Millie Walsh takes over Joe Duffy's Liveline

Anyone listening to Joe Duffy's Liveline on RTÉ Radio 1 will have heard the familiar tones of Millie Walsh from Mullingar on this afternoon's programme.

Millie continued to serve customers at his busy Maxol service station located at the Dublin Bridge while Joe attempted to interview him.

Callers including Fiona and Des rang to sing Millie's praises, with Fiona recounting a story about how kind Millie was to her after her father passed away.

"I told him my father passed away and he followed me out to my car with a prayer and poem for my father. Now anytime time I go into his shop I think of my father... Millie is exactly as you hear him now... He's unique, an old-fashioned sort."

When asked by Joe if he had any hobbies, Millie who is coming up to retirement, said:

"I'm involved in the church, the Famine Graveyard, a few sacred things... I wouldn't say I'm a religious person but you have to give something back to the man above," he replied.

Joe recounted Millie's working day, which included getting up at six to open the garage at 6.30am, working 12 hours, going home for dinner and to watch Fair City, only turning in for bed at 1 in the morning.

Joe Duffy even claimed the late great Joe Dolan wrote the 1981 hit song, 'It's You, It's You, It's You', for Millie, and asked if he is a dancer, to which Millie laughed:

"I'd be a chancer more than a dancer!"

Millie went on to tell Joe that he has three children, and that one of his daugther's is very sick, and is currently waiting on her fourth kidney transplant.

"She has a book out called 'Never Give Up'. She's 39 and she's been sick since she was a year and a half," continued Millie, adding that the book, which is on sale at his Maxol garage for €13.99, is all about what a gift life is.

"You never her see her without a smile on her face," he said.

Dermot Mullen rang in to say how good Millie is to charity and to the older people of the community, with Millie responding:

"The customers are very good to me, the town is very good to me."