Charles Mitchel
Encyclopedia
Charles Gerald Mitchel (8 November 1920 – 18 August 1996) was an Irish
actor and broadcaster best known as a newsreader for the RTÉ News
from 1961 until 1984. He was the first person to read the news on Telefís Éireann.
boarding school in Clane
, County Kildare
. Mitchel subsequently attended Trinity College Dublin where he studied forestry. It was here that his interest in acting developed and he quickly became a leading member of the Trinity Players. Mitchel left Trinity in 1947 without taking a degree. He immediately joined the Gate Theatre
where he played with the Longford company until 1958. He was one of the founders of Irish Actors Equity and served as president of the Catholic Stage Guild.
, as chief newscaster. His starting salary was £26 per week. Mitchel was one of the first faces seen on the new station when he read the first news bulletin on 31 December 1961, minutes after the station was launched. He received numerous honours, including being awarded television personality of the year, and was the first RTÉ presenter to win a Jacobs' Award. Mitchel retired from the station in November 1984.
In 1989 he joined LMFM
, a local radio station in Co. Louth, where he read the news and answered listeners' queries.
for several years in the 1980s. He bred basset hound
s and adjudicated at dog shows.
Mitchel married Elizabeth ('Betty') Stubbs on 9 May 1949 and they had two children, Nicholas and Susan. He died in Bloomfield Nursing Home, Donnybrook and is buried at Glasnevin cemetery
.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
actor and broadcaster best known as a newsreader for the RTÉ News
RTÉ News
RTÉ News and Current Affairs , is a major division of Raidió Teilifís Éireann responsible for news programming on television, radio and online within the Republic of Ireland. It is, by far, the largest and most popular news source in Ireland - with 77% of the Irish public regarding it as their main...
from 1961 until 1984. He was the first person to read the news on Telefís Éireann.
Early life
Born in Dublin in 1920, Mitchel was educated at the famed Clongowes Wood CollegeClongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College is a voluntary secondary boarding school for boys, located near Clane in County Kildare, Ireland. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1814, it is one of Ireland's oldest Catholic schools, and featured prominently in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the...
boarding school in Clane
Clane
Clane is a town on the River Liffey and in the barony of Clane in County Kildare, Ireland, from Dublin.Its population of 4,968 makes it the eighth largest town in Kildare and the 78th largest in the Republic of Ireland....
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
. Mitchel subsequently attended Trinity College Dublin where he studied forestry. It was here that his interest in acting developed and he quickly became a leading member of the Trinity Players. Mitchel left Trinity in 1947 without taking a degree. He immediately joined the Gate Theatre
Gate Theatre
The Gate Theatre, in Dublin, was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál Mac Liammóir, initially using the Abbey Theatre's Peacock studio theatre space to stage important works by European and American dramatists...
where he played with the Longford company until 1958. He was one of the founders of Irish Actors Equity and served as president of the Catholic Stage Guild.
Broadcasting career
In 1961 Mitchel joined the newly formed state television station, Telefís ÉireannRTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
, as chief newscaster. His starting salary was £26 per week. Mitchel was one of the first faces seen on the new station when he read the first news bulletin on 31 December 1961, minutes after the station was launched. He received numerous honours, including being awarded television personality of the year, and was the first RTÉ presenter to win a Jacobs' Award. Mitchel retired from the station in November 1984.
In 1989 he joined LMFM
LMFM
LMFM is an independent Local Radio station in Ireland. It is also the largest Local radio station outside of Dublin and Cork broadcasting to a population in excess of 300,000 adults. Media group UTV bought the station in a deal worth about €10 million in 2005.LMFM broadcasts on a number of...
, a local radio station in Co. Louth, where he read the news and answered listeners' queries.
Personal life
Mitchel was keenly interested in animal welfare and served as vice-president of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...
for several years in the 1980s. He bred basset hound
Basset Hound
The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog of the hound family. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt rabbits and hare by scent. Their sense of smell for tracking is second only to that of the Bloodhound....
s and adjudicated at dog shows.
Mitchel married Elizabeth ('Betty') Stubbs on 9 May 1949 and they had two children, Nicholas and Susan. He died in Bloomfield Nursing Home, Donnybrook and is buried at Glasnevin cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
.