In a move that shocked the country, RTÉ veteran Pat Kenny announced yesterday that he's leaving the state broadcasters after 41 years to take Tom Dunne's morning slot on Newstalk.
Who knew safe old Pat had it in him? But then he's always surprised us, from ripping up Toy Show tickets on live TV to calmly dealing with a crazed heckler calling him a "piece of shit".
And though he's not exactly a style risk taker, I'd like to put him on the Irish Style Icons list alongside Jean Byrne, Francis Brennan and Anne Doyle. He's always perfectly polished, whether it's casual in slacks and a shirt or all pimped out in a tux, and over the years he's displayed some real savvy when it comes to his fashion choices.
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- The hair.For one thing, his hair has always been on point. A fresh-faced Pat channeled some serious Justin Bieber vibes with this side-swept haircut, which complemented his check shirt and cool-kid headphones perfectly. These days his hair is just as plentiful as it has always been, though he's now sporting a rather dashing shade of grey, so he's a bit of a silver fox.
- The glasses.
During the 80s, Pat jumped on the oversized specs bandwagon, rocking a pair of gold wire frames to rather devastating effect. Again showing himself to be ahead of the trend, these glasses could be spotted on any hipster around town nowadays. Paired anything from a casual white shirt to black tie, the glasses were the ultimate accessory for the serious young journo.
- The striped shirts.
In recent years, Pat's favoured a suit jacket/striped shirt combo, either buttoned up with a tie or open'n'casual as the situation requires. We may never forgive him for not donning a properly dodgy Christmas jumper or two while he presented the Toy Show - in fact we may never forgive him for his general demeanor during the Toy Show - but the man knows how to dress for a current affairs show.
What do you think - should we induct Pat as an honorary member of the Irish Style Icons hall of fame? Will you be tuning in to his Newstalk show?
