Lynette Fay: Award-Winning Broadcaster, Folk Music Presenter and Champion of Irish Culture

Lynette Fay is an Irish broadcaster, presenter, producer, columnist, podcast host and event MC whose career has stretched across radio, television, journalism and live events. Born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, she became widely recognised through BBC Radio Ulster, where she spent more than 23 years.

Her work has always carried a strong connection to people, community, traditional music and Gaeilge. After leaving daily BBC broadcasting in 2024, she began a new professional chapter covering podcasts, RTÉ radio, event hosting, communications coaching and independent media work.

Who Is Lynette Fay?

Lynette Louise Fay was born in December 1977 in Northern Ireland. She grew up in Dungannon, County Tyrone, a place that has remained central to her personal identity and professional storytelling. She is 48 years old as of August 2026. Official company records identify her nationality as Irish and her country of residence as Northern Ireland. Her professional life has mainly been centred on Belfast, while her links with Dungannon remain strong. She is a fluent Irish speaker and has spent much of her career promoting the Irish language, folk music, traditional culture and women’s voices.

Lynette Fay Early Life in Dungannon

Growing up in County Tyrone played an important role in shaping her interests. Fay attended the Convent of Mercy during her early schooling before continuing her education at St Patrick’s Girls’ Academy in Dungannon. Her school years also introduced her to performance.

The Originals

During her teenage years, she was a member of a girls’ group called The Originals. The group won the Gael Linn Slogadh youth arts competition in 1994 and again in 1996. This experience helped her gain confidence in front of an audience and strengthened her interest in music and Irish culture. Those early performances later proved useful when she moved into broadcasting.

Lynette Fay Education

After school, Fay studied at NUI Galway.

BA International

Between 1996 and 2000, she completed a BA International covering:

Irish
History
Scottish Gaelic

Her studies reflected many of the interests that would later shape her broadcasting work.

Applied Communications

From 2000 to 2001, she studied Applied Communications through Irish at NUI Galway. She was active in university life and served as an Irish Language Officer with the Students’ Union. She also took part in debating and cultural activities. Her education gave her both strong communication skills and a deep knowledge of Irish-language culture.

Lynette Fay BBC Career

Fay joined the BBC in June 2001. She remained with the organisation until September 2024, completing more than 23 years of broadcasting and production work.

Her career included roles as:

radio presenter
television presenter
producer
interviewer
documentary maker
digital content creator
event host

She worked in both English and Irish. Her early BBC career included Irish-language programming before she moved into wider radio and television roles.

Lynette Fay Folk Club Career

One of the programmes most closely linked with Fay is BBC Radio Ulster’s Folk Club. She initially stepped into the presenting role after Colm Sands and later became strongly associated with the programme.

What Was Folk Club?

Folk Club focused on traditional and modern folk music.

It featured:

Irish musicians
singers and songwriters
new releases
established performers
live music
interviews
traditional culture

Fay’s knowledge of music and Gaeilge helped her bring both cultural depth and a relaxed presenting style to the programme. She also worked as producer as well as presenter.

Blas Ceoil

Another important programme in her music career was Blas Ceoil. This programme strengthened her place within Irish traditional music broadcasting and allowed her to combine music with Irish-language culture. Her work later led to judging and mentoring roles connected with folk music.

The Lynette Fay Show

The Lynette Fay Show became another major part of her BBC Radio Ulster career. The weekday programme focused heavily on real-life stories.

Subjects included:

motherhood
women’s health
family relationships
fertility
mental wellbeing
careers
ageing
social issues
everyday life

The programme gave women a strong voice during daytime radio and often balanced serious conversations with warmth and humour.

Award Recognition

In 2024, Fay won Presenter of the Year in the Sound category at the Celtic Media Festival. The award recognised her work on The Lynette Fay Show. It became one of the biggest individual honours of her broadcasting career.

Television and Documentary Work

Fay has also built a strong television career. She has worked both in front of and behind the camera.

FleadhTV

She became part of the presenting team for FleadhTV on TG4. The programme covered Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and celebrated traditional Irish music and culture. FleadhTV won the IFTA for Best Live Event in 2015. The award went to the production as a whole, while Fay played an important role as one of its presenters.

Other Television Work

Her television and documentary work has included projects connected with Irish history, traditional music and country music. She has worked on programmes involving the Armagh Pipers Club and Irish cultural history. She also presented two series of Cumasc for BBC Northern Ireland. Her ability to work in both English and Irish has remained an important part of her screen career.

Leaving BBC Radio Ulster

In September 2024, Fay left BBC Radio Ulster after more than 23 years. She described this change as pressing the reset button on her professional life. The move did not mark the end of her media career. Instead, it allowed her to work across more areas, including podcasts, event hosting, radio, television, business and communications coaching.

