Gay Byrne - Legacy

Legacy

Byrne is credited with being a catalyst in the transformation of Irish society since the 1960s. He has broken several Irish social taboos by discussing topics like contraception, homosexuality, and abortion and is considered "a catalyst for social change". When Barry Galvin, then as Cork's state solicitor, appeared on The Late Late Show with Gay Byrne in 1992 to speak of the increasing problems Ireland was experiencing with the illegal drug trade, he was subsequently given the post of first ever head of the important Criminal Assets Bureau. Byrne is, alongside Terry Wogan, one of Ireland's two most notable broadcasters, but also described as "the most famous Irish broadcaster in history", lauded by the media as "the man who changed Ireland".

According to the Irish Examiner, Gay Byrne has "had more influence on changing life in this country than any of the political leaders", including Taoisigh W. T. Cosgrave, Éamon de Valera and John A. Costello as well as Ruairi O Bradaigh, John Charles McQuaid, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland for over 30 years. A 1998 poll found Byrne level with notorious former Taoiseach Charles Haughey as the most hated public figure in Ireland but Byrne was also named the most popular public figure in the same poll.