John Creedon
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John Creedon (born 1958), also known as "Creedo", is an
Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...
enthusiast and veteran broadcaster with
RTÉ Radio RTÉ Radio is a division and service of Irish public broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), which broadcasts four analogue channels and five digital channels across Ireland. Founded in January 1926 as 2RN, was the first broadcaster in ...
. Host of ''The John Creedon Show'', weekday evenings 8-10pm on
RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 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 the station in 2010 w ...
, he has also filled in for
Dave Fanning David Fanning (born 27 February 1956) is an Irish television and radio broadcaster, rock journalist, DJ, film critic and author. Fanning currently hosts weekend midday magazine/chat show '' The Dave Fanning Show'' on the Irish national radio st ...
on ''
The Dave Fanning Show The Dave Fanning Show is a radio program broadcast on RTÉ Radio. The show is presented by Dave Fanning and has, at various times, been broadcast on both RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ 2fm. History The first "Dave Fanning Show" was broadcast on RTÉ Ra ...
''. His profile in Ireland was raised by his participation in and eventual winning of the
reality television series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
, '' Fáilte Towers'' in August 2008. Creedon has also served as a judge on ''
The All Ireland Talent Show ''The All Ireland Talent Show'' was a Raidió Teilifís Éireann television series which was billed as Ireland's biggest-ever talent contest. It was first announced in November 2008 and the first series commenced broadcasting on 4 January 2009, ...
'' on
RTÉ One RTÉ One is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by RTÉ. It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís Éireann'' on 31 December 1961, it was renamed ''R ...
and
TG4 TG4 (; , ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television channel. It launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on-demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was initially known as (TnaG), before bein ...
's ''
Glór Tíre ''Glór Tíre'' (, "voice of the country") is a reality-based talent search for Ireland's newest country and western music star. It has been running for a number of seasons on TG4 TG4 (; , ) is an Irish free-to-air public service televi ...
''. He has also presented multiple television series on
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
of him road tripping across Ireland showcasing Ireland's history, geography, along with some lesser known stories of the areas he visits.


Career

Creedon's career began with an initial failed audition for a job on
RTÉ 2fm RTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is an Irish radio station operated by RTÉ. The station specialises in current popular music and chart hits and is the second national radio station in Ireland. History The station commenc ...
, but he went on to twice top the
Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...
with his character, Terence the Cork hairdresser. Terence was a frequent contributor to ''
The Gerry Ryan Show ''The Gerry Ryan Show'' (often referred to as ''The Ryan Show'', ''The G. Ryan Show'' or ''GRS'') was RTÉ 2fm's mid-morning radio show. Presented by Gerry Ryan until hours before his sudden death, it was launched in March 1988 and ran from ni ...
'' in the early 1990s. Creedon won a
Jacob's Award The Jacob's Awards were instituted in December 1962 as the first Irish television awards. Later, they were expanded to include radio. The awards were named after their sponsor, W. & R. Jacob & Co. Ltd., a biscuit manufacturer, and recipients ...
in 1992 for his
RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 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 the station in 2010 w ...
morning show, ''Risin' Time''. Over the years, Creedon has hosted shows on RTÉ Radio One at various times of the day. ''The Creedon Show'' (15:30) was replaced by a programme hosted by Ronan Collins in 2006. This change followed new radio chief, Ana Leddy's decision to move him on as part of widespread alterations across the station. John also hosted Late Date on RTÉ Radio 1 for some time prior to his move to the current 8 to 10pm slot. In August 2008 Creedon took part in the reality television series, '' Fáilte Towers'', a show that saw a group of well-known personalities attempt to run a hotel for a two-week period whilst earning money for charity. Creedon was proclaimed winner of the show on 17 August 2008. Creedon selected
Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin (CHI at Crumlin; ) in Dublin is Ireland's largest paediatric hospital. History The hospital, which was built on land donated by the Archbishop of Dublin, was designed by Robinson Keefe Devane and officially ...
as his charity for the show due to his personal involvement with the hospital in the past. In 2007, his granddaughter Lucie was born prematurely to his daughter, Katie, who suffered from kidney problems as a child. Lucie died eight and a half weeks later. Commenting on the win, Creedon said: "The big fat guy never wins anything, this is great." After his victory, he presented a show for the
RTÉ Concert Orchestra The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is a professional radio orchestra in Ireland and is part of RTÉ, the national broadcaster. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra has grown from a small studio-bas ...
and partook in
TG4 TG4 (; , ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television channel. It launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on-demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was initially known as (TnaG), before bein ...
series ''Faoi Lan Cheoil'' where, alongside
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
-
winning Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * Winning (film), ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * ''Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Fo ...
actor
Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, ...
and
international International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...
and
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
Andy Reid Andrew Walter Reid (born March 19, 1958) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Reid was previously the head coach of the Philadelphi ...
, he learnt a new
musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...
over six months in preparation for a public performance. Creedon was then a judge on ''
The All Ireland Talent Show ''The All Ireland Talent Show'' was a Raidió Teilifís Éireann television series which was billed as Ireland's biggest-ever talent contest. It was first announced in November 2008 and the first series commenced broadcasting on 4 January 2009, ...
'', representing the south of the country alongside
Michael Healy-Rae Michael J. Healy-Rae (born 9 January 1967) is an Irish independent politician who has served as a Minister of State since January 2025. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kerry constituency since 2016, and from 2011 to 2016 for the Kerry ...
and
Sinéad Sheppard Sinéad Sheppard is an Irish politician and dancing tutor, and former member of the pop group Six. She rose to fame in the 2001–2002 RTÉ One television series ''Popstars'', in which she was selected as a member of the group. After the ...
. Judge Creedon warned fellow judge
Dáithí Ó Sé Dáithí Mícheál Ó Sé (; born 2 June 1976) is an Irish television presenter. He currently hosts RTÉ One's ''Today (Irish TV series), Today'', alongside Maura Derrane. He is also the current host of the Rose of Tralee (festival), Rose of Tral ...
to stop stealing acts from Munster, alleging that he invaded
County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
in series one and that he would be "answerable to me and to my gang" if he continued to persist. After a short stint presenting Late Date, he was given his own 20:30 weekday music show on RTÉ Radio 1 in 2009. In 2011, Creedon hosted a television series called 'Creedon's Retro Road Trip' in which he retraces the route of the only holiday his entire family ever took. His family's two-week holiday took place in 1969 with his eleven brothers and sisters who travelled across Ireland with a borrowed caravan. Creedon recreated the trip over forty years later and explored how the country had changed. Creedon's next television series was titled 'Creedon's Cities' in which he visited the four major cities in the Republic of Ireland;
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
,
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
,
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
and
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
. The series aired in 2012. 'Creedon's Wild Atlantic Way' aired in 2015. The series consists of 3 episodes showcasing points of interest along the
Wild Atlantic Way The Wild Atlantic Way () is a Scenic route, tourism trail on the west coast, and on parts of the north and south coasts, of Ireland. The 2,500 km (1,553 mile) driving route passes through nine Counties of Ireland, counties and three Provinces ...
. Creedon travels along this tourist route in his 1960s VW campervan.


