Radio presenter reveals in posthumous interview he was sexually abused when young

Michael Reade, who presented a morning show on LMFM for 21 years, passed away at the age of 58 from cancer on Monday. 

An award-winning radio presenter revealed how he was raped and sexually abused from the age of seven in a recorded programme that aired the day after he died.

Michael Reade (58), passed away from cancer on Monday. He had told his listeners about his terminal diagnosis in September.

The father-of-one presented a morning show on LMFM for 21 years and earlier this month won Gold at the IMRO Radio Awards for best Current Affairs programme on local radio.

Taoiseach Simon Harris lead the tributes saying: "Michael is a loss to journalism, a loss to the people of Louth and Meath but most particularly his family and friends.” 

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he was a “firm but fair interviewer, Michael’s show on LMFM was essential radio for more than two decades on the issues that mattered most to his listeners".

However, in a broadcast on Tuesday on LMFM, Reade left behind a powerful pre-recorded last show.

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He opened saying: “You’ve probably heard on LMFM’s news that my beloved family have announced that my death has occurred, and I have left this earth.

“This is of course the strangest radio programme I have ever been involved in and I’ve been involved in quite a few ever since I was 15….I died aged 58."

He said he realised how weird it must be for listeners to hear him talking about his demise.

“I thought long and hard about doing this and I promise you the last thing that I want to do is upset anyone."

Sexual abuse

He then handed over to his friend and broadcaster Pat O’Shaughnessy, who helped him host the posthumous show before hitting out at politicians and senior authorities who did not listen to sexual abuse victims.

Mr Reade said: “Some people are willing to sell their souls for politics. I don’t know how long the discussion on child sexual abuse is going to go on, but I am sure that there are politicians in the Drogheda area and I’m sure that there’s media in the Drogheda area who will be reporting on the need for an inquiry into Michael Shine’s abuse and into the day-schools and how nobody listened and how those people who didn’t listen were wrong.

“And we should have listened and that is what we are going to hear from all of the politicians."

He revealed a secret he had kept for 27 years to his shocked co-host.

"I say this as somebody who has never said it on the public airwaves before, but as someone who was sexually abused and raped from the age of seven,” he said.

“I understand the cause very well and I would also understand what can be difficult for people to understand about this and that it’s not just an assault — it’s something that goes way past that, the assault is irrelevant as time goes on.

It’s something that cuts you up, it chews you up and it spits you out and it scars your soul and that’s something that I think people don’t understand is what is at stake here.

He finished by saying he did not want it to be a “droopy, weary, depressing interview” as he wanted it to “be my chance to say goodbye and thanks everybody”.

He shared his love of “off the wall” music tasks and fundraising and how he had “a lot of good luck” after leaving school at the age of 15.

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