RTÉ ‘supportive’ of presenter’s decision to be known as Rachel

RTÉ has said it supports its news presenter Jonathan Clynch who has told colleagues at the broadcaster he intends to dress as a woman and take on the additional name of Rachel.

Mr Clynch pulled out of a planned radio interview on Saturday to discuss the subject after revelations appeared in a newspaper.

The RTÉ Radio One journalist is understood to be of the view that unanticipated publicity surrounding his life should not dictate when he speaks publicly about it.

On her Saturday morning show, Marian Finucane quoted the newspaper which reported that Mr Clynch had spoken to RTÉ management about his intentions to dress as a woman and to be known as Jonathan Rachel Clynch.

"He was to come in and talk to us here today about the whole thing and to explain it and how his life and that will be changed for the better for him now, but he only found out yesterday that this would be in the papers today," Ms Finucane said on air.

“This morning he decided he would rather not,” she continued, explaining Mr Clynch did not want any newspaper to “dictate when he would or he wouldn’t talk about himself.”

Reading a statement from RTÉ she said: “As an employer and organisation RTÉ encourages diversity and equality and RTÉ is supportive of Jonathan Rachel, a valued member of staff and a highly-respected journalist.”