Ryan Tubridy returning to morning slot on RTÉ Radio 1

Ryan Tubridy is to rejoin RTÉ Radio 1 after a five-year break.

Tubridy will take over the 9am slot that he held for several years before departing to 2fm. He presented The Tubridy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 from 2005 to 2010 before leaving to fill the vacancy left by the death of Gerry Ryan.

The new show will start on Monday, September 7th and will be, as it has been for many years, an hour long slot. He replaces John Murray who will be reallocated elsewhere on the RTÉ Radio 1 schedule later this year. Murray broadcast his last show earlier this month and has been replaced temporarily by Brendan O'Connor.

Tubridy said his move, which has been long anticipated, was one that gave him “mixed emotions”.

“The last few years have been spent building a loyal and engaged listenership thanks to the hardest working team in Irish radio; I am extremely grateful to them,” he stated.

“The recent increase in listener numbers is down to the team and I will miss them as friends and colleagues on 2fm enormously. I would like to thank the listeners who texted, called and emailed every day and were so generous with the stories and experiences that made up the fabric of our show.”

After years of struggling to fill the vacancy left by Gerry Ryan, he had started to gain listeners over the last year, helped by the fact that his programme added a quarter hour starting at 8.45am rather than 9am.

The head of 2fm Dan Healy said he departs 2fm with a "very strong JNLR book".

“With Ryan having been the linchpin of 2fm, now is the appropriate time for him, on the back of recent very strong JNLR books, to go to Radio 1,” Mr Healy said.

The head of RTÉ Radio 1 Tom McGuire said it was “brilliant to be able to call on someone of Ryan’s talent and stature”.

Tubridy will also remain as The Late Late Show host which returns to screens in the autumn.