Mary Kingston
Encyclopedia
Mary Kingston is an Irish
children's television presenter and philanthropist
. She is the current presenter of The Disney Club on RTÉ Two
. She has also presented Scratch Saturday and The Works.
.
and graduated with an Honours Degree. After leaving college, she joined Raidió Teilifís Éireann
(RTÉ) as a children's television presenter, and has worked there since. She was an outside broadcast presenter on early Saturday-morning TV show Scratch Saturday, she then presented The Works, a kids science programme, for four years where she became known for her catchphrase, distinguishable by her regional accent
: "Are you laughing?". She was a regular on The Den
before hosting The Disney Club and Mary K in The Loft on Sunday mornings. For the next five years she has presented The Children of Ireland Awards with the then Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern
. In 2003, she took part in Celebrity Farm
on RTÉ. In 2005, she took part in The Restaurant
, her star studded performance is one of her proudest moments.
Kingston has authored a children's book, Fantastic Far-Flung Facts for Fun. The book describes her journey from Africa to Asia to South America to Madagascar, it's a compilation of the many Fantastic facts she learned along the way, it includes hundreds of the photos Mary K took and endorses her sentiment " Leave only footprints, take only memories .........and photos!"
Open Water Scuba Diving
licence.
She has been involved in charity work for a number of organisations involved in the welfare of children and animals. She has spent time working with AIDS
children in a reconstructed modern hospital in Bucharest
, Romania
, called Dr Victor Babes. She is the junior patron for the Dublin Society for Preventionn of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA).
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...
children's television presenter and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. She is the current presenter of The Disney Club on RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
. She has also presented Scratch Saturday and The Works.
Early life
Kingston grew up in the small seaside area of Inchydoney, the third eldest in a family of eight children. In 1981, after leaving primary school, she started attending the Sacred Heart Secondary School, Convent of Mercy, in nearby ClonakiltyClonakilty
Clonakilty , often referred to by locals simply as Clon, is a small town on the N71 national secondary road in West County Cork, Ireland, approximately 45 minutes away by road to the west of Cork City. The town is on the southern coast of the island, and is surrounded by hilly country devoted...
.
Career
In college, she studied Communication studiesCommunication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
and graduated with an Honours Degree. After leaving college, she joined Raidió Teilifís Éireann
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...
(RTÉ) as a children's television presenter, and has worked there since. She was an outside broadcast presenter on early Saturday-morning TV show Scratch Saturday, she then presented The Works, a kids science programme, for four years where she became known for her catchphrase, distinguishable by her regional accent
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
: "Are you laughing?". She was a regular on The Den
The Den (television)
The Den was the brand of the children's television strand on Irish public broadcaster RTÉ Two. It first broadcast on 29 September 1986 on RTÉ One, before moving to RTÉ Two in September 1988. The strand began to diversify throughout the late 1990s and the 2000s...
before hosting The Disney Club and Mary K in The Loft on Sunday mornings. For the next five years she has presented The Children of Ireland Awards with the then Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
. In 2003, she took part in Celebrity Farm
Celebrity Farm
Celebrity Farm was a 2003 Radio Telefís Éireann reality television show, based on the international TV format The Farm, produced by Strix. Held along similar lines as I'm a Celebrity.....
on RTÉ. In 2005, she took part in The Restaurant
The Restaurant (Irish TV series)
The Restaurant is a successful Irish reality television programme broadcast on RTÉ One. The seventh series began on 16 November 2008, running on Sundays at 20:30. In each episode a celebrity head chef takes on the culinary challenge of producing a top class, three-course meal with two...
, her star studded performance is one of her proudest moments.
Kingston has authored a children's book, Fantastic Far-Flung Facts for Fun. The book describes her journey from Africa to Asia to South America to Madagascar, it's a compilation of the many Fantastic facts she learned along the way, it includes hundreds of the photos Mary K took and endorses her sentiment " Leave only footprints, take only memories .........and photos!"
Personal life
She has travelled extensively, and holds a PADIPadi
Padi or PADI may refer to:* Padi, Chennai, India* Padi , a musical group* Paddy field, a type of cultivated land * Professional Association of Diving Instructors, a scuba organization...
Open Water Scuba Diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
licence.
She has been involved in charity work for a number of organisations involved in the welfare of children and animals. She has spent time working with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
children in a reconstructed modern hospital in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, 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...
, called Dr Victor Babes. She is the junior patron for the Dublin Society for Preventionn of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA).
External links
- Mary Kingston - In 10 brief lines, facts compiled on 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...
page for The DenThe Den (television)The Den was the brand of the children's television strand on Irish public broadcaster RTÉ Two. It first broadcast on 29 September 1986 on RTÉ One, before moving to RTÉ Two in September 1988. The strand began to diversify throughout the late 1990s and the 2000s... - Biography on RTÉ.ie page for TV programme Celebrity Farm
- Far-Flung Facts for Fun, Mary's 2004 children's book.