150KTubs - future career in Virgin Radio and other soulful pursuits **Mod: Read OP**

Another riveting and thought provoking missive from our hero in today's diary. I read it on the Evoke.ie website and I always get a little chuckle in that the first embedded video on the page under Tubridy's first paragraph every week, is always himself and his solicitor walking down to the entrance to Leinster House last July, to appear before the PAC. Beautiful!

He begins this week by musing on the notion that St. Patrick's Day is no longer a "day" but more a week or a month which has a lot to do with Ireland's annual heroics in the Six Nations and Cheltenham. The Oscars can now be added to the Irish "March Madness" so it is easy see why March has become 'Irish month'. Indeed. You may find yourself wearing out the wheel on your mouse, or your own index finger if on a phone or tablet, such is the amount of photos of Tubridy that you have to scroll past to read each of the 3 to 5 line paragraphs of literary gold. Tubs with coffee on the go. Tubs reading on a bench. Tubs standing at red UK post box. Not to forget Tubs with "token disabled child" and "token Irish sporting great". All boxes are ticked here.

He mentions that he interviewed Johnny Sexton on stage before the England game. Johnny gave him some insights into preparation for big occasions. I'm sure that entered one ear and quickly exited the other. He then outdone himself with some exceptionally descriptive writing;

"Johnny’s description was looming large in my mind when we made our way to the ground among the mass of humanity that moved like a human blob towards the hallowed turf of English rugby"..........

Oh dear. A bit of a sliced conversion attempt that ends up well wide. The England fans rendition of Swing low Sweet Chariot both unnerved and intimidated our hero but all in all he was glad he went for what he believed to be his first and last England v Ireland game on British soil. A interesting little addition there I thought. "Not a chance, I'll still be here slumming it in London in 2025, never mind 2026, lads" is the jist.

Nerves jangling from Twickers, it was with "enormous relief and huge pride" that Tub's awoke to hear IRISH actor Cillian Murphy had won an Oscar. I can see him now at the espresso machine, trembling with joy at the news. I know I was...... 🤨 Just my two cents, but if you feel enormous relief at the news that a person you interviewed once or twice has won an award, but otherwise have nothing to do with, you should probably wonder if you have your head screwed on tightly enough. And the first person to agree with that sentiment would probably be Cillian Murphy. But anyhoo........

Next up was Cheltenham where we are told Willie Mullins "won an equine Oscar". You see folks, that's why he was paid the big moolah, you don't get seques like that for pocket money! There were so many Irish people at Cheltenham, "you might as well have been in Punchestown!" Hah! Brilliant!

The most shocking revelation in this weeks piece, is undoubtedly that Tubs believes sending Irish TD's all over the globe on St. Patrick's Day all expenses paid jollies, is money well spent. Well blow me down, I didn't see that one coming! Ryan always struck me as a frugal public servant, with value for the tax payer front and centre of this thinking. Cough.

After another long scroll passed a disturbingly giant closeup selfie of a bespectacled Tubs in front of a large bookcase (groan), he wheezes to a stuttering and unsatisfactory conclusion, a bit like some of the rank outsiders who appeared at Cheltenham.

I learned a new Irish word today and thought of ryan sitting scared in Twickenham

Aduantas

The word aduantas doesn’t really have an English equivalent, but describes that feeling of unease or anxiety caused by being somewhere new, or by being surrounded by people you don’t know. It’s derived from aduaine, an Irish word meaning “strangeness” or “unfamiliarity.”

He also turned on BBC 4 to hear the news about the Oscars. Usual loyalty there from Tubs. By the look of this article, he has been given notice by Virgin Radio.

its the people that read and listen to his output who are the ones who suffer. Well put sir

Perhaps it is just the layout but the photos seem to be used to pad out the text. One is particularly interesting. The obligatory "I'm a book reader" photo has all the titles of the books on the shelves mirror imaged as if Tubridy used a mirror for the photo.

Perhaps even the "rage listeners" have given up on his Virgin Radio show. Surprised that Clifden didn't make him the grand marshal of its parade. He seems to be trying to focus on the ex-pat Irish community in London. With the destruction of RTE's Long Wave service by an incompetent RTE management, there might be a small market there but Tubridy is no Gay Byrne. He's on the wrong radio station in demographic terms for that potential market.

The bigger problem for News UK's management is whether Tubridy has managed to make some kind of connection with Virgin Radio's mid-morning audience and. more importantly, the effect on advertising. Virgin Radio is in a highly competitive market and that will decide his fate.

The decision to dump Tubridy might not be made this early. There are still the RAJAR and JNLR reports due next month. Apart from the obvious worst case scenario of losing listeners on the time slot across all the stations (Virgin Radio and the Q102 etc stations), a more problematic one would be a loss on Virgin Radio and stable audience figures on the Irish stations. Could they move Tubridy back to Dublin without making the decision to give him a slot on Virgin Radio look like a mistake?

Regards...jmcc

Heard Mark Wogan on Anton Savage yesterday. He mentioned that Tubs appeared on his show "Spooning with Mark Wogan"

Mark has his Dad's charisma, charm and ease with interviewing and Tubs actually came off alright I thought. The mask only slipped the once perhaps, when he talked about how tiresome the endless seafood options are in fancy restaurants, when all he really want's to eat is the kid's menu of jumbo sausage and chips........

"I look at kids ordering the sausage, beans and chips and I think, how can I not be eating with you guys. I mean, I don't want their company, I have kids of my own, it's just their food I want..!"

Say it ain't so Toyman! 😥

Definitely worth a look on Youtube. If only to see Tubs spit out an expensive lobster pie!

Some of the other photos are taken by professionals. The stuff from Tubridy's Instagram is free. As for the mirrored text, it is like Tubridy is staring into a mirror wondering asking who is the greatest Toyman of them all and getting the answer "Kielty".

Regards...jmcc

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And on Paddy’s Day too!