LARRY GOGAN

Born in May 1938 in Dublin, Larry joined Radio Eireann in May 1961. His first broadcast was an acting role in the radio serial ‘District Nurse’. He had been acting on stage in Gaeity Theatre plays such as ‘Life with Father’. He ‘spun’ his first record in 1961 on Radio Eireann after an encounter with radio producer Maura Fox in his fathers shop. He began to present sponsored programmes and voice over for adverts before finding his true calling as a pop disc jockey. In the 1970’s he was voted Ireland Number One DJ six years in a row. Despite offers from the BBC and Radio Luxembourg, Larry remained RTE radio’s only pop DJ throughout the 60s and 70s. He was the only presenter of pop music shows on the then single channel. When RTE Radio 2 was launched he joined the station playing the first record the Boomtown Rats 'Like Clockwork'. His 'Just A Minute Quiz' featured on his lunchtime show has entered Irish folklore. The segment was thought up by himself and his producer Cathal McCabe in 1979 and many of the answers have written their own history. His ‘Golden Hour’ show of memorable classic hits has become an institution and a ratings winner for RTE Radio. Larry has presented a number of shows on TV but he is most at home on radio. Larry from 1983 to 2011 was the radio commentator for the Eurovision song contest.

Larry met his wife Florrie when she was 15. Both their fathers ran newspaper shops in Dublin. They were engaged two years later and married in Dublin. They had five children. Florrie developed breast cancer and died in January 2002 while Gogan was recovering from heart surgery. He says, "When something happens at work I say to myself 'I must tell Florrie that' and then I remember, she's not there any more" Larry won a Jacobs Award in 1986 for his hosting of Ireland’s Top Thirty chart show