The programme was first broadcast on 4 November 1984. Davin-Power was also the first editor.
Cathal Mac Coille succeeded David Hanly as the programme's signature voice, presenting it from 1986 to 1990 and again from 2001 to his retirement in 2017.
Joe Little and
Shane Kenny are other former editors and presenters.
John Murray presented for the first time in 1994, returning in 2004.
Aine Lawlor began presenting alongside Hanly in 1995. When
Fianna Fáil's former government minister
Desmond O'Malley left the party,
Morning Ireland broadcast his renowned "I stand by the Republic" speech for an extended period, angering then Taoiseach
Charles Haughey. In 1994, Joe Little was due to co-present an edition of the programme from the RTÉ studio in
Castlebar,
County Mayo, during the
European Parliament election of that year, when it was realised belatedly that it could not be heard in Dublin. Disaster was prevented by mere minutes. When the IRA announced its cease-fire that same year, Joe Little was in the Belfast studio beginning an interview with the former
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Sir
Patrick Mayhew, when the sound broke down live on air on a temporary basis. During one edition, the entire programme did malfunction, and, with interviews suspended and a commercial break impossible, Hanly intervened to prevent a complete disaster for several minutes by commenting to the show's previous guest: "There was one other question I wanted to ask you [...]". Joe Little interviewed Lady
Valerie Goulding to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of
The Blitz of
London by
Germany. In 1999, for
Christmas Eve, the programme focused on those killed during
The Troubles. Contributors to that programme included world leaders such as
Bertie Ahern,
Tony Blair,
Bill Clinton, and
Mary McAleese. In 2005, a Mary McAleese interview for the programme caused controversy when she compared the children of
Northern Ireland to
Nazis.
Ian Paisley, Jr. replied, "So much for bridge-building Mary", and described her remarks as "irrational and insulting". The
Orange Institution cancelled a meeting it had ordered with McAleese as a result. McAleese spoke of her intention to reduce her household budget during difficult recessionary times, including sending e-mails instead of posting cards for Christmas. In 2010 the programme came to international attention after Taoiseach
Brian Cowen gave a controversial nine-minute interview to
Cathal Mac Coille from a
Fianna Fáil think-in in
Galway; the interview led to increased pressure for Cowen to resign in the days that followed due to allegations that he was drunk during the interview.
Garret FitzGerald made his final radio broadcast on the programme in 2011. In 2010, two presenters,
John Murray and
Richard Downes, left the programme to expand to further areas of RTÉ, and were replaced by
Aoife Kavanagh and
Rachael English. The programme has also been presented by Claire Byrne, Gavin Jennings, and Fran McNulty. 24 September 2025 marked the final broadcast for
Mary Wilson and
Aine Lawlor; Wilson officially retired from RTÉ whereas Lawlor announced she was stepping back from the show, but will continue to present The Week in Politics. In early 2026, RTÉ presenter
Sarah McInerney began co-presenting the show, after moving from Drive Time. The current presenters are
Audrey Carville and Gavin Jennings. John Burke is the series editor of the programme. On the 13th April 2026, Morning Ireland received an updated audio identity as part of RTÉ Radio 1’s new audio identity rollout. The distinct, old tune was removed.
Awards Morning Ireland won 'News Programme of the Year' in the 2002, 2003 and 2008 PPI Radio Awards. Cian McCormack, a reporter for the programme, won News Reporter of the Year in 2009. Hilary McGouran, Series Editor, and Shane McElhatton, Editor, were named by
Village as amongst the 100 most influential people in Ireland in 2009. The studio and web producer of the programme,
Lisa Pereira, a native of
Trinidad and Tobago and educated in Ireland, France and the
United States, was also on the list. ==Format==