Big shoes to fill.
This summer will be Michael Lyster’s last as a presenter of The Sunday Game on RTÉ, with the Galway native set to retire when he reaches the age of 65 next year.
RTÉ sources confirmed to The Sunday Times (subscription required) that Lyster will present The Sunday Game for the final time this summer and that he will step down from the state broadcaster when he reaches the age of 65 – the compulsory retirement age for RTÉ employees – next year.
Unlike some RTÉ presenters, Lyster is an RTÉ employee rather than a contractor and will step down when he reaches the milestone in February 2019.
Lyster has been an integral part of The Sunday Game since 1984 and in recent years has focused on presenting RTÉ’s live Gaelic Football and Hurling coverage while Des Cahill has taken over presenting duties on the highlights show on Sunday nights during coverage of the Championship.
He was absent from the programme for a period in 2015 when he suffered a health scare, but has been a virtual ever-present on major championship games for both codes in the last two seasons.
Lyster will continue to front RTÉ’s League Sunday programme over the coming months and RTÉ are expected to make a formal announcement on his departure in the next week.
An accomplished broadcaster and hugely popular figure, Lyster will be dearly missed when he eventually hangs up the mic.
