Eileen Dunne
Eileen Dunne | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 April 1958 Dublin, Ireland |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Occupations |
|
| Employer | Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) |
| Notable credits | |
| Spouse | Macdara Ó Fátharta (m. 1993) |
Eileen Dunne (born 28 April 1958) is an Irish journalist, newsreader and presenter with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Ireland's national radio and television station, where she has presented the main television news programmes Six One News, Nine O'Clock News and One O'Clock News including all other news bulletins on both radio and television. She is currently the co-anchor alongside Sharon NíBheoláin of RTÉ's flagship Nine O'Clock News and presents afternoon bulletins for RTÉ Radio 1.[1]
Life
Early life
Dunne was born in Dublin. Her father was the RTE journalist, presenter and commentator, Mick Dunne, a native of Clonaslee, County Laois. She attended secondary school at Manor House School, Raheny.[2] She studied Arts at University College Dublin.
Career
Dunne joined RTÉ in 1980 as a part-time radio announcer.[1] She continued her teaching duties, while working part-time as a radio continuity announcer on RTÉ Radio 1. She began presenting television news bulletins in 1984.[3][4]
In addition to her news work, Dunne also presented the religious affairs programme The God Slot for RTÉ Radio 1 on Friday nights, having previously presented Eileen Dunne's Classic Melodies for RTÉ lyric fm until 2010.[1] She was the International President of the Association of European Journalists (2010–2014).[5][6] [7]
Eileen Dunne regularly features on RTÉ coverage of major state occasions. In 2016, she was co-anchor with Bryan Dobson for the official state commemoration of the centenary of the 1916 Rising. She provided the RTÉ television commentary on the state funerals of Garret FitzGerald (2011) and Albert Reynolds (2014) and the state commemoration of the Battle of the Somme (2016). Eileen Dunne also presented the coverage of Pope Francis's visit to Knock Shrine in County Mayo in August 2018, as part of RTÉ's extensive coverage of the World Meeting of Families 2018 celebrations, she co-presented this coverage live from Knock while her colleague Caitríona Perry was in the studio in Dublin.
She presented news programmes from the UK on the State Visit of President Higgins to the UK in 2014, from Dublin Castle and Croke Park during Queen Elizabeth's State visit to Ireland in 2011 and from Ballybunion during President Bill Clinton's visit to Ireland in 1998. She also presented from Rome on the inauguration of Pope Benedict in 2005 and his resignation in 2013 and from Blacksod Bay, Mayo on the day of the R116 Air Crash in 2017. Other major live news specials she presented include the Concorde Crash on 25 July 2000, the result of the Papal Conclave on 19 April 2005, the IRA announcement that it was ending its armed campaign in Northern Ireland on 28 July 2005, and the Green Party pulling out of government on 23 January 2011. In September 2018, Eileen Dunne will now be the most senior news anchor in the RTÉ Newsroom after Bryan Dobson moved from presenting the Six-One news bulletins in October 2017 to join radio broadcasting on Morning Ireland.
Personal life
She is married to the actor Macdara Ó Fátharta since 1993; he plays the part of the villain Tadhg in the Irish language TG4 drama, Ros na Rún. They have one son, Cormac.
References
- ^ a b c "Presenters: Eileen Dunne". RTÉ lyric fm. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
- ^ O'Toole, Aileen (9 October 2013). "My old school photo". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ Pat Kenny, Anne Doyle and Eileen Dunne (17 April 2009). Eileen Dunne and Anne Doyle on The Late Late Show (Flash video). Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ Nancy Previs (26 July 2010). "Body clock: Eileen Dunne". Irish Independent. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ "New Board for AEJ International". Association of European Journalists. 14 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ {{url=http://www.aej.org/page.asp?p_id=6Association of European Journalists|accessdate=1 November 2016}}
- ^ Template:Url=https://www.independent.ie/life/because-daddy-died-in-2002-its-even-more-poignant-rte-newsreader-eileen-dunne-on-her-wedding-day-photo-36339467.html