RTE star Teresa Mannion has declared she isn’t ready to hang up the mic just yet.
The Galway-based broadcaster has worked at the station since 2000 and has been the station’s West of Ireland reporter since 2007.
And Teresa said that despite being in the “third act” of her career, she has no plans for retirement just yet – but admitted parts of the job is a young person’s game nowadays.
She told us: “I’ve another bit to go but I would say I am in my third act. I still love the job. I get the buzz out of it. I love telling a story. I love telling a good story but equally ambulance chasing, I guess, is very much a young person’s game as well.”
Teresa, who is fronting a campaign to make over 50s aware of the signs of shingles, recalled the story of two cousins, Sara Feeney and Ellen Glynn, both from Knocknacarra in Galway city, who were stranded out at sea for 15 hours back in 2020 as a story that will stay with her forever in her career.
“I remember the last big breaking story for me was - I’ll never forget it - was the paddle boarders. That story will stay with me forever. I was over in Leixlip chasing a Covid story – we move around during the summer to different regions - and I made it just in time to Spiddal and I was going live and I had kind of a script prepared because they were still missing.
“It was like a movie, just before 1pm, there’s a fisherman on the phone saying they had just been found.”
But the former Dancing With The Stars contestant admitted there was also another highlight of her career that will never go away.
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In December 2015, her live reporting from Galway during Storm Desmond went on to go viral online after she told viewers not to make unnecessary journeys while battling gale force winds live on TV.
“The new audience began with the Salthill video. That is actually seven years old.
“To this day. People just come up to you roaring laughing saying ‘ah what’s the weather Teresa?’.
“It’s kids to grannies, everyone still knows me…. don’t make unnecessary journeys. It’s my mantra forever. I always say that it is not a horrible mantra.”
She admitted her mental health would have been impacted if she was known for something worse.
“If it was something that was deeply upsetting or offensive, I think my mental health would be absolutely impacted.
“Everyone just laughs. You have to laugh at yourself. It is the gift that keeps giving,” she said.
In 2017, Teresa donned the sequins and competed in RTE’s Dancing With The Stars.
But she said she doesn’t watch back her dancing on the show – saying it was “beyond out of my comfort zone”.
“I swear to God, I have seen the one the tango I did to the Annie Lennox song….but actually it’s weird, I don’t look back. I do have some of it on video. I think some was wiped over, but I think I would be looking through my fingers a bit.
“No, I wouldn’t sit watching it over and over again in awe of myself. I just can’t believe I did it. It was beyond out of my comfort zone.
“My legs were like jelly before we’d go on. It was so scary but brilliant at the same time,” she added.
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