Derek Mooney
Encyclopedia
Derek James Mooney is an Irish
radio and television presenter, as well as a radio producer. He currently presents a weekday afternoon programme called Mooney
on RTÉ Radio 1
.
On television he often presents game shows and talent contests: his presentation credits include Echo Island
, Winning Streak
, You're a Star
, The Big Money Game
, Fame: The Musical and The Genealogy Roadshow. He is often seen around Europe announcing the points for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest
, and is recognised by Graham Norton
on the BBC. Mooney is known for his trademark of staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed into the camera at viewers while waving frantically and screeching "BYEEEE!" as loud as he can.
He writes opinion pieces for the Evening Herald
.
as a kid. His first job in RTÉ was during the 1984 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles
when he acted as a runner, working through the night.
He has presented Habitats, The Nature Line, Nature Trails, all for RTÉ Radio 1
. The following month Mooney won a second 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
.
First broadcast in 1995, Mooney
is a radio programme on RTÉ Radio 1. It was originally nature and wildlife, but recently has changed to general chat and discussion. It was previously a weekend show on RTÉ Radio 1 but was moved to a two-hour weekday slot on RTÉ Radio 1 in 2006.
The presenter's other television credits include being a co-presenter of RTÉ children's television shows Echo Island
. Following the retirement of Mike Murphy
in 2002 he became the presenter of the hugely popular Winning Streak
, a Saturday night game show but was temporarily replaced by Laura Woods
while he presented You're a Star
. In 2004, he was nominated for the Television Personality of the Year Award at the Irish Film and Television Awards
. 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 Derek Mooney was to step down as presenter of Winning Streak after eight years. RTÉ relaunched the programme as Winning Streak: Dream Ticket
in the autumn of 2008 with new presenters, Aidan Power
and Kathryn Thomas
, 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
, announced in the Summer of 2009. That year, he offered to take a ten per cent pay cut during these difficult recessionary times, drawing praise and admiration from some quarters.
In 2010 he presented Fame: The Musical, an RTÉ reality talent competition.
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
, Poland
and Romania
to participate. He is to host 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.
animated cartoon
series.
Mooney announced the points given by Ireland to other nations in the Eurovision Song Contest
in 2009
, 2010
and 2011
, just as he had previously done in 2000
. He has become directly associated with this role in Irish life.
Mooney on himself
, he is unmarried and resides in Kilmacud
, South Dublin
. His brother David died aged 42. He has nephews and nieces but would prefer not to have children of his own, though he has confessed that he "might marry a woman yet". In interviews he lists his hobbies as travel, cinema, going to the gym and socialising in The George
and The Dragon bars. He exercises in the gym because of his 6.2 cholesterol
level.
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 sleeps for four hours.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
radio and television presenter, as well as a radio producer. He currently presents a weekday afternoon programme called Mooney
Mooney (radio programme)
Mooney is an Irish radio programme broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1. Presented by Derek Mooney, the programme airs Monday to Friday from 15:00 to 16:30....
on RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
.
On television he often presents game shows and talent contests: his presentation credits include Echo Island
Echo Island
Echo Island was an Irish television programme for children and young adults, shown on RTÉ Network 2. It was shown at 17:00 during The Den. The show effectively took over from Jo Maxi which had been aimed at Teenagers....
, Winning Streak
Winning Streak
Winning Streak is a weekly Irish game show in which five contestants play a number of games to win cars, holidays, and cash prizes up to €500,000. Broadcast on Saturday nights between September and June on RTÉ One, the game show is among the channel's most popular programmes, often ranking among...
, You're a Star
You're A Star
You're a Star was a singing contest in Ireland,similar to th X Factor in the United Kingdom and American Idol in the USA created by Screentime ShinAwiL and Radio Telefís Éireann. It was shown weekly on RTÉ One over the winter months of each year...
, The Big Money Game
The Big Money Game
The Big Money Game is an Irish game show, broadcast on RTÉ One on Saturday nights during the summer months of June, July and August as a seasonal replacement for Winning Streak. The successor to Fame and Fortune and The Trump Card , The Big Money Game was first broadcast on Saturday, 14 June 2008...
