Who was Former Rte Journalist and Broadcaster Charlie Bird? 

Who was Former Rte Journalist and Broadcaster Charlie Bird?

Irish journalist and broadcaster Charlie Bird has died aged 74. Charlie Bird who was a former RTÉ correspondent had motor neurone disease (MND). Mr Bird joined the Irish Broadcasting Corporation in 1974 as a researcher in their current department. moved to news in 1980. He was at the forefront of reporting on the Northern Ireland peace process in the 1990s and was selected by the Provisional IRA as its main media contact in Ireland. Charlie Bird who was a reporter ,loved travelling.

So, he had visited many places across the world, covering Rwanda, Washington, Indonesia and Haiti - before he retired as s RTÉ's chief correspondent in 2010.Charlie Bird died on March 11th, 2024, who was survived by his wife Claire, daughters Orla and Nessa, grandchildren Abigail, Charlie, Edward. and his three brothers.

Charlie Bird Age

Charlie Bird sadly passed away on March 11, 2024 at the age of 74.

Charlie Bird Early Life

Charles Brown Bird was born on 9 September 1949 in Sandymount, Dublin, where he completed his education at Sandymount High School . During the period of late 1960s, Bird took developed an active interest in politics as a member of the Young Socialists. In that role he attended the funeral of Peter Graham of Saor Éire, who was murdered on 25 October 1971 in an internal dispute with Tariq Ali of the International Marxist Group. A photo of the funeral shows Ali and Bird shaking fists at the grave.

Bird joined official Sinn Féin (later Sinn Féin: Labor) in the early 1970s and was their election leader in Dublin in 1973. South Central, but claimed in 2022 that he would leave soon after and would only be with the party for a few months. Bird was later recruited by Labor member Eoghan Harris to RTÉ in the mid-1970s. There was a period of time , where Bird was a member of the Labor Party, but resigned after Noel Browne left the party following the 1977 Labour- conference in Cork.

Charlie Bird Career

In the year 1990 Charlie Bird was the only person who created a common relation between RTÉ and the Provisional IRA. He saw the truce and the subsequent twists and turns of the peace process with his own eyes. Bird Reported on Gulf War and Witnessed Brian Keenan's Release in Syria in 1990. He covered the outbreak of the Somali civil war in the early 1990s and the Rwandan genocide in 1994. In the early 2000s In the 1990s, Bird covered a number of major international news stories for RTÉ News, such as the 9/11 attacks in New York and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

He also covered domestic stories such as the 2004 horse-doping scandal involving Cian O'Connor and the Colombia Three, three Irish republicans tasked with training FARC rebels. Bird was awarded an honorary doctorate by University College Dublin. in 2002. Bird was responsible for the 2010 Haiti earthquake in January 2010. A TV show about his first year in the US aired on RTÉ One. He talked about feeling crazy for moving and not knowing many people in Washington.

At the end of the second show, he announced that he was leaving his position in Washington. Early estimates show that both shows averaged 473,000 and 563,000 viewers, respectively. RTÉ referred to Bird's "popularity" when asked about the general public. Bird returned to Ireland in June 2010 to take up his previous job as RTÉ's Chief News Correspondent. He tackled the high-profile leadership challenge of Enda Kenny on his return. Washington was played by Richard Downes. In August 2010, Bird began presenting the Marian Finucane Show. Lind retired from RTÉ on 26 August 2012; his last show was the Marian Finucane Show on RTÉ Radio 1.

Charlie Bird Personal Life

Charlie Bird's got married in 1974 to Mary O'Connor and they had two daughters. But unfortunately the couple couldn't be together and got seperated in 1998. Later on, in 2016,he married Claire Mould. In October 27. 2021, Bird announced that he had developed motor neurone disease while experiencing vocal problems. He later announced the "Climb For Charlie" campaign, in which he and other celebrities climbed Croagh Patrick to raise awareness of the disease. On 12 June 2022, the Sunday World reported that Bird had chosen his burial site. On August 23, 2023, he entered home care. He died on March 11, 2024 at the age of 74.