Filmography


Critique

After his turn on ''Fáilte Towers'', journalist and RTÉ colleague
Joe O'Shea Joe O'Shea ( Irish: ''Seosáf/Seosamh Ó Sé'') is an Irish broadcaster and journalist. He lives and works in Dublin and in the past made regular appearances on Irish radio and television. Career Joe O'Shea was educated at St Mary's of the Isl ...
described Creedon's personality as being that of "somebody who gives space to others and is not intent on sucking up all of the available on-screen
oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
". In March 2008, it was to Creedon's radio show that befuddled Irish listeners turned when RTÉ shut down its 82-year-old
medium wave Medium wave (MW) is a part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the daytim ...
service. Within hours of the shutdown, they were contacting John Creedon's RTÉ radio show, "wondering how they could tune in to the newfangled VHF – or “VHI’’, as one gentleman insisted on calling it". In an interview about his television series ' Creedon's Shannon' he talks of an old review of him that called him a "third rate presenter". While it did upset him at the time he recalls that his daughter Nanci told him "I’d rather be a third-rate presenter than a first-rate critic" a sentiment to which he says “I’ve kept that one in my back pocket, d’you know?”.


Personal life

Creedon was raised with eleven siblings. He claimed in a 2008 '' Late Late Show'' interview that he once worked in a
Penneys Primark Limited (; trading as Penneys in Ireland) is an Irish multinational fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with outlets across Europe and in the United States. The original ''Penneys'' brand is not used outside of Irel ...
branch. He previously lived in Goatstown,
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, but now resides in
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
on a hill overlooking the city centre. His musical taste is eclectic, ranging from local band
Fred Fred or FRED may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Fred ...
to
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...
,
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
and
Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...
. His record collection includes albums by
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
and
John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...
and selections from
Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana music, a genre or style of American music * Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1981 film), an American drama film * ''Americana'' (20 ...
,
Eric Bibb Eric Charles Bibb (born August 16, 1951) is a Grammy-nominated American-born blues singer and songwriter. Early life and education Bibb was born in New York on August 16, 1951. His father, Leon, was a musical theatre singer, who made a name f ...
,
John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...
and the Handsome Family. An avid
Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...
speaker, Creedon appeared on the first series of ''
No Béarla ''No Béarla'' is a four-part documentary style programme broadcast on Irish language television channel TG4 and produced by Dearg Films RTÉ/TG4. It follows presenter Manchán Magan as he journeys throughout Ireland attempting to show that Ir ...
'', broadcast in 2007. He has spoken to the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
about his search for his nation's favourite Irish word. He supports his local football club,
Cork City F.C. Cork City Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Cork. The club was founded and elected to the League of Ireland in 1984. It was one of the first clubs in Ireland (and the first in Cork) to field a team of professiona ...
, a
League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
team. One of Creedon's favourite memories is the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland in 1979. He described the
Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
"landing that
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
by himself in
Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...
in 1979" as "truly memorable".


References


External links


Official site of ''The John Creedon Show''
*

from ''
The All Ireland Talent Show ''The All Ireland Talent Show'' was a Raidió Teilifís Éireann television series which was billed as Ireland's biggest-ever talent contest. It was first announced in November 2008 and the first series commenced broadcasting on 4 January 2009, ...
'' * ''Late Date'' archives
February 2008

2003 letter to the ''Sligo Weekender''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Creedon, John Living people Cork City F.C. Irish television personalities Jacob's Award winners Participants in Irish reality television series Mass media people from County Cork Reality show winners RTÉ Radio 1 presenters 1958 births