Derek Mooney
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Derek James Mooney (born 4 March 1967) is an
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
radio and television presenter, as well as a radio producer. Until January 2015 he presented a weekday afternoon programme called '' Mooney'' on
RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 1 ( ga, RTÉ Raidió 1) is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926. The total budget for th ...
. He is the current executive producer across RTÉ Radio 1's nature and wildlife programming On television he has often presented game shows and talent contests: his presentation credits include ''
Echo Island ''Echo Island'' is an Irish television programme for children and young adults, shown on RTÉ Network 2. It was shown at 17:00 during '' The Den'', after which programmes like ''The Legend of the Hidden City'' would air. The show effectively to ...
'', ''
Gridlock Gridlock is a form of traffic congestion where "continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill". The term originates from a situation possible in a gr ...
'', ''
Winning Streak A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least 4 wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties/draws. Although sometimes claimed as a ...
'', the ill-fated ''
Cabin Fever Cabin fever is the distressing claustrophobic irritability or restlessness experienced when a person, or group, is stuck at an isolated location or in confined quarters for an extended time. A person may be referred to as stir-crazy, derived from ...
'', '' You're a Star'', '' The Big Money Game'', '' Fame: The Musical'', '' The Genealogy Roadshow'' and '' Who Knows Ireland Best?''. At the end of these shows he uses his trademark farewell.


Career

Mooney is one of Ireland's best-known television personalities and one of the country's most prolific broadcasters in the area of natural history. He idolised the late Gay Byrne as a child. Mooney's first job in RTÉ was during the
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
when he acted as a runner, working through the night. Mooney was one of the presenters of RTÉ children's television shows ''
Echo Island ''Echo Island'' is an Irish television programme for children and young adults, shown on RTÉ Network 2. It was shown at 17:00 during '' The Den'', after which programmes like ''The Legend of the Hidden City'' would air. The show effectively to ...
'' from its inception in 1994 up until he left the programme in February 1996. He presented ''
Gridlock Gridlock is a form of traffic congestion where "continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill". The term originates from a situation possible in a gr ...
'' later in the 1990s. He has presented '' Habitats'', '' The Nature Line'', '' Nature Trails'', all for
RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 1 ( ga, RTÉ Raidió 1) is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926. The total budget for th ...
. He won an award – the ESB Millennium Environment Award – for the best item during the year on the environment in print, radio or television. His television shows on the natural history world include on RTÉ and '' Nature Detectives'' for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. First broadcast in 1995, '' Mooney'' is a radio programme on RTÉ Radio 1. Originally called ''Mooney Goes Wild on One'', it focused on nature and wildlife, aired at weekends on RTÉ Radio 1, but in October 2006 it became simply ''Mooney'', and the format changed to general chat and discussion and was given a regular weekday slot initially for two hours, then reduced to ninety minutes in 2007. After
Mike Murphy Michael James Murphy (born 20 October 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, actor and property developer. He is best known for his long broadcasting career with RTÉ, presenting many TV shows such as ''The Live Mike'', '' Winning Streak'' and '' The Bi ...
retired from ''
Winning Streak A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least 4 wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties/draws. Although sometimes claimed as a ...
'' in 2001, Mooney became the new presenter of the Saturday night game show, but was temporarily replaced by Laura Woods while he presented '' You're a Star'' from December 2005 and March 2006. In 2004, he was nominated for the Television Personality of the Year Award at the
Irish Film and Television Awards Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
. In addition to all of this Mooney has also presented and produced RTÉ's '' Liveline'', as well as various religious and daily magazine programmes. It was announced in July 2008 that Mooney was to step down as presenter of ''Winning Streak'', after seven years. RTÉ relaunched the programme as '' Winning Streak: Dream Ticket'' in the autumn of 2008 with new presenters,
Aidan Power Aidan Power (born 30 March 1979) is an Irish television and radio presenter. Career Born in Templeogue, Dublin, Power was educated at St. Mac Dara's community college and then Ballyfermot Senior College where he obtained a diploma in broadca ...
and
Kathryn Thomas Kathryn Thomas (born 20 January 1979) is an Irish television presenter. Early life Thomas attended the national school on the Green Road, Carlow and began her secondary school years in St Leo's College, Carlow. In her second year, she transiti ...
, with new games and a new fresh feel to the show. In 2008, Mooney hosted the Lotto's first Millionaire Raffle draw during a break in the Rose of Tralee. There was subsequently a major controversy and a National Lottery spokesperson was attacked over the manner in which the draw was conducted, i.e. not live, plus the coincidence that one of the new millionaires was from Tralee. Mooney was the second host of the game show, '' The Big Money Game'', taking over in 2009. He did so until 2011, then he was replaced by Brian Ormond and Sinéad Kennedy in 2012. Also in 2009, he offered to take a ten per cent pay cut due to the recession, drawing praise and admiration from some quarters. In 2010 he presented '' Fame: The Musical'', an RTÉ reality talent competition, and in 2011 he presented '' The Genealogy Roadshow''. He dressed up as a leprechaun to beat a world record set by American talk show host Jay Leno. People came from
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and
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to participate. He hosted ''Mooney Tunes'' for RTÉ over Christmas 2011, an obvious pun on the similarity between the presenter's name and the word "Looney" as used in '' Looney Tunes'', the
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
animated cartoon series. In 2012 he presented RTÉ's quiz show '' Who Knows Ireland Best?''. Mooney announced the points given by
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
to other nations in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009, 2010 and 2011, just as he had previously done in
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
. He has become directly associated with this role in Irish life. He has expressed regret at not having had an opportunity to present '' The Late Late Show''. In February 2015, he took up the post of executive producer of RTÉ Radio 1's nature and wildlife programming.