, Fame: The Musical and The Genealogy Roadshow. He is often seen around Europe announcing the points for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, and is recognised by Graham Norton
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton , is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist...
on the BBC. Mooney is known for his trademark of staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed into the camera at viewers while waving frantically and screeching "BYEEEE!" as loud as he can.
He writes opinion pieces for the Evening Herald
Evening Herald
The Evening Herald is a mid-market tabloid evening newspaper published in Dublin, Ireland by Independent News & Media. It is published Monday-Saturday, and has three editions — City Edition, City Final Edition and National Edition...
.
Career
Mooney is one of Ireland's best-known television personalities and is one of Ireland's most prolific broadcasters in the area of natural history. He idolised Gay ByrneGay Byrne
Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne is a veteran Irish presenter of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of The Late Late Show over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999...
as a kid. His first job in RTÉ was during the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
when he acted as a runner, working through the night.
He has presented Habitats, The Nature Line, Nature Trails, all for RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
. The following month Mooney won a second award - the ESB
Electricity Supply Board
The Electricity Supply Board , is a semi-state electricity company in Ireland. While historically a monopoly, the ESB now operates as a commercial semi-state concern in a liberalised and competitive market...
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
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
and Nature Detectives
Nature Detectives
Nature Detectives is an online phenology research and education project for 4-18 year-olds in the UK. It is run by the Woodland Trust, as part of the UK Phenology Network....
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
First broadcast in 1995, Mooney
Mooney (radio programme)
Mooney is an Irish radio programme broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1. Presented by Derek Mooney, the programme airs Monday to Friday from 15:00 to 16:30....
is a radio programme on RTÉ Radio 1. It was originally nature and wildlife, but recently has changed to general chat and discussion. It was previously a weekend show on RTÉ Radio 1 but was moved to a two-hour weekday slot on RTÉ Radio 1 in 2006.
The presenter's other television credits include being a co-presenter of RTÉ children's television shows Echo Island
Echo Island
Echo Island was an Irish television programme for children and young adults, shown on RTÉ Network 2. It was shown at 17:00 during The Den. The show effectively took over from Jo Maxi which had been aimed at Teenagers....
. Following the retirement of Mike Murphy
Mike Murphy (Ireland)
Mike Murphy is an Irish presenter. He is best known for presenting the television shows The Live Mike and Winning Streak.-Early life:...
in 2002 he became the presenter of the hugely popular Winning Streak
Winning Streak
Winning Streak is a weekly Irish game show in which five contestants play a number of games to win cars, holidays, and cash prizes up to €500,000. Broadcast on Saturday nights between September and June on RTÉ One, the game show is among the channel's most popular programmes, often ranking among...
, a Saturday night game show but was temporarily replaced by Laura Woods
Laura Woods
Laura Woods is an Irish television presenter and former radio continuity announcer. She began her television career by presenting iD , co-presenting The Cafe with Aidan Power and later presenting SMS. She then presented numerous game shows, including Winning Streak, Fame and Fortune, The Trump Card...
while he presented You're a Star
You're A Star
You're a Star was a singing contest in Ireland,similar to th X Factor in the United Kingdom and American Idol in the USA created by Screentime ShinAwiL and Radio Telefís Éireann. It was shown weekly on RTÉ One over the winter months of each year...
. In 2004, he was nominated for the Television Personality of the Year Award at the Irish Film and Television Awards
Irish Film and Television Awards
The Irish Film and Television Awards were first awarded in 2003. Its sole aim is to celebrate Ireland's notably talented film and television community...
. In addition to all of this Mooney has also presented and produced RTÉ's Liveline
LiveLine
Liveline is an Irish radio interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday afternoon between 13.45 and 15.00. The programme, which is currently presented by Joe Duffy and known for its slogan "Talk to Joe", seeks the public's opinion on various questions, normally one or more...
, as well as various religious and daily magazine programmes.