Lynette Fay Current Career

Since leaving the BBC, her work has become more varied. She now works as a freelance broadcaster, producer, presenter and event host.

Her live work includes:

conferences
awards ceremonies
gala dinners
public interviews
panels
business events
charity events
festivals

She has worked with organisations across Ireland and the UK.

Croke Park MC

Fay also works as a stadium MC at Croke Park during the GAA Championship season. Gaelic games have long been part of her personal interests, especially because of her County Tyrone background.

Music at Maddens Podcast

Fay hosts and produces Music at Maddens. The podcast is connected with Madden’s Bar in Belfast and focuses on Irish traditional music. Episodes feature conversations with musicians, performers and other people connected with the traditional music world. The podcast gives her a way to continue the type of music storytelling that became central to her work on Folk Club.

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta

In 2026, Fay became presenter of Aniar Aduaidh on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. The programme focuses on Irish-speaking communities in Northern Ireland. It explores culture, identity, family life and community through Gaeilge. This role continues her long connection with Irish-language broadcasting.

Brick Row Media

Fay is also involved in independent media and business. She has served as a director of Brick Row Ltd since 2 July 2012. Her current creative work includes Brick Row Media, which focuses on media, storytelling and communication. She is also part of the AwakenHub SheGen 5.0 programme, which supports women building businesses.

On Point Communications Coaching

Fay works alongside Sinead Doyle through On Point Communications Coaching. The service helps clients improve the way they present themselves and communicate.

Areas of support include:

public speaking
television interviews
radio interviews
presentation skills
message development
confidence on stage

Her long broadcasting career gives her practical knowledge of how people can communicate clearly under pressure.

Lynette Fay Husband

Lynette Fay is married to Gavin Cumisky. He is a former Gaelic footballer and an All-Ireland club medal winner. Gavin proposed in 2022 at the Hill of the O’Neill in Dungannon, a location connected with Fay’s love of her hometown and local history.

Lynette Fay Wedding

The couple married in February 2023. Their wedding took place at the Manor House Country Hotel near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh. More than 100 family members and friends attended. Fay’s wedding dress was created by her cousin, fashion designer Shauna Fay.

Lynette Fay Daughter

Fay has a daughter named Neansaí Máire. She was born on 13 November 2019. Fay has written openly about motherhood, family life and the challenge of balancing work with parenting. She has also described herself as both a mother and step-parent.

Lynette Fay Parents and Family

Her mother is Brenda Fay. Her grandmother has been identified as Nora McKeown. Her family has links with both Tyrone and Armagh. Her cousin Shauna Fay works in fashion and designed her wedding dress. Reliable sources do not firmly establish her father’s full name or the names of any siblings, so those details should not be treated as confirmed.

The Irish News Career

Fay has worked as a columnist with The Irish News since February 2018.

Her columns cover:

family
culture
women’s lives
work
sport
motherhood
identity
community
personal change

Her writing often draws on her own experiences in broadcasting and life in Northern Ireland.

Gaeilge and Irish Culture

The Irish language has been one of the strongest themes of Fay’s career. She has worked with BBC Northern Ireland, TG4 and RTÉ through Gaeilge. She served as a Seachtain na Gaeilge ambassador in 2014 and a Bliain na Gaeilge ambassador in 2018. Traditional music has also remained central to her work through Folk Club, FleadhTV, Music at Maddens and live cultural events.

Public and Governance Roles

Fay has taken on responsibilities outside mainstream broadcasting. She served on the Governing Authority of Dublin City University. In 2020, she joined Ireland’s Future of Media Commission, which examined the future of journalism and public-service media. She also became a director of Brassneck Theatre Company on 16 September 2024. Official company records give her full name as Lynette Louise Fay and confirm her birth month as December 1977.

Social Media

Lynette Fay has built a strong social media presence. Her X account, @LynetteFay, has more than 11,000 followers. Her Instagram account, @lynettefay15, has more than 7,000 followers. She uses social media to share updates about music, podcasts, Gaeilge, events, broadcasting, family life and professional projects.

Final Thoughts

Lynette Fay has built a career that connects broadcasting with culture, music and community. From her early life in Dungannon to more than 23 years at the BBC, she developed a reputation as a skilled presenter and storyteller. Her work on Folk Club and The Lynette Fay Show established her as a familiar radio voice, while her television, documentary and live event work expanded her career further.

Today, she continues to work across RTÉ radio, podcasts, event hosting, independent media, journalism and communications coaching. Her strong connection to Gaeilge, traditional music and Northern Irish culture remains at the heart of everything she does.

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