There are some things in life you can’t fake and a true friendship is one of them. On a dark and dreary morning in Dublin, the room in the Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel instantly becomes brighter as soon as Jenny Kelly and Mairéad Ronan enter. Immediately, their connection is evident. In their Today FM heyday (in the early noughties), Mairéad and Jenny were the ultimate double act and their friendship has stood the test of time, evident through their podcast, Jenny and Mairéad Now.
An impression of Jenny’s husband, Ray D’Arcy, slips into the rapid-fire banter. When I ask why they take him off so much on the podcast, they both begin talking like the Co Kildare presenter.
“I probably do more impressions of him,” says Mairéad, laughing. “They’re very effective.”
'Loud and posh'
But whatever about Ray, what was their first impressions of each other when they met 24 years ago? “Mine of Jenny were probably all wrong, and yet, so right,” says Mairéad. “Loud, posh and really good at her job.”
Jenny Kelly photographed for ICL. \ Claire Nash
“Mairéad was so enthusiastic,” says Jenny. “She was sparkly and so friendly and wanted to be doing everything and that energy was amazing to be around.”
“I was just dying to get a job in there because I was on work experience,” says Mairéad. “Today FM was such a new radio station and full of young people. I didn’t want to leave, and didn’t.”
Family life
A lot has happened in the last two decades. As well as becoming part of one of the country’s most-beloved radio teams on The Ray D’Arcy Show, the two women formed a deep friendship that would see them through some of life’s biggest moments.
Mairéad Ronan photographed for ICL. \ Claire Nash
Looking back, Jenny says, “Mairéad was probably the first person I told, after Ray obviously, that I was expecting.”
Speaking about her own pregnancy, Mairéad quips, “I think I may have told you before my ex-husband, isn’t that desperate?” she says. “Jenny came with me and we just could not stop laughing at the girl in the pharmacy.
“The pregnancy tests were behind the counter – now, they’re everywhere – so I whispered, ‘Could I get a pregnancy test please?’ and the girl just said loudly, ‘It’s not the end of the world’. Then she said, as loud as this (raises her voice), ‘Do you have tender breasts?’ We could not stop laughing. That was 2006.”
Embracing change
Chatting with them in person, it’s clear that the easy, warm rapport they have on their podcast is mirrored in real life. It’s just a case of putting a mic in front of them. So, how did it come to be?
“We were chatting on the beach in Dunmore East,” says Mairéad. “Jenny said, ‘We should do a podcast’ and as much as I would have loved to have done one at the time, I said I couldn’t. I think people have this impression that you just put your phone down and record yourself but it’s a lot of work.”
Jenny and Mairéad share their life experiences on the Jenny and Mairéad Now podcast. \ Claire Nash
The 43-year-old stepped away from her full-time job as a radio presenter in 2021 with ‘zero regret’ to spend more time with her family and it was another year before she and Jenny started the podcast.
As well as saying goodbye to Today FM, Mairéad also hung up her mic as the host of TV show Ireland’s Fittest Family last year.
“I had absolutely no FOMO [fear of missing out] when the new season started,” she says. “In fact, what’s the opposite? JOMO [joy of missing out]. I had full JOMO looking at the social media stuff, of them doing it over the summer and even when it was on the telly.”
Spousal support
Jenny and Mairéad Now devotees hear plenty of funny anecdotes about their interactions with their spouses and how the men have been taking notes since the podcast began.
“Mairéad’s now using it as a portal to get her husband to do stuff for her,” Jenny (51) says, laughing.
“I complained that I had not had five minutes on my own between the run up to Christmas and over the holidays, and then the kids went back to school, and that was the day we went back to record together,” says Mairéad.
Jenny Kelly and Mairéad Ronan photographed in Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel, Stillorgan Road, Dublin 01 2186000. \ Claire Nash
“I said on the podcast, ‘I’m absolutely wrecked from talking and just not being on my own’. The following weekend Louis took the kids to Tipperary to see his parents for two nights.”
Meanwhile, Jenny’s husband Ray is not only her biggest fan, he’s also their technical support. A seasoned producer, Jenny edits the weekly broadcast but if there is ever a recording issue, Ray is summonsed.
Finding a balance
Jenny and Mairéad frequently discuss the pros and cons of working full-time versus being a stay-at-home mother and the difficulty of doing it all. “I do think there’s a happy medium and it’s about the timing of your life,” says Mairéad.
“We would fully encourage people to go back to work because there is that time when it will work for women again when they’re not going to be pulling their hair out, I think, and not so tired.
“But when the kids are younger, it’s so hard. I’ve been that soldier. There was very little happiness and joy and it was never calm.”
