Doireann Ní Bhriain
Encyclopedia
Doireann Ní Bhriain is an Irish
independent radio producer
. She began her career as a radio and television
journalist
, and started out reading children's stories on television. From those beginnings, she went on to work for RTÉ for over 20 years before moving on in 1993.
She is best known for her work and affiliation with RTÉ Radio 1
.
She was a long-running reporter on the radio current affairs programme Women Today, for which she is well-known. She was the mistress of ceremonies at the Eurovision Song Contest 1981
, held in Dublin. In 1993, she won a Jacob's Award for her work on RTÉ Radio.
. Bilingual in Irish
and English
, she studied at the University College Dublin
and graduated in French
and Spanish
.
In 1979, she started a job as reporter on the landmark radio current affairs programme Women Today, which was hosted at that time by Marian Finucane
. She subsequently became presenter of the programme after Marian's departure.
The dress she wore for the occasion was designed by Richard Lewis, while the gold jewellery was designed by Mary Grey.
In a 2004 interview with the Sunday Times (Irish edition), she said of the experience, "I did it for a laugh...it was offered me because I was quite well known, and because I spoke French and Irish with some ease...I always tell people that there was no autocue in those days: I had to learn it all off."
Ní Bhriain provided the RTÉ Radio commentary for the 1991 Contest.
. On her return, she co-presented 'The Women's Programme' with Marian Finucane. This was a ground breaking prime time magazine and current affairs programme She also worked the RTÉ Belfast
newsroom (where she met her husband, Andy Pollak) and presented the Book Programme on RTÉ Radio 1. The late 1980s saw her take her first courses in radio production, and soon after she worked as a producer on The Arts Show with Mike Murphy. She also produced several radio documentaries, winning a Jacob's Award in 1983 for her work with Nuala Hayes on 'Moving Statues', a documentary on the work of sculptor Louise Walsh. She left RTÉ in 1993 to run the L’Imaginaire Irlandais festival in France, living between Dublin and Paris until the festival was over in 1996.
, the tram system in Dublin, in both Irish and English.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
independent radio producer
Radio producer
A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. There are two main types of producer. An audio or creative producer and a content producer. Audio producers create sounds and audio specifically, content producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature...
. She began her career as a radio and television
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and started out reading children's stories on television. From those beginnings, she went on to work for RTÉ for over 20 years before moving on in 1993.
She is best known for her work and affiliation with RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
.
She was a long-running reporter on the radio current affairs programme Women Today, for which she is well-known. She was the mistress of ceremonies at the Eurovision Song Contest 1981
Eurovision Song Contest 1981
The Eurovision Song Contest 1981 was the 26th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 April 1981 at the Simmonscourt Pavilion of the Royal Dublin Society in Dublin. The presenter was Doireann Ní Bhriain...
, held in Dublin. In 1993, she won a Jacob's Award for her work on RTÉ Radio.
Early life
Doireann was the first of three children born in Dublin in 1952, to Neasa Ní Annracháin, an actress, and Seán Ó Briain, a civil servant. She made her broadcasting debut at the age of eight, in a radio play with her mother, who was part of the Radio Éireann PlayersRadio Éireann Players
The Radio Éireann Players were a repertory company for radio in Ireland, formed in 1947, which performed in regular drama productions for Irish broadcaster, Radio Éireann. After the depredations of the war-time years and a devastating fire in the Abbey Theatre in 1951, the Radio Éireann Players'...
. Bilingual in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, she studied at the University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
and graduated in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Early RTÉ career (1972-1981)
Doireann started her career with RTÉ in 1972, as a presenter of children's programmes. She then went on to co-present the magazine show Tangents and became one of the first Irish female broadcasters to break into the current affairs arena. She worked as a presenter of the flagship Irish language programme, Féach. She took a break from journalism in 1976 and spent a year in Kenya, teaching in a rural school, and later in Nairobi.In 1979, she started a job as reporter on the landmark radio current affairs programme Women Today, which was hosted at that time by Marian Finucane
Marian Finucane
Marian Finucane is an Irish broadcaster with Raidió Teilifís Éireann . She has worked with the national broadcaster since in 1976, starting as a continuity announcer. She was the first presenter of Liveline...
. She subsequently became presenter of the programme after Marian's departure.
Eurovision 1981
Outside of Ireland, Doireann is best known for being the solo presenter of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest.The dress she wore for the occasion was designed by Richard Lewis, while the gold jewellery was designed by Mary Grey.
In a 2004 interview with the Sunday Times (Irish edition), she said of the experience, "I did it for a laugh...it was offered me because I was quite well known, and because I spoke French and Irish with some ease...I always tell people that there was no autocue in those days: I had to learn it all off."
Ní Bhriain provided the RTÉ Radio commentary for the 1991 Contest.
Continuing career with RTÉ Radio 1 (1981-1993)
After hosting Eurovision 1981, Doireann left RTÉ again, this time to pursue a scholarship granted to her from the Journalists in Europe programme in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. On her return, she co-presented 'The Women's Programme' with Marian Finucane. This was a ground breaking prime time magazine and current affairs programme She also worked the RTÉ Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
newsroom (where she met her husband, Andy Pollak) and presented the Book Programme on RTÉ Radio 1. The late 1980s saw her take her first courses in radio production, and soon after she worked as a producer on The Arts Show with Mike Murphy. She also produced several radio documentaries, winning a Jacob's Award in 1983 for her work with Nuala Hayes on 'Moving Statues', a documentary on the work of sculptor Louise Walsh. She left RTÉ in 1993 to run the L’Imaginaire Irlandais festival in France, living between Dublin and Paris until the festival was over in 1996.
Recent life and career
In 2000, she moved on to work in arts project management and consultancy for a number of years. She developed a particular expertise in festival management and cultural tourism. She also continued to work in radio as an independent producer, producing series on volunteering, on minority religions in Ireland, on urban development in Ireland, and documentaries for RTÉ radio and Raidio na Gaeltachta. In recent years, she has specialised in voice and presentation training, independent radio production and TV voiceover work in English and Irish. Ní Bhriain currently provides the recorded announcements on the LuasLuas
Luas , also promoted in the development stage as the Dublin Light Rail System, is a tram or light rail system serving Dublin, the first such system in the decades since the closure of the last of the Dublin tramways. In 2007, the system carried 28.4 million passengers, a growth of 10% since...
, the tram system in Dublin, in both Irish and English.