Just over a month after hanging up his headphones at RTÉ, veteran broadcaster Sean O'Rourke joined Ivan Yates for the Thursday Interview this evening.
In a 30-minute interview, the 65-year-old discussed his 40 years at the State broadcaster, his family, his views on the afterlife and what he really thinks about some of the biggest names in Irish politics.
He said he was brought up in a “quite devout” Catholic home and while he is not “manic” about it, he does believe in the hereafter.
“You go through these phases where you believe things more straightforwardly maybe than at other times but I will always remember the time Veronica [Guerin] was shot,” he said.
“That was a moment that was kind of a pivotal thing in the sense that it kind of restored my faith in hell in the sense that, there has to be a place where people go who cause those terrible deeds.
“That said, I believe hell exists but what I’d be less sure about is whether there is anybody there, or whether there are many people there, because I believe, first and foremost, in a merciful god and a forgiving one.”
Sean O’Rourke was this week’s Thursday Interview on The Hard Shoulder - with thanks to @mcguiganwines #bringamcguigan | @IvanYatesNT pic.twitter.com/iQLvhkb2ao
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) June 25, 2020
He also gave Ivan his one-word assessment of some of the biggest names in irish politics down through the years, from Charlie Haughey, who he described as “sharp,” to Leo Varadkar, who he described as “calculating.”
You can listen back to the full interview here:
