Brendan Courtney on 'live audition in front of the nation' — and his brand new podcast

His recent stint on the airwaves saw him stand in for Ryan Tubridy at the height of the RTÉ scandal. These days, Brendan Courtney is much happier recording his podcast with David O’Reilly, writes Noel Baker

Brendan Courtney and David O’Reilly have just launched their new podcast, Any News? Pictures: Emily Quinn

If the old equation of “man bites dog = news” rings true, what about “dog barks at Brendan Courtney?” As we settle down for a Zoom chat with the broadcaster and his new podcast partner, David O’Reilly, I’m able to re-introduce Brendan to my dog, Henry — the offending canine who for reasons unknown started barking at him as he walked the island of Arranmore a few summers ago.

“Most people do, with Brendan — humans as well,” cracks David. My achingly dull anecdote aside, dogs are actually quite topical, given that Brendan’s hound, Nancy Drew, is seated behind him on a couch, and David recently adopted two dogs whose owner had passed away.