Radio legend faces daily battle with ringing ears

Joe Duffy, the former RTÉ presenter, has detailed the moment he realized his hearing had permanently changed. The diagnosis arrived in November 2018, marking the start of a daily struggle with tinnitus. He now shares the practical steps he takes to keep the condition from dominating his life.

Duffy was working out in the RTÉ gym on November 18, 2018, when he first noticed the issue. He was exercising with Kieran Keenan. Duffy asked if Keenan could turn off an alarm he thought was running. Keenan confirmed no alarm was active. Duffy then described hearing a high pitched sound in his ear that Keenan could not hear. He assumed he had exerted himself too hard. The ringing did not stop when he went home. It intensified, causing what Duffy described as a complete and total panic.

Duffy stated he kept this panic private from RTÉ for years. He only shared the extent of his fear during a recent appearance on The Pat Kenny Show. He explained that the silence from the broadcaster was intentional. He did not want to signal that his instrument, his ears, were failing. The stress of the first few months was compounded by the holiday season. He recalled running around his bedroom during Christmas, contemplating booking a hospital stay to sleep for weeks.

Fellow broadcaster Derek Mooney provided Duffy with two key pieces of advice. Mooney had spoken publicly about his own tinnitus on the Liveline show. He told Duffy that the condition is not fatal. Mooney emphasized that there is no known cure, despite numerous advertisements claiming otherwise. The second piece of advice was to stop focusing on the sound. Mooney suggested using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to develop distraction methods.

Duffy now employs a specific audio strategy to manage the symptom. He recommends that others search for tinnitus sounds on platforms like YouTube or Spotify. He noted that these libraries contain approximately 60,000 different sounds designed for this purpose. The goal is to find a background noise that distracts the brain from the internal ringing. Duffy described this process as creating a placebo effect. The sound masks the tinnitus, allowing the mind to shift its attention.

He explained that consciousness of the tinnitus makes the condition more noticeable. By constantly monitoring the ringing, a person keeps the symptom active in their perception. Putting on a specific sound breaks that loop. Duffy said he finds one sound that works for him and uses it every time he becomes aware of the ringing. He admitted that talking about the condition can trigger the sensation to return within minutes. He is currently managing the condition effectively.

Duffy retired from RTÉ in June 2025 after 27 years presenting Liveline. He spent nearly 40 years with the national broadcaster. His memoir, Talk to Joe: Life, Liveline and Me, is available in stores now. The book covers his career and the physical toll of his work. The tinnitus diagnosis serves as a central example of the hidden challenges behind the microphone.