“Obviously, we’ve done things our way and that’s all anyone can do but there’s no ‘one way’,” says Jenny. “When you’re a working parent and you’ve got children, it’s incredibly busy, but you make it work for you and the family.
“If you do make the decision to step back from work, whether that’s part-time or full-time, you can’t imagine doing both. It just seems impossible. We look at each other and ask, ‘how did we cook dinner?’ But we also did it because we loved our work.”
And that love is paying off now as a huge portion of their podcast
listenership is women who grew up listening to them on the radio.
“They’re saying amazing things like, ‘I was listening to you in college’ or ‘when I got married’ or ‘I’m now single but you set me up back in Today FM’, because we used to do a lot of that – Cupid Farrell and Cupid Kelly,” says Jenny. “That is thrilling to me.”
Having the craic
Another important element of the podcast is to reflect the conversations that other women are having in real life. At the same time, they’re keen to have a laugh and prove that not every middle-aged woman is obsessed with the M-word.
“We’re still funny and entertaining but the only narrative right now for women our age is menopause,” says Mairéad. “There’s another side to us.”
“You’ve got to have a laugh at the banality of life,” says Jenny. “That is the joy of it. Women in their 40s and 50s are some of the funniest people we know and we just didn’t think we were hearing that on air.”
What’s next?
When it comes to the podcast, the sky is the limit and bonus episodes are definitely at the top of the list. While they coyly mention ‘something we can’t talk about’ that is already underway, they do divulge that, ultimately, they would like to travel around Ireland with something small and intimate.
“Something like Jenny and Mairéad Now Brunches or a lunch,” says Jenny. “We’ve done so many outside broadcasts, it’s something we’d love to do.”
Another possibility is a singles event for people over 40. Thanks to the horror stories they have heard from friends and listeners, they want to help the more mature population find love.
Apps
“The apps have ruined everything,” says Mairéad.
“Often people say they’re helpful but they’re not. People are judging someone so quickly and swiping without getting to know them.”
Reminiscing about their matchmaking, Jenny says, “What worked so brilliantly with those events when we used to do them is, people came with friends and you’re always more yourself with your pals.”
“It’s a lot of extra work but that’s what we’re thinking,” says Mairéad. “We would like to give that a go and see if there’s an audience there for that.”
If their previous track record is anything to go by, we have no doubt that Cupid Kelly and Cupid Ronan’s endeavours in this area, and beyond, will be a roaring success.
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There are some things in life you can’t fake and a true friendship is one of them. On a dark and dreary morning in Dublin, the room in the Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel instantly becomes brighter as soon as Jenny Kelly and Mairéad Ronan enter. Immediately, their connection is evident. In their Today FM heyday (in the early noughties), Mairéad and Jenny were the ultimate double act and their friendship has stood the test of time, evident through their podcast, Jenny and Mairéad Now.
An impression of Jenny’s husband, Ray D’Arcy, slips into the rapid-fire banter. When I ask why they take him off so much on the podcast, they both begin talking like the Co Kildare presenter.
“I probably do more impressions of him,” says Mairéad, laughing. “They’re very effective.”
'Loud and posh'
But whatever about Ray, what was their first impressions of each other when they met 24 years ago? “Mine of Jenny were probably all wrong, and yet, so right,” says Mairéad. “Loud, posh and really good at her job.”
Jenny Kelly photographed for ICL. \ Claire Nash
“Mairéad was so enthusiastic,” says Jenny. “She was sparkly and so friendly and wanted to be doing everything and that energy was amazing to be around.”
“I was just dying to get a job in there because I was on work experience,” says Mairéad. “Today FM was such a new radio station and full of young people. I didn’t want to leave, and didn’t.”
Family life
A lot has happened in the last two decades. As well as becoming part of one of the country’s most-beloved radio teams on The Ray D’Arcy Show, the two women formed a deep friendship that would see them through some of life’s biggest moments.
Mairéad Ronan photographed for ICL. \ Claire Nash
Looking back, Jenny says, “Mairéad was probably the first person I told, after Ray obviously, that I was expecting.”
Speaking about her own pregnancy, Mairéad quips, “I think I may have told you before my ex-husband, isn’t that desperate?” she says. “Jenny came with me and we just could not stop laughing at the girl in the pharmacy.
“The pregnancy tests were behind the counter – now, they’re everywhere – so I whispered, ‘Could I get a pregnancy test please?’ and the girl just said loudly, ‘It’s not the end of the world’. Then she said, as loud as this (raises her voice), ‘Do you have tender breasts?’ We could not stop laughing. That was 2006.”
Embracing change
Chatting with them in person, it’s clear that the easy, warm rapport they have on their podcast is mirrored in real life. It’s just a case of putting a mic in front of them. So, how did it come to be?
