Leading Irish journalist and campaigner Charlie Bird dies
The previous information correspondent was the first contact between the Provisional IRA and Eire’s public broadcaster for a lot of the Nineteen Nineties.
Charlie Hen, one in every of Eire’s most revered journalists, handed away on Monday after an extended battle with motor neurone illness.
Throughout his 40-year profession at nationwide broadcaster RTÉ, Hen lined pivotal tales in Eire and overseas together with the 9/11 terror assaults and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Hen was on the fore of the service’s protection of the Northern Eire peace course of and was chosen by the nationalist paramilitary group, the Provisional IRA, as its major media contact within the Republic.
In a tribute, the President of Eire, Michael D. Higgins, described Hen as a “actually outstanding man” and “one of many excellent journalists of his technology”.
Micheál Martin, Eire’s Tánaiste or deputy prime minister, mentioned the previous correspondent “impressed so many with the braveness, generosity of spirit and dignity he confronted in his battle with motor neurone illness”.
Hen retired from RTÉ in 2012 as Chief Information Correspondent and publically introduced his prognosis in October 2021. He spent his remaining years elevating consciousness of the illness and campaigning for Irish charities.
Motor neurone illness impacts motor nerves or motor neurons within the physique, inflicting them to degenerate and the muscular tissues to turn out to be weaker. It usually results in paralysis.
On April 2, 2022, 1000’s of individuals participated within the ‘Climb with Charlie’ marketing campaign, scaling peaks in Eire and overseas in solidarity with Hen, who famously made a private pilgrimage up Croagh Patrick, a mountain within the west of Eire with a peak of almost 800 metres.
The occasion raised €3.4 million for a number of charities, together with the Irish Motor Neurone Illness Affiliation.
The veteran presenter, who died aged 74, is survived by his spouse Claire and two daughters.