfuil sé ag barr dréimire na craoltóireachta in Éirinn, mar láithreoir ar an ‘Late Late‛ agus leis an gclár nua raidió seo. An bhfuil aon áit eile le dul aige? ‘Is maith liom dúshlán,‛ a deir sé, agus is dúshlán mór atá sa chlár nua agus caithfi dh mé cinntiú go ndéanfaidh mé sin i gceart. Sin an chéad dúshlán eile.‛


Bhí ríméad air nuair a tugadh cuireadh dó an clós spraoi a oscailt. ‘Is breá liom páistí go ginearálta,‛ deir sé,‛tá siad níos tuisceanach ná daoine fásta, níos éasca le labhairt leo, níos mó craic, níl siad chomh casta. Mar sin, nuair a cuireadh an cheist orm ní raibh aon amhras ann, ní fhéadfainn ach ‘sea‛ a rá. Sin an fáth an bhfuil mé anseo inniu.‛ Agus leis sin d‛imigh sé leis le tuilleadh pictiúr a thógáil, lámha a chroitheadh agus caint a dhéanamh leis an dream dár díbh é.


Ry


an Tubridy


‛s connection with Carraroe began when his


ear, as part of the programme ‘Who Do You Think You Are‛ it was confi


family used to holiday in Baile na hAbhann and they would pop back to the Dóilín Strand and An C y


histin. Then, last rmed that his great grandfather and his


wife were on the teaching staff in Mac Dara‛s National School. It was while they were there that his grandfather Seán was born in Beal a‛ Daingean. He had previously had an inkling that there was a connection, but reckons y never fully believe it until y


ou ou see it in black and white.


an comes to the West two or three times a y describes it as his ‘bolthole‛ from the ‘insanity in general‛. W C


Ry arraroe. W hen we interviewed him, Ry would be taking over his old friend Gerry Ry


an had just found out that he an‛s radio slot


ou might as well‛. But I think he‛d be ok with it, so I‛m gonna go for it, give it a bit of welly and enjoy it.‛


s, ‘the next challenge is 2FM, so that‛s where next. I‛ve gotta get that right. That‛s the next challenge‛.


Has he risen as far as he can on the broadcasting ladder as presenter of the Late Late and now with this new radio slot? Does he have any he say


ing, ‘ I have this fondness for kids generally speaking. I think that they are more tolerable than adults, they


He was delighted to be asked to open the play say


ground, ‛re


easier to talk to, they are more ‘craic‛, they are less complicated. This was a no brainer, there was only one answer to the request and that was a y I‛m here today


‛. And with that he headed back to the


waiting crowd, for more photographs, more handshakes and banter with the people from whom he has been born.


es. So that‛s why where left to go? ‘I like a challenge,‛


on 2FM. ‘I‛d rather Gerry was here to do it and me stay where I am, but fate doesn‛t allow for that all the time so the circumstances have arisen. Now that I‛m going to do it I think he‛d be ok with it. He‛d have a laugh, he‛d say ‘Jesus, y


ear and , and Dublin henever he comes down he tries to swing by


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