Dobbo’s last broadcast...
BRYAN Dobson said ‘thank you and goodnight’ for the last time on the Six One News last night.
The 57-year-old is leaving RTÉ Television’s prime evening news programme after 21 years to join the broadcaster’s flagship Morning Ireland news slot on RTÉ Radio One.
The Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, was interviewed by Mr Dobson on the evening news show and broke off to wish Mr Dobson well after discussing the latest developments in the tracker mortgage scandal.
Before Mr Dobson signed off for the last time, his co-presenter Sharon Ní Bheoláin held back tears as she paid tribute to ‘Dobbo’.
She told him: ‘Thank you, you’ve been a rock to us. You’ve been our anchor figuratively and literally... from my point of view you’ve been a great friend and a mentor, and I’m sure that the whole country joins with me this evening in wishing you the very, very best.’
Following this, Dinah Washington’s song Mad About The Boy played in the background over archive pictures of the presenter’s ‘best bits’ from the last 21 years.
The package showed Mr Dobson in his element, reporting on major news events all over the world, including the terror attacks on the Twin Towers, Barack Obama’s election as US president in 2008, and the UK’s vote to leave the EU.
Commenting on the tribute last night, Mr Dobson said: ‘I’m completely taken by surprise... it’s been a blast. I’m really looking forward to pastures new. I hate to go, but I’m afraid I have to.’
Dympna Moroney, editor of Six One News, paid tribute to Mr Dobson in a video on Twitter. She said: ‘We always feel with Bryan that he’s just such a professional that... if the whole studio was falling down around him, Bryan would just keep going and report on what was happening and carry on. When Bryan is the public face of the Six One, you know that you’re in safe hands.’
Laura Fitzgerald, spokesman for RTÉ, said Mr Dobson’s replacement will be announced ‘shortly, in the coming weeks’ – adding that last night’s ‘focus is on Bryan’.
‘I hate to go, but I have to’
FAREWELL and good luck to Bryan Dobson who took his leave from last night’s Six One News with characteristic panache and professionalism.
Dobbo departed the prime evening TV news slot after 21 years of service, and while his fans and co-host Sharon Ní Bheoláin will doubtless miss his reassuring presence, they can tune into RTÉ’s Morning Ireland from November 1 to hear him.
Six One’s loss is Morning Ireland’s gain.