Style

Mooney is often seen around Europe announcing the points for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest, and is recognised by
Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comed ...
on the BBC. He is known for his trademark "BYEEEE!"


Personal life

Mooney is an avid nature lover. Originally from Donnybrook, he resides in
Kilmacud Kilmacud () is a suburban area of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland, at least partly contiguous with Stillorgan. Name ''Kilmacud'' is an anglicisation of the Irish name , "church of aintMochuda". The identity of the dedicatee Moc ...
, a south Dublin suburb. His brother David died aged 44 in January 2007. He has nephews and nieces but would prefer not to have children of his own despite saying in 2010 "I might marry a woman yet". He came out as openly gay in 2012. In interviews he lists his hobbies as travel, cinema, going to the gym and socialising in The George. He exercises in the gym because of his 6.2
cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...
level. Mooney is an avid consumer of prawns and once claimed to have invented them after the idea came to him in a dream. He is a close friend of Alan Hughes and was best man at his wedding to Karl Broderick. In 2012, he had a guest starring role in the comedy series '' Mrs. Brown's Boys''. Mooney has constant incurable
tinnitus Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone experiences a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room; but it is of concern only if it is bothersome, interferes with normal hearin ...
in his left ear, stemming from when he had a wet shave where "some kind of electronic device for massaging your face afterwards" was used on him. He felt a vibration jolt through his jawbone. Then there was "the 'zzzz' sound and it never leaving me". Because of this he leaves a television or radio switched on at night. He stated in 2010 that he sleeps for four hours. In 2013, he spoke of his intentions to "end his life" if he were ever to be diagnosed with a terminal illness, stating he made the decision after seeing his mother and brother suffering agonizing deaths. In 2012, he scaled a bridge and bounded across a
County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...
motorway to save the life of a 57-year-old man whose collapse had left him "lying flat on his back with blood coming out of his nose and his mouth". Mooney began pumping the man's chest and eventually brought him back to life. Mooney and the man appeared together on '' Liveline'' with
Joe Duffy Joseph Duffy (born 27 January 1956) is an Irish broadcaster employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). One of RTÉ's highest-earning stars, he is the current presenter of ''Liveline'', an interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on R ...
the following day.


References


External links


Profile of ''Mooney''
at RTÉ.ie {{DEFAULTSORT:Mooney, Derek 1967 births 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people Living people Birdwatchers Echo Island presenters Gay entertainers Irish game show hosts Irish radio producers LGBT broadcasters from Ireland LGBT entertainers from Ireland LGBT producers RTÉ Radio 1 presenters RTÉ television presenters You're a Star presenters People from Dundrum, Dublin 21st-century LGBT people