Pat Kenny back on the telly with peak-time interview show

Veteran broadcaster Pat Kenny returned to television with a peak-time series that premiered last night on UTV Ireland.

The former RTÉ presenter and now Newstalk radio host interviewed Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte for the first episode of Pat Kenny in the Round.

A series of extended interviews which include video inserts, will be screened every Monday until the end of June.

The one-hour programmes are filmed live in front of a studio audience of 150 people in the Round Room of Dublin’s Mansion House.

The former Late Late Show host yesterday said it felt good to be back on television.

“I wanted to get back on the box,” he said. “I know it sounds stupid but I have a skill set that works on telly and I would not like it to get too rusty.

“If I can get a reasonable chunk of the audience I will be very pleased.”

However, Kenny, 67, said he did not intend increasing his television presence. “It is very time-consuming. I don’t have that amount of time available,” he said.

Tyrone man Mr Harte told Kenny it was the “grace of God” that kept him going after the death of daughter Michaela in 2011, while on honeymoon with husband John McAreavey.

He said children were a gift from God. “I feel in credit to God, not in debt, for what He gave us — he gave us Michaela.”

Asked if he believed that Michaela was with him all the time, he said: “Absolutely.” He described it as a special connection.

He said he was still extremely close to John and wished him well in a new relationship.

Future guests include singer British 60s icon Lulu and Nasa astronaut Chris Hadfield.

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