Funeral of late broadcaster Gay Byrne to take place in Dublin

By David Young

Family and friends of Irish broadcasting giant Gay Byrne will gather in Dublin later to say a final farewell at his funeral.

The celebrated RTE star died earlier in the week at the age of 85 after a long illness.

The former host of RTE's popular Late Late Show had been undergoing treatment for cancer.

The father-of-two died in Howth, Co Dublin surrounded by his family.

A host of well-known names are expected to attend his funeral mass in St Mary's Pro Cathedral in Dublin city centre.

The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin will be among the clerics presiding at the service.

Byrne started his career as a newsreader and continuity announcer on Radio Eireann in the late 1950s before moving to Granada Television in Manchester, where he worked on a variety of shows, interviewing acts including The Beatles.

For a time he commuted between Dublin and UK, working for both the BBC and RTE, but came back to Ireland full-time in the late 1960s as presenter and producer of The Late Late Show.

The programme went on to become the world's longest-running chat show.

The much-loved host had also presented a long-running radio show on RTE Radio 1, first known as The Gay Byrne Hour and then The Gay Byrne Show.