Rick O’Shea has been given the Arena job full time at RTÉ Radio 1 after fronting the show since last summer.
The appointment makes permanent a role Rick had held on an interim basis since the death of Seán Rocks in July last year, keeping a familiar voice in place on one of Irish radio’s main arts programmes.
RTÉ said more than 200 submissions were considered through its Expression of Interest process before Rick was chosen for the weeknight show. Arena has been part of the RTÉ Radio 1 weekday schedule since 2009 and covers music, literature, film, theatre, opera, dance and visual arts.
Rick has built a strong profile in Irish arts and publishing alongside his radio career. He runs The Rick O’Shea Book Club, has interviewed writers and performers at festivals around Ireland, and has worked with the An Post Irish Book Awards, the UCD Festival and several literary and theatre awards.
He said it would be “an absolute honour” to continue highlighting work by writers, filmmakers, musicians, artists and other creatives on the programme.
Rick has worked with RTÉ since 2001. He previously presented The Rick O’Shea Show on 2FM for 16 years and also hosted The Gold Lounge on RTÉ Gold.