The Sunday Times has announced the appointment of Kieran McDaid as Ireland editor.
Mr McDaid joins the newspaper from his role as editor of the Irish Sun, which is part of the same News UK & Ireland group owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
He will work alongside Sunday Times editor Ben Taylor and Times editor Tony Gallagher in his new role editing the Irish edition of the Sunday Times and leading its Dublin-based team.
Originally from Donegal, Mr McDaid has more than 20 years of experience as a journalist across daily and Sunday national newspapers, newswires and regional press. He started his journalism career in 2001 as a reporter at the Irish News in Belfast, before moving to the Press Association news agency (now PA Media).
He has been editor of the Irish Sun for the past seven and a half years, growing the online audience for the title. Other previous roles include deputy news editor at the Irish Independent and assistant editor (head of content) at another Murdoch-owned title, the Irish edition of the News of the World.
“Kieran’s extensive journalistic knowledge and leadership experience makes him the perfect fit for this role as well as his focus on the ever-evolving digital transformation of the media industry,” said News Ireland managing director Richard Bogie.
Mr McDaid said it was “an honour” to join the title.
“I can’t wait to start work with the talented team in the Sunday Times to investigate injustice, exposé wrongdoing, reveal fascinating stories and produce more excellent journalism in print and digital.”
He succeeds recently departed editor Nóirín Hegarty, who was appointed to the job in October 2021. Other senior editorial staff at the title include deputy editor Demelza de Burca, head of news Brian O’Reilly and associate editor Michael McNiffe.
[ Nóirín Hegarty to stand down as editor of Irish edition of Sunday TimesOpens in new window ]
Some 11 journalists departed the Sunday Times Ireland last year amid a cost-cutting restructuring of the news publisher’s operations in the Republic that was described by staff at the time as “brutal”.
A smaller number of new hires were then added to the title, while the teams from both the Sunday Times and the Irish Sun subsequently relocated to office premises in Dublin’s docklands already being used by the Murdoch-owned radio group Wireless Ireland.
