RTE Miriam O’Callaghan finally breaks silence on controversial retirement party

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Miriam O’Callaghan has explained that she didn’t attend any “going away party” in the RTÉ television building in the lead-up to Christmas.

The Prime Time presenter was pictured alongside her former co-presenter David McCullagh and receptionist Phil Collins, who was retiring from her role that day.

The story was covered across numerous news outlets across the country after pictures number of other well-known presenters – including Bláthnaid Ní Chófaigh, Eileen Dunne and Bryan Dobson – emerged in the media. All of the above apologised for standing in for the photographs.

Setting the record straight on what happened, Miriam said that she stopped for a picture while walking to the RTÉ canteen.

She had also purchased a bottle of wine for Phil, which she gave her, before continuing on with her day moments later.

Miriam told RSVP Magazine: “Well, I didn’t attend any going away party but when you’re explaining, you’re losing so I was always going to wait to say what actually happened.



RSVP Magazine August issue 2021

“I had no idea that Phil – the wonderful Phil, the receptionist – was leaving that day.”

Lifting the lid on the real story, she continued: “I did an interview on radio and came back to the TV building and I found out that morning that my great Prime Time editor Donagh was moving to the Six One News.

“And I thought, at lunchtime, after putting my clothes for Prime Time in my dressing room, that I’ll go down to Tesco in the Merrion Centre and buy a bottle for Donagh to thank him.

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“As I was walking back from the radio reception, someone shouted out, ‘Do you know it’s Phil’s last day today, Miriam?’ That was at midday.

“I said, ‘I had no idea’ and I decided that it would be nice if I bought a bottle of wine for Phil too.

“I went to get my lunch in the canteen and I was going to give the bottle of wine to Phil on my way there.

“So as I was walking through the reception area of my workplace, with my mask on, I gave my bottle to Phil, and then I was asked for a photograph. And the rest is history.”

She added: “That’s exactly what happened. I didn’t attend an event, there wasn’t an event as far as I was concerned, I walked straight on five seconds later.”

Miriam said that all of the pictures of RTÉ talent were taken at different times during the day and she regrets standing in.

She said: “I understood it because if you see the whole battery of photographs, and because Phil was in every one of them, they all look like they were taken at the same time.

“But they were all taken at different times during that day.

“It was in the middle of a pandemic, there was no point trying to explain to anyone. I shouldn’t have stood in for a photo with a woman who was good to me for decades but that’s just life.”

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