The award winning, self proclaimed 'King of the Afternoons', Ray Foley was born in 1980 and is a native of Ballina, County Mayo. He went to school in the local area and his first job was in Oasis, a water cooler manufacturer in Ballina.

Though he claims to have been a quiet child, Ray always had a love of radio and a competitive side when it came to performing at events. His first taste of broadcasting was an entry in the 'DJ For a Day' contest on 2FM in 1997.

He moved to Dublin to study journalism in 1998 and began to make a name for himself working for a number of regional stations during his college years including East Coast FM, 98FM, Lite Fm as a newreader and then Spin 1038 to get back to presenting.

Ray Foley's Today FM career

Ray graduated in 2004 and soon began working with Today FM, presenting 'The Blast', a late night show. He kept this slot for two years and also filled in for other presenters at various times. The schedule changed in 2006 and Foley was allowed the control he craved as he was given the noon to 2.30pm slot, which has become the Ray Foley Show. The programme sets out to be 'just a bit of fun for your lunchtime, nothing too serious'. It is a mix of random topics, chart music, calls from listeners and lighthearted regular features that all combine to give a break from the doom and gloom of talk radio that has become the staple of a recession-hit Ireland.

Ray Foley as a TV presenter

Foley made the transition to television when he presented 'Take Me Out', a TV3 dating show. He maintains that he did not seek out a career in television and has spoken about the anxiety he felt when he started recording the programme.

Awards won by Ray Foley

Ray is known for a number of on-air campaigns and one of his most successful was his 2008 push to beat Ray D'Arcy and win Best Irish DJ at the Meteor Awards. This began a three year streak where Foley scooped the award, picking up two PPI Irish Radio Awards, for Music Broadcaster of the Year and Best Specialist Music Programme, along the way.