Wife of late Gay Byrne, Kathleen Watkins dies aged 90

Kathleen Watkins, the wife of the late Gay Byrne, has passed away at the age of 90

She had an impressive career across TV and radio and is survived by her daughters, Crona and Suzy, sons-in-law Phil and Ronan and her five grandchildren.

Her passing was confirmed just days after the fifth anniversary of her late husband, Gay Byrne, who died on November 4th back in 2019.

The broadcaster was born in Dublin on October 17th, 1934.

During her career, she too joined RTE as a voiceover artist and was also a singer and harpist.

Watkins also wrote children’s books and was known for her series, Pigín.

In 1977, Ms. Watkins became the first woman to host The Rose of Tralee, making history - and since then remains the only woman to have done so.

She met Gay Byrne in 1957 and they got married 1964.

Our thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends at the difficult time.

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