Marty Whelan is easily one of Ireland's most famous faces after more than 40 years on radio and television.
The broadcaster began his career in Radio 2, now 2FM, before going on to front shows like Rose of Tralee, Open House and his own breakfast radio slot on Lyric FM, Marty in the Morning.
Most notably, the Dubliner provides the commentary for the annual Eurovision Song Contest and he used to present Winning Streak alongside Sinead Kennedy before it was postponed during the pandemic.
Eurovision
Every year Marty jets off to Europe for the Eurovision Song Contest in May. A gig he has held for more than 20 years- and we love him for it.
He told RSVP Magazine: "The Eurovision Song Contest is completely daft, as you know. I don’t know about you but I am not a great man for wearing plastic and PVC clothes- and I have seen some beauties over the years!
"I often wonder if they are just doing it for notice because it is not about being comfortable during the evening, somewhere where the temperatures are about 30C. Saying that, I love the fun of it and you can never ever predict a winner."
Speaking about the role, he previously told Neil Prendeville on Cork's Red FM : "It is no surprise that his favourite Eurovision memory comes from his first year on the mic.
"The first Eurovision I commentated on, I was 11 then, was Johnny Logan's second win.
"Hold me Now is, for me, the one I love because it was the first time I commentated, commentated and won.
"That stays with me forever."
What Age is Marty Whelan?
Marty was born in June 1956.
His wife Maria
Marty Whelan and his wife Maria are absolute couple goals! After meeting in 1974, they left it over ten years before deciding to officially tie the knot
Maria, who was an air hostess with Aer Lingus, swapped vows with the RTE star on August, 13 1985.
They went on to have two children together, Thomas and Jessica.
Swipe across below to see the full gallery of images for yourself
Marty said: "We met very young which is quite often a recipe for a long relationship in many ways. Maria was in school and I was working in a company that became Axa and we grew together.
"Our marriage is about laughter and companionship- as well as love. I am still as mad about her now as when I first met her. And I fell in love with her at first sight, the minute I saw her I fell in love.
"You don’t lose that and, for me, she has always been the one and she still is."
Children
Marty and Maria have two children, Jessica and Thomas, and they regularly attend celebrity events together but they are forging their own paths in different fields from their father.
Thomas, who studied Business in DBS, previously worked in award-winning Dublin radio station 98FM before going back to study law in university.
World's away from media and TV, Jessica-aged 29- is a primary school teacher after studying in Marino.
Marty previously told RSVP Magazine: "Tom is working in event management and he is looking at various options right now. He has worked with 98FM and an event management company and he trying to decide what direction to take.
"He has loads of experience and his mother’s good looks. Jessica is a primary school teacher and she is happy out and sorted."
Where is he from?
Marty is from Dublin and he and his family live in Clontarf in North Dublin.
Religion
He previously told RSVP Magazine: "There was a lot of faith and belief in the house and I was an altar boy. As I got older I went through various phases of belief.
"The church does sometimes let you down and there are individuals who never do but I have never doubted my faith in God."
TV Credits
- Open House
- Rose of Tralee
- Winning Streak
- Fame and Fortune
- Millionaire
- Celebrity Bainisteoir
- The Panel
- You're a Star
- Head 2 Toe
- Go for it
Cheeky love for Baileys at the Eurovision
He previously told us: "Health and safety don’t want you to bring it in but we have friends in low places. I couldn’t possibly tell you the secret route but we have ways and means.
"We just want to have a couple of glasses of Bailey’s during the voting that goes on for four weeks."
Marty has also cried while commentating at Eurovision over the years.
He said: "I am an emotional fella so music affects me. I have to tell you that the first time Salvador Sobral sang the winning song for Portugal in 2017, I was very emotional.
"It didn’t matter that I didn’t know the words, it was just this guy singing a very sincere song and I thought “Oh my God”. Sometimes I cry because the feed isn’t right and I can’t be heard or I can’t hear myself. But that is technical stuff that I can’t do anything about that!"
Beginning of his career
"My first show was live from Limerick. We were very green and it was a whole new world for all of us in 1979," he said.
"We had no idea what it would be like, but it turned out to be a great adventure. There was nothing else out there other than the national broadcaster and we were getting to meet people that we listened to when we were in school.
"There are only four of us left in RTE from the original 2FM line-up; Dave Fanning, Ronan Collins and Larry Gogan. People don’t understand that there was nothing like it."
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