Joseph Duffy (born 27 January 1956) is an Irish broadcaster employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). One of RTÉ's highest-earning stars, he is the current presenter of Liveline, an interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 on Mondays to Fridays between 13:45 and 15:00. Duffy has a history as a student activist. As President of the Union of Students in Ireland (U.S.I.) he was once jailed for an occupation in which he had participated. He describes himself as a Christian socialist who advocates justice "very much based on Christian teaching and principles". Duffy retraced his Christian roots in 2010 by hosting an RTÉ One TV show called Joe Duffy's Spirit Level which discussed the great faith of the Irish people and various religions present in the country, and also queried whether David McSavage's satirical portrayal of Duffy could be considered blasphemous. Duffy is married, is the father of triplets, and resides in Clontarf, Dublin. He won a Jacob's Award in 1992. Early life Duffy was born on 27 January 1956 in Mountjoy Square, Dublin. He was brought up in Ballyfermot, one of five siblings. His father was Jimmy and his mother Mabel. Jimmy, who had problems with alcohol, died aged 58 in 1984. Joe's brother Aidan was killed in a road accident on the Maynooth Road in 1991 aged 25, with Joe first learning of the "horrific accident" on the news on RTÉ Radio. Joe's brother Brendan was described by him as "crippled, ruined and wrecked by a savage addiction" to sniffing glue which he developed as a teenager. Duffy attended De La Salle Boys' primary school, St Lorcan's B.N.S and St John's De La Salle College. He enrolled at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in 1977 to study Social Work and was elected President of Trinity College Students' Union in 1979, becoming President of the Union of Students in Ireland (U.S.I.) four years later. In 2008, he appeared on the RTÉ television series Who Do You Think You Are?,<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/tv/whodoyouthinkyouare/outline_joe-duffy.html "Joe Duffy on Who Do You Think You Are?"] . RTÉ. Retrieved 24 October 2008.</ref> where his family history in the British Army in India was revealed. Liveline Duffy claims he thought about resigning from RTÉ in 2007 after the broadcaster forced him to give Justice Minister Michael McDowell a platform on Liveline to make a "party political broadcast". Duffy considered it "direct party-political interference" in Liveline. However,