Ireland AM’s Sinéad Desmond ‘quits TV3 over gender pay row’

Published 08:18 20 Nov 2017 GMT

Updated 15:35 20 Nov 2017 GMT

Anna O'Rourke

Ireland AM’s Sinéad Desmond ‘quits TV3 over gender pay row’

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Sinéad Desmond has left TV3 after 11 years.

It's been confirmed that the presenter, who hosted popular breakfast show Ireland AM, no longer works at the station. It's reported that a row over pay was to blame. In a statement, TV3 said she had "decided" to leave. "Sinéad Desmond has decided to leave Ireland AM after 11 years working on the show. We would like to thank Sinéad and wish her well for the future."

Sinéad declined to comment but did make a brief statement on Twitter.

Thank you so much for all of the support today, it means a lot, I really appreciate it ??
— Sinéad Desmond (@sineaddesmond) November 19, 2017

She left screens suddenly in October without explanation.

"Nobody had a clue where she was or what was going on," a source told the Independent. "People thought that she was maybe sick or was on extended leave from the station. Everyone was wondering where she was and there were a lot of viewers sending messages to the show asking about her whereabouts.

"The fact that she had decided to call it a day with the show came as a total surprise. She has been there a long time and along with Mark Cagney, was its chief anchor."

Sinéad is believed to have fallen out with management at the station over pay. It's reported that when she joined the show in 2006 she was put on a staff contract unlike fellow hosts Mark Cagney and Alan Hughes, who had worked on the show from the beginning six years previously.

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