Rachael English has been announced as the new presenter of RTÉ Radio 1′s News at One, following the retirement of Bryan Dobson.
English has been part of the Morning Ireland presenting team for 14 years, and will begin her new role on Monday July 15th.
One of English’s first jobs in RTÉ was as a reporter on the News at One.
“It was also where I first worked as a stand-in presenter. I’ve always hoped that one day I’d get to return so I’m delighted to be doing so now. It feels like coming home,” English said.
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“It’s been a privilege to present Morning Ireland, and I’d like to thank the colleagues who have made getting up at 4am bearable. I’m looking forward to working with the fantastic team on the News at One.”
English joined RTÉ in 1991 as a 2FM news reader and later worked as a reporter for Morning Ireland; the News at One, Today With Pat Kenny and RTÉ Television News.
She presented The Late Debate and Saturday View before joining Morning Ireland in 2010. She has also worked on a number of special series, including The Constituency, which focused on the issues and candidates in all of the Dáil’s constituencies and The Big Science debate, where an expert panel discussed the ethical challenges presented by scientific developments.
As a reporter and presenter, English has worked on a huge range of national and international stories from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement to the Olympic Games to the 9/11 attacks.
The Shannon, Co Clare native has also been a presenter on RTÉ Radio 1′s General Election results programmes since 2002, and has presented coverage of local, European and presidential election counts, and has anchored election coverage from Belfast, London, and Washington.
Deirdre McCarthy, managing director of news and current affairs at RTÉ, described English as a highly respected journalist and outstanding broadcaster.
“Recently inducted into the IMRO Radio Awards Hall of Fame, Rachael is very familiar to our listeners from presenting Morning Ireland. She will continue to bring her focus and integrity in this new role, representing the public interest on the programme,” Ms McCarthy said.
“She is exceptional at asking the probing questions, the questions the listeners want answers to and holding those in power to account. Her extensive broadcast experience along with her measured tone, reassuring and calm delivery will ensure listeners will continue to tune in everyday.”
Ms English is also the author of seven novels, most recently the top 10 bestseller, Whatever Happened to Birdy Troy?
She started her career in local radio at Clare FM in Ennis and is a communications graduate of Dublin City University.
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