Ray D’Arcy dives into a particularly piddling subject, even by his standards

Ray D’Arcy rarely concerns himself with heavyweight matters in his daily monologue, preferring to talk about subjects that might charitably be described as trifling. Even by his own standards, however, the opening spiel on Tuesday’s Ray D’Arcy Show (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays) deals with a particularly piddling subject. “I ask you—and answer honestly—who hasn’t weed in the sea?” D’Arcy inquires, in relation to the Spanish city of Vigo’s recent ban on urinating in the Atlantic waters. Although he doesn’t exactly confess to aquatic micturition of his own, he clearly deems it a minor infraction. “It’s a pee in the ocean, as opposed to a drop in the ocean.”

Whatever about taking a leak underwater, when it comes to his show D’Arcy sometimes must feel like he’s pissing in the wind. Seven years after he left Today FM to return to Montrose as presenter of Radio 1′s afternoon show, it still feels like his tenure has never really lived up to expectations. Far from transforming the slot, he attracts essentially the same ratings as his supposedly underperforming predecessor, Derek Mooney.

D’Arcy’s cause isn’t helped by the top-of-the-head extemporising that characterises his patter. After hearing him discuss the correct way to use bendy straws in juice cartons or dissect the “unwritten rules” on eating tuna in the morning, his musings on Galician seaside bylaws seem like philosophical treatises.

But all is not lost. Of late there’s been a discernible uptick in the quality of D’Arcy’s interviews. Last Friday’s special edition of the show, given over to a live-audience spot with the author Marian Keyes, is an obvious highlight, the host audibly buoyed by the novelist’s characteristic intelligence, openness and wit.

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But D’Arcy continues the trend on Monday when he talks to another A-lister: Jessie Buckley, the Oscar-nominated Kerry-born actor who has just recorded an album with the British guitarist Bernard Butler. In truth, it’s more good-natured banter than in-depth exploration, as Buckley and Butler breezily outline the origins of their collaboration. But the item engenders an appealing atmosphere, helped by the duo’s arresting in-studio musical performance.

There’s more substance to Tuesday’s conversation with Cait O’Riordan. The former Pogues bassist talks about her past alcoholism — she has been sober for 15 years — as well as Irish society’s problematic relationship with drink. O’Riordan candidly recalls how her drinking was exacerbated by her time as the “messy punk-rock mascot” in the infamously boozy band. “I never had tolerance. I think that’s why I’m alive,” she says, describing her shock when a doctor suggested she might be addicted to alcohol: “My concept of addiction was heroin and junkies.”

For all her honesty, O’Riordan has an irreverent sense of humour that ensures the interview isn’t preachy or earnest. As she contemplates the Irish alcohol industry’s fig-leaf slogan “Drink responsibly”, she unleashes a loudly derisive guffaw to rival the legendary cackle of her erstwhile bandmate Shane MacGowan.

D’Arcy is palpably engaged, not just by his guest’s lively presence but also by the issues she raises. Always an advocate of physical and mental health, he worries that many Irish people are in denial about alcohol. “Just because you’re not a problem drinker doesn’t mean you don’t have a problem with drink,” he pithily observes. He also reveals that his interest in the subject arises from his father’s fondness for alcohol. “I was always trying to figure out if he was an alcoholic or a heavy drinker,” he says ruefully, “and now, I don’t know if it matters.” He doesn’t elaborate, but it contributes to a compelling piece of radio.

Wednesday’s encounter with the creator of the sitcom Derry Girls, Lisa McGee — another proper big name — isn’t as gripping, but it’s nonetheless enjoyable, at least after host and guest get past the initial generic pleasantries. The only pity is that D’Arcy asks his most interesting question, about the “collective trauma” of the Troubles, just as time runs out.

Such moments are both encouraging and frustrating, hinting at the thoughtful and reflective interviewer he can be when he’s not trying to be all things to a daytime audience—lest listeners fret that proceedings have too much heft, he also speaks to a vet who performed a Caesarean section on a guinea pig. But, overall, the presenter is enjoying a good spell. One is even tempted to call it a hot streak, though D’Arcy may think that’s something you do when swimming.

A reliably business-like atmosphere prevails on The Last Word (Today FM, weekdays), where Matt Cooper’s dependable style is an effective bulwark against frivolity. But while Cooper’s interrogatory approach is never less than thorough and balanced, his unruffled persona also acts a guardrail against fractious on-air crackle, meaning that, say, his panel discussion on taxi shortages is as thrilling as it sounds, even if it’s a pressing problem for anyone out on the town.

What sizzle there is comes when guests clash, such as the reaction of the Aontú TD Peadar Tóibín to the Fianna Fáil Senator Lisa Chambers’s defence of pay restoration for high-earning civil servants. “We accept the timing isn’t great,” Chambers dutifully admits, prompting a contemptuous chuckle from the Aontú deputy. Tóibín calls the move “outrageous”, and acts out accordingly, undeterred by the odd factual error — he mistakenly asserts that the well-remunerated top civil servant Robert Watt is in line for an increase, and is corrected on air — and by his concession that consultants, who make up 90 per cent of the pay recipients, aren’t the object of his wrath. As is his wont, Cooper plays the honest broker, though he subtly undercuts Tóibín’s fury with his observation that the Government’s salary move isn’t a raise but a restoration of precrash pay levels.

If the host’s coolly detached demeanour can be an asset in charged situations, his interview with the author Emma Dabiri could benefit from more looseness. Dabiri, who has written astutely on being black in Ireland and beyond, talks about her diverse cultural touchstones, from Toni Morrison and Christy Moore to Madonna. But while Cooper is obviously well informed about his guest, he comes across as slightly stiff throughout, meaning their encounter never quite takes off. As D’Arcy might tell him, sometimes you just have to let go.

Radio Moment of the Week

Jennifer Zamparelli (2FM, weekdays) begins her weekly slot with the sex therapist Rachel Cooke with a “little-ears warning”, as they discuss the possible decline of dating apps. Cooke says fewer people now want algorithms to make their romantic choices, while Zamparelli wonders if we’ve lost the skills for “face-to-face flirty banter”. As if to underline this, she jokily suggests the following as a chat-up line for men to use: “If you’re interested in a dick pic let me know.” Lovely! In fairness, both Zamparelli and Cooke quickly emphasise this is not something men should do, but the damage is done. Never mind kids’ sensitivities, it’s a bit fruity for grown-up ears.