It was announced in July 2008 that Derek Mooney was to step down as presenter of Winning Streak after eight years. RTÉ relaunched the programme as Winning Streak: Dream Ticket
Winning Streak: Dream Ticket
Winning Streak: Dream Ticket was a weekly Irish game show in which five contestants play a number of games to win cars, holidays, and cash prizes up to €500,000. Broadcast on Saturday nights between 13 September 2008 until 6 June 2009 on RTÉ One, the game show is among the channel's most popular...
in the autumn of 2008 with new presenters, Aidan Power
Aidan Power
Aidan Power is an Irish television presenter. He appears from time to time on Raidió Teilifís Éireann .-Career:Power was educated at St. Mac Dara's community college and then Ballyfermot Senior College where he obtained a postgraduate diploma in broadcasting and journalism in 1998...
and Kathryn Thomas
Kathryn Thomas
Kathryn Thomas is an Irish television presenter from Carlow. She does be doing the holiday programme on RTÉ. Now she does a Winning Streak every week with Marty Whelan...
, 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
Rose of Tralee (festival)
The Rose of Tralee festival is an international competition which is celebrated among Irish communities all over the world. The festival takes its inspiration from a nineteenth century ballad of the same name about a woman called Mary, who because of her beauty was called The Rose of Tralee. The...
. 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
The Big Money Game
The Big Money Game is an Irish game show, broadcast on RTÉ One on Saturday nights during the summer months of June, July and August as a seasonal replacement for Winning Streak. The successor to Fame and Fortune and The Trump Card , The Big Money Game was first broadcast on Saturday, 14 June 2008...
, announced in the Summer of 2009. That year, he offered to take a ten per cent pay cut during these difficult recessionary times, drawing praise and admiration from some quarters.
In 2010 he presented Fame: The Musical, an RTÉ reality talent competition.
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
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
. People came from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
to participate. He is to host 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
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
, the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
animated cartoon
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
series.
Mooney announced the points given by Ireland to other nations in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in 2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
, 2010
Eurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...
and 2011
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...
, just as he had previously done in 2000
Eurovision Song Contest 2000
The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 2000 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, following Charlotte Nilsson's victory in Jerusalem the previous year. It was the first time since 1996 that the contest was held on mainland Europe. The...
. He has become directly associated with this role in Irish life.
Style
In interviews I don't ask anybody anything too personal. I wouldn't like to think I would leave somebody in a situation where their whole life is destroyed because of something stupid I had said, or by me putting them on the spot.
Mooney on himself
Personal life
Mooney is an avid nature lover. Originally from DonnybrookDonnybrook
Donnybrook may refer to:Placenames* Donnybrook, Dublin, Ireland** site of the original Donnybrook Fair***donnybrook is a brawl - named for the fair** Donnybrook Stadium, Ireland, a rugby union stadium...
, he is unmarried and resides in Kilmacud
Kilmacud
Kilmacud is a suburban area in Dublin in the local authority area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.Kilmacud is the area west of Stillorgan. In essence, it is a collection of middle-class housing estates built in the 1950s by a range of small private construction companies to cater for the growing market...
, South Dublin
South Dublin
South Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. The county seat is Tallaght, the largest suburb of Dublin and the biggest urban centre in the county. Other important centres of population are Lucan and Clondalkin...
. His brother David died aged 42. He has nephews and nieces but would prefer not to have children of his own, though he has confessed that he "might marry a woman yet". In interviews he lists his hobbies as travel, cinema, going to the gym and socialising in The George
The George, Dublin
The George is a pub and nightclub on South Great George's Street in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. Opened in 1985—eight years before homosexuality was legalised in Ireland—it is one of the nation's oldest gay bars and clubs. It is regarded as one of the best known gay bars in the...
and The Dragon bars. He exercises in the gym because of his 6.2 cholesterol
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes...
level.
Health
Mooney has constant incurable tinnitusTinnitus
Tinnitus |ringing]]") is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound.Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom that can result from a wide range of underlying causes: abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal for even the briefest period , ear...
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 sleeps for four hours.
External links
- Profile of Mooney at RTÉ.ieRte.ieRTÉ.ie is the brand name and home of RTÉ's online activities, located at the URL http://rte.ie. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. According to RTÉ, it operates on an entirely commercial basis, receiving none of the licence fee which funds much of RTÉ's activity. The site, it says, is funded...