Lottie Ryan has signed off from RTÉ 2FM after 15 years with the Irish broadcaster, bringing an emotional end to a career closely linked to the station and her late father, Gerry Ryan.
The presenter, 40, has left RTÉ to become co-host of Virgin Media Television’s The Six O’Clock Show, joining Brian Dowling Gourounlian from September.
Ryan recorded her final entertainment link before being joined by colleagues in the 2FM studio. Fighting back tears, she said there was “no neat way to wrap up 15 years of work in a place” and that the farewell was “really big” for her.
She said the significance of the departure lay less in the role itself than in the people she had worked alongside, describing her colleagues as “woven into the fabric” of who she was.
“The job has been great, but it’s the people,” she said, reflecting on the “ups and downs” of her time at the station. She added that although she was excited about her next chapter, leaving did not become any easier.
Ryan’s departure marks the end of a family connection with RTÉ that stretches back to the launch of Radio 2 in 1979, when her father Gerry joined the station. He later became one of Ireland’s best-known broadcasters and hosted the hugely popular The Gerry Ryan Show on what became 2FM.
Speaking earlier about her years at RTÉ, Ryan acknowledged that the broadcaster had been under intense scrutiny during the payments scandal that emerged in 2023. She said the attention placed pressure on staff but that employees still had to come in and “do the gig”.
Dan Healy, head of RTÉ 2FM and RTÉ Digital Audio Strategy, said Ryan had been “a huge part of 2FM”, praising her as talented, versatile and resilient.
Ryan will replace Katja Mia on The Six O’Clock Show, having previously appeared on the programme as a guest. She said Virgin Media had arrived in her life “at exactly the right moment” and that the new role brought together her love of live television, conversation and broadcasting.
