Fergal D'Arcy wins Best DJ in the Hot Press Readers' Poll

Music
21 Feb 20

Niall Stokes, Fergal D'Arcy and Hannah Tyrell at Now We’re Talking: A Town Hall Gathering, an event hosted by Lyons Tea in partnership with Hot Press and Pieta House, the suicide prevention and self-harm crisis charity, at Smock Alley Theatre last night. At the event, a host of people from across the spectrum of Ireland’s public life shared their personal mental health stories over a cup of Lyons tea. The panel of well-known personalities, which included Professor Colin O’Gara of UCD and St. John of Gods, Elaine Austin, CEO Pieta House, Jordanne Jones, Actor, Hannah Tyrell, Rugby International, Fergal D’arcy, Today FM, Sinéad Rafferty, Clinical Manager, Pieta House West, Elaine Crowley Virgin Media, Niall O’Meara, All Ireland Winning Hurler, and rapper God Knows (Rusangano Family), encouraged the Irish public to speak more openly about their mental health to reduce the stigma. The audience were captivated by live performances from duo Saint Sister, poet Stephen James Smith, singer-songwriter Emma Quinn, Delorentos and Hamsandwich. During October Pieta House will take over packs of Lyons Original 80s, to encourage people to open up and talk about their mental health. These special takeover packs include vital contact information for anyone who needs the services of Pieta House and every pack sold will raise much needed funds so that the charity can continue to offer their services to those in need.

Stuart Clark

The Today FM man tops a very fine list of Irish music supporting presenters!

The competition couldn’t have been any tougher, but after the totting up of tens of thousands of votes, Today FM’s Fergal D’Arcy has been confirmed as the winner of Radio DJ category in the Hot Press Readers’ Poll.
A staunch supporter of Irish artists, as indeed are all the presenters on the list, Fergal transferred from iRadio to Marconi House in 2015 and now occupies the weekday 2pm-4.30pm slot.
His studio guests have included Ava Max, Hermitage Green, Jafaris, RuthAnne, Ódu, Kodaline, Ann Marie, Gavin James and The Riptide Movement.
In October 2019, he made a poignant contribution to the Pieta House Now We’re Talking event in Dublin’s Smock Alley. We’ll be having a chat with Ferg in our next issue.
Biting at his heels in the Readers’ Poll is his Today FM colleague Ian Dempsey whose prime time support has been a game changer for countless Irish acts.
The top rated female DJ is Jenny Greene who nips in ahead of Annie Mac whose showing is impressive given that she’s based in London with BBC Radio One.
With fellow 2fm DJs Dave Fanning, Eoin McDermott and Tara Stewart joining her in the Top 10, it’s a strong showing by the national broadcaster who are once again putting music to the fore.
Paul McCloone completes a strong Today FM showing, with RTÉ Radio One’s John Creedon and Newstalk’s Tom Dunne also getting deserved recognition for the stellar work they do showcasing homegrown artists.
The Hot Press Readers’ Poll Top 10 in full is:

1. Fergal Darcy, Today FM
2. Ian Dempsey, Today FM
3. Jenny Greene, 2fm
4. Annie Mac, BBC Radio One
5. Dave Fanning, 2fm
6. Eoin McDermott, 2fm
7. John Creedon, Radio One
8. Tom Dunne, Newstalk
9. Tara Stewart, 2fm
10. Paul McLoone, Today FM