Harry McGee
Encyclopedia
Harry McGee is the current Political Correspondent with The Irish Times
. He has previously worked for several publications, including being Political Editor of the Irish Examiner
, as well as jobs with the Sunday Tribune
, the Sunday Press
, the Connacht Tribune
newspapers, public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann
and has also edited Magill
. He has appeared as a commentator on RTÉ Radio 1
, Newstalk and TV3.
McGee is originally from Salthill
, County Galway
. He earned a degree to become a barrister
. He has won the award for Young Journalist of the Year. He left his job as the Political Editor with the Irish Examiner to take up a new job with The Irish Times in January 2008 and was promoted to the post of Political Correspondent for that publication in December 2009.
McGee has appeared as a commentator on the TV3 programme Nightly News with Vincent Browne. He is also said to be a "favourite pundit" of Morning Ireland
on RTÉ Radio 1. McGee interviewed Bertie Ahern
for the Irish Examiner when he was Taoiseach
. During coverage of the 2009 Irish government budget, he appeared on a panel of journalists on Today with Pat Kenny
on RTÉ Radio 1. While appearing on Today with Pat Kenny in March 2009, he asked if it was possible to means test child benefit, leading George Lee, according to Sunday Independent
columnist Eoghan Harris
, to "bl[o]w up and denounced this departure from the party line of direct taxation in his new dogmatic tone which brooks of no contradiction whatsoever". One month earlier, Harris "congratulated" McGee in his column for his "tremendous scoop" on Taoiseach
Brian Cowen
's 17-minute speech "without notes". After the Irish local elections, 2009
, he declared to Karen Coleman on Newstalk that the Irish Green Party
had been "eviscerated", "decimated" and "destroyed" by the results. During coverage of the Lisbon Treaty second referendum he appeared as a commentator on The Marian Finucane Show
on RTÉ Radio 1. He described the Irish budget, 2010
as maybe "the most austere Budget in the history of the State".
McGee is known for his cycling habits and, whilst a journalist with the Irish Examiner, was once said by the Sunday Independents Martin Drennan to have been "most discombobulated" after being "almost flattened" by a vehicle while on his bicycle outside Leinster House
. Drennan previously suggested that watching McGee remove his cycling gear was "one of the most entertaining sights in Leinster House".
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
. He has previously worked for several publications, including being Political Editor of the Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner
The Irish Examiner, formerly The Cork Examiner and then The Examiner, is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country...
, as well as jobs with the Sunday Tribune
Sunday Tribune
The Sunday Tribune was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tabloid. Former editors include Conor Brady, Vincent Browne,...
, the Sunday Press
Sunday Press
The Sunday Press was a weekend tabloid newspaper printed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from 1973 until 1989. It was Melbourne's second Sunday newspaper, the first being the Melbourne observer....
, the Connacht Tribune
Connacht Tribune
The Connacht Tribune is a newspaper circulating chiefly in County Galway, Ireland and is currently the most popular and successful regional newspaper in Ireland....
newspapers, public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
and has also edited Magill
Magill
Magill was an Irish politics and current affairs magazine founded by Vincent Browne and others in 1977. Magill was widely perceived as groundbreaking, specialising in in-depth investigative articles and colourful reportage by journalists such as Eamonn McCann and Gene Kerrigan...
. He has appeared as a commentator on 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...
, Newstalk and TV3.
McGee is originally from Salthill
Salthill
Salthill is a seaside area of Galway city, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Lenaboy and attracts many tourists all year round...
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
. He earned a degree to become a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
. He has won the award for Young Journalist of the Year. He left his job as the Political Editor with the Irish Examiner to take up a new job with The Irish Times in January 2008 and was promoted to the post of Political Correspondent for that publication in December 2009.
McGee has appeared as a commentator on the TV3 programme Nightly News with Vincent Browne. He is also said to be a "favourite pundit" of Morning Ireland
Morning Ireland
Morning Ireland is the breakfast news programme broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1 in Ireland and is noted as that country's most listened to radio programme. It is broadcast each weekday morning between 07.00 and 09.00 and is presented by Aine Lawlor, Cathal Mac Coille, Rachael English and Aoife Kavanagh...
on RTÉ Radio 1. McGee interviewed Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
for the Irish Examiner when he was Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
. During coverage of the 2009 Irish government budget, he appeared on a panel of journalists on Today with Pat Kenny
Today with Pat Kenny
Today with Pat Kenny is a current affairs magazine broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1, presented by Pat Kenny. The programme is broadcast weekdays, at 10:00 and ends at 12:00. As of 2008, the average audience for the show was 291,000....
on RTÉ Radio 1. While appearing on Today with Pat Kenny in March 2009, he asked if it was possible to means test child benefit, leading George Lee, according to Sunday Independent
Sunday Independent
The Sunday Independent is a broadsheet Sunday newspaper published in Ireland by Independent News and Media plc. The newspaper is edited by Aengus Fanning, and is the biggest selling Irish Sunday newspaper by a large margin ; average circulation of 291,323 between June 2004 and January 2005,...
columnist Eoghan Harris
Eoghan Harris
Eoghan Harris is an Irish journalist, fiction writer, director, columnist and politician. He currently writes for the Sunday Independent. He was a member of Seanad Éireann from 