“We were chatting on the beach in Dunmore East,” says Mairéad. “Jenny said, ‘We should do a podcast’ and as much as I would have loved to have done one at the time, I said I couldn’t. I think people have this impression that you just put your phone down and record yourself but it’s a lot of work.”
Jenny and Mairéad share their life experiences on the Jenny and Mairéad Now podcast. \ Claire Nash
The 43-year-old stepped away from her full-time job as a radio presenter in 2021 with ‘zero regret’ to spend more time with her family and it was another year before she and Jenny started the podcast.
As well as saying goodbye to Today FM, Mairéad also hung up her mic as the host of TV show Ireland’s Fittest Family last year.
“I had absolutely no FOMO [fear of missing out] when the new season started,” she says. “In fact, what’s the opposite? JOMO [joy of missing out]. I had full JOMO looking at the social media stuff, of them doing it over the summer and even when it was on the telly.”
Spousal support
Jenny and Mairéad Now devotees hear plenty of funny anecdotes about their interactions with their spouses and how the men have been taking notes since the podcast began.
“Mairéad’s now using it as a portal to get her husband to do stuff for her,” Jenny (51) says, laughing.
“I complained that I had not had five minutes on my own between the run up to Christmas and over the holidays, and then the kids went back to school, and that was the day we went back to record together,” says Mairéad.
Jenny Kelly and Mairéad Ronan photographed in Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel, Stillorgan Road, Dublin 01 2186000. \ Claire Nash
“I said on the podcast, ‘I’m absolutely wrecked from talking and just not being on my own’. The following weekend Louis took the kids to Tipperary to see his parents for two nights.”
Meanwhile, Jenny’s husband Ray is not only her biggest fan, he’s also their technical support. A seasoned producer, Jenny edits the weekly broadcast but if there is ever a recording issue, Ray is summonsed.
Finding a balance
Jenny and Mairéad frequently discuss the pros and cons of working full-time versus being a stay-at-home mother and the difficulty of doing it all. “I do think there’s a happy medium and it’s about the timing of your life,” says Mairéad.
“We would fully encourage people to go back to work because there is that time when it will work for women again when they’re not going to be pulling their hair out, I think, and not so tired.
“But when the kids are younger, it’s so hard. I’ve been that soldier. There was very little happiness and joy and it was never calm.”
“Obviously, we’ve done things our way and that’s all anyone can do but there’s no ‘one way’,” says Jenny. “When you’re a working parent and you’ve got children, it’s incredibly busy, but you make it work for you and the family.
“If you do make the decision to step back from work, whether that’s part-time or full-time, you can’t imagine doing both. It just seems impossible. We look at each other and ask, ‘how did we cook dinner?’ But we also did it because we loved our work.”
And that love is paying off now as a huge portion of their podcast
listenership is women who grew up listening to them on the radio.
“They’re saying amazing things like, ‘I was listening to you in college’ or ‘when I got married’ or ‘I’m now single but you set me up back in Today FM’, because we used to do a lot of that – Cupid Farrell and Cupid Kelly,” says Jenny. “That is thrilling to me.”
Having the craic
Another important element of the podcast is to reflect the conversations that other women are having in real life. At the same time, they’re keen to have a laugh and prove that not every middle-aged woman is obsessed with the M-word.
“We’re still funny and entertaining but the only narrative right now for women our age is menopause,” says Mairéad. “There’s another side to us.”
“You’ve got to have a laugh at the banality of life,” says Jenny. “That is the joy of it. Women in their 40s and 50s are some of the funniest people we know and we just didn’t think we were hearing that on air.”
What’s next?
When it comes to the podcast, the sky is the limit and bonus episodes are definitely at the top of the list. While they coyly mention ‘something we can’t talk about’ that is already underway, they do divulge that, ultimately, they would like to travel around Ireland with something small and intimate.
“Something like Jenny and Mairéad Now Brunches or a lunch,” says Jenny. “We’ve done so many outside broadcasts, it’s something we’d love to do.”
Another possibility is a singles event for people over 40. Thanks to the horror stories they have heard from friends and listeners, they want to help the more mature population find love.
Apps
“The apps have ruined everything,” says Mairéad.
“Often people say they’re helpful but they’re not. People are judging someone so quickly and swiping without getting to know them.”
Reminiscing about their matchmaking, Jenny says, “What worked so brilliantly with those events when we used to do them is, people came with friends and you’re always more yourself with your pals.”
“It’s a lot of extra work but that’s what we’re thinking,” says Mairéad. “We would like to give that a go and see if there’s an audience there for that.”
If their previous track record is anything to go by, we have no doubt that Cupid Kelly and Cupid Ronan’s endeavours in this area, and beyond, will be a roaring success.
Read more
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Young Stock Podcast: 10 years on from returning to the family farm
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