Shane Dunphy

Shane Dunphy worked in social care, and specifically as a child care worker, for over fifteen years. During this time he worked extensively with children and their families. He is widely recognised as one of the leading experts in child protection in Ireland and is a regular contributor to television, radio and print on the subject.

Deeply moving and often harrowing, his writing provides a thought-provoking insight into the lives of some of the families who live within the social care system. His books have achieved critical acclaim nationwide. 'Wednesday's Child' was his first book and other books include 'Crying in the Dark', 'Hush, Little Baby', 'The Boy in the Cupboard', 'Will Mummy Be Coming Back for Me?', 'Little Boy Lost' and 'The Girl Who Couldn't Smile'.

Dunphy is a regular face and voice on television and radio in Ireland, mostly commenting on child protection issues, but often simply on the stories of the day. He had a regular slot on 'The Daily Show' with Dáithí Ó Sé and Claire Byrne. On TV3 he was a frequent contributor to 'Ireland AM' and 'The Vincent Browne Show' and was one of the main contributors to TV3's landmark, award-winning series ‘Lawless Ireland’. In 2011 he made 'My Mother's Dying Secret' for RTÉ’s ‘Would You Believe’ series, a deeply personal documentary about his mother Noël Dunphy's life before her marriage to Dunphy's father.

Dunphy's radio work has garnered much praise. He has had a long-standing relationship with Newstalk, making regular appearances on Seán Moncrieff's programme and George Hook's show. In 2009 Shane Dunphy and his regular collaborator Orla Rapple made the moving documentary series 'Stories for the Margins', for the station. On RTÉ Dunphy was a familiar voice on Gerry Ryan's show before that presenter's untimely death. Ryan was a tireless promoter of Dunphy's books. Dunphy has also made regular contributions to Mary Wilson's Drivetime show.

From June 2009 to May 2010 Dunphy presented ‘The Morning Mix’, a daily chat show on Wexford's South East Radio. The show did extremely well in Ireland's JNLR (listener figures) ratings, managing a blend of easy-going debate about everything from politics, to films, to cookery.

In recent years, he has become a producer for RTÉ’s Documentary on 1 slot and has contributed to the short programme series ‘The Curious Ear’.

Dunphy's documentary work is sociologically based, examining stories that have rarely been heard, uncovering truths that have often been long buried. 'Yola - Lost for Words', produced with Orla Rapple, dealt with a lost community and 'The Sinking of the St Patrick', made with his wife, Deirdre Wickham, told the story of the bombing of a passenger ferry during WWII.

Bizarrely Dunphy also made 'Breaded or Battered: The Wexford Rissole', a short documentary on a kind of potato cake peculiar to Wexford, his home town.