She was Ireland’s first Agony Aunt. On her weekly radio show, Frankie Byrne castigated unworthy boyfriends and bone-idle husbands, between playing Frank Sinatra records and advertising Jacob’s biscuits.

Frankie was far from the prim moralist her on air persona suggested. In her private life she was ‘a man’s woman’, who loved parties, dating, racing, gambling and drinking pints.Yet her life was tinged with sadness and a sense of unfulfilled dreams. Should she have listened to her own advice?

Frankie kept much hidden from the public eye. In a different age, her over-indulgence on alcohol, and a long affair with a married man went unreported in the press. However, what she kept most secret was the birth of her daughter, whom Frankie gave up for adoption. If it had become public knowledge, her career and reputation would have been destroyed.