Gay Byrne and Irish history

I hope to write a blog about the late broadcaster Gay Byrne, who was one of the best known hosts of a talk show and was an important figure in Irish life for decades. Gay was from a modest background, his father worked in Guinness's brewery, and he was one of 6 children. He was bright but not academic and there were no opportunities for him to go to University at the time. He was born in 1934 and was educated at the Christian brothers' school, in Synge St. He was turned down for a job in Guinness, and went into insurance to earn a living. However he was friendly with another broadcaster Eamon Andrews, and he went to work for Granada TV in England. He then spent some time in the BBC and was offered a position as host of a chat show, which was meant as a summer filler for RTE the new Irish TV service. He still had a contract with British TV and spent some time commuting between the 2 countries on a weekly basis. The Late Late Show was meant to be light entertainment, with music, chat, and light hearted debates. However it did not stay that way and began to cover more serious issues. Gay married Kathleen Watkins, a continuity announcer and after a time he settled in Dublin, and his show became increasingly popular. M/F