Martin 'Marty' Whelan is an Irish radio and television personality currently working for Raidió Teilifís Éireann. His early television credits included the game shows Millionaire and Fame and Fortune, and the weekday afternoon show, Open House. Whelan hosted The Rose of Tralee contest until Ryan Tubridy replaced him in 2003, a role which he had held since 1997. His RTÉ 2fm radio show, Marty in the Morning was axed in 2007 and replaced with The Colm & Jim-Jim Breakfast Show. Whelan has since made a return to television, winning the reality series Celebrity Bainisteoir in 2008. Since winning the series, he has made another return to television to guest-host the RTÉ One topical comedy showThe Panel. He also acted as guest judge in RTÉ's Charity You're a Star, standing in for Louis Walsh in one programme. Marty at Midday saw Whelan receive his own weekday lunchtime show on RTÉ lyric fm, commencing September 2009. He then returned to television again in September 2009 to co-present Winning Streak with Kathryn Thomas. He has been doing this ever since. Since 2000, Whelan has provided the television commentary for RTÉ's coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest, although Whelan provided the Irish commentary for the Eurovision Song Contest 1987.
Early life
Whelan was born in Dublin in 1956. An only child, he was overprotected by his parents always surrounded by other children. He later commented on his childhood, "I had cousins, friends constantly to play with -- my memories are all in the company of children." Whelan attended school in Killester. He spent five years working with an insurance company before he made the break into radio with the pirate radio station Radio Dublin. He left this station as part of a wider split, along with most of the DJs to form the Big D in April 1978. Whelan initially worked on weekend shows, but in a new schedule in September 1978 he got his first daytime slot doing the drivetime show.
Career
1979–1991
In 1979, Whelan joined RTÉ Radio 2, now known as RTÉ 2fm. Prior to that he worked on pirate radio under the name Marty Hall. During his first tenure with the station he presented a number of shows such as Drivetime and Marty till Midnight. He also spent three years presenting RTÉ 2fm's Breakfast Show in a role he would return to in 2005. In the mid-1980s Whelan began developing his television career, becoming the first male presenter of the hit fashion programme Head 2 Toe. Other popular TV shows followed, including the Where in the World? quiz programme and Video File, in which he interviewed major stars of the music world. In 1989, Whelan left RTÉ radio to join its rival radio station, Century Radio. When that project failed he was given the cold shoulder by RTÉ.
1991–2004
Whelan returned to the national broadcaster in the mid-1990s when he presented such shows as Go For It, Off the Record and Millionaire. He hosted RTÉ One's summer lottery show Fame and Fortune on Saturday nights for at least ten years. He spent ten years on television as presenter of the John Player Tops. In 1997, Whelan became Master of Ceremonies at the annual Rose of Tralee contest but, in the first of a series of losses, he was replaced by Ryan Tubridy in 2003. In 2004, RTÉ's flagship afternoon magazine programme Open House was axed, leaving Whelan jobless once again. Whelan had filled the role of co-host alongside Mary Kennedy since 1998. He was reported to be "shocked" and "very disappointed". He also said he would "personally deliver every copy" of Mary Kennedy's new book Paper Tigers, reasoning, "Sure I have nothing else to be doing with my time".
2004–present
A substitute slot for Gerry Ryan on his morning radio show on RTÉ 2fm in the summer of 2005 led to a more permanent return to the station for Whelan. Marty in the Morning, which itself caused controversy when it replaced The Rick & Ruth Breakfast Show, began on 26 September 2005. In January 2007, it was announced that Marty in the Morning would end that March when Colm & Jim-Jim arrived from FM104. He was on holiday when he discovered another show had been axed. Whelan returned to the role of filling in for Gerry Ryan when Ryan was on leave. Since then Whelan has appeared as himself in feature films, at the co-opening of a Dunnes outlet in Galway with retired broadcaster Gay Byrne and filling a cameo role on the soap opera, Fair City. He still commentates on RTÉ's television coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest each May. Whelan presented a two-hour Sunday with Marty Whelan show on RTÉ lyric fm from Sunday, 1 March 2009 at 14:30, taking over from veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne, but only until that September. In July 2009, Whelan provided commentary on the Michael Jackson memorial service for RTÉ Two. Following on from Sunday with Marty Whelan, he received his own weekday lunchtime show on lyric fm, Marty at Midday, commencing September 2009. That same month, he began co-presenting Winning Streak on RTÉ One each Saturday night, alongside Sinead Kennedy. As of October 2010 Whelan presents Marty in the Morning weekday mornings between 7 and 10 on RTÉ Lyric FM. His more recent television programmes apart from Winning Streak were in summer 2009 he presented a series called A Little Bit Funny followed by A Little Bit Eurovision in summer 2011.
Eurovision Song Contest
In 1987 and 1988, Whelan co-hosted Eurosong along with Maxi. RTÉ gave the commentator's job to different presenters between 1988 and 1999 including Mike Murphy, Ronan Collins, Jimmy Greeley and Pat Kenny. In the autumn of 1999, Pat Kenny decided not to return as Commentator. Reportedly Gerry Ryan was RTÉ's favorite for the job. However, it was later announced that RTÉ would give the job back to Whelan. Whelan returned to commentate for Ireland at the 2000 Contest, which was held in Sweden and continues to provide commentary for RTÉ since 2000.
Personal life
Whelan is married to Maria. They have two children, Jessica and Thomas. The couple met in 1974, dating for over ten years before marrying on 13 August 1985. At the time, they were both living at home, Maria gave up her job as an air hostess with Aer Lingus following their marriage. Whelan's interests include badminton, rugby, DIY and football. In his spare time he likes to play indoor football with some of his colleagues at RTÉ, and is also a founding member of the Donaghmede Badminton Club. In October 2015, Whelan released his memoirs called That’s Life.
