Colin Sheridan: You stay classy, Bryan Dobson 

The inimitable anchorman is stepping down, one of a dying breed of anchors who delivered the news, without becoming it

Minister of State Liz O Donnell with RTÉ'S Bryan Dobson, wipes away a tear as she tells journalists it is a historic day, as it becomes obvious that a peace deal is almost on the table in Castle Buildings, Belfast, ahead of the Good Friday Agreement.

It says a lot about the authority of Bryan Dobson that the first time you saw a picture of him ‘dressed down’ in casual clothes, it was like seeing a soldier out of uniform, or a doctor out of his scrubs. 

For a generation of us who grew up with him as anchor of RTÉs Six One News — a chair he filled from 1996 to 2017 — Dobson was almost like a third parent. His voice commanding, his hair immaculate, his signature suit and tie a totem of his dependability. He made delivering the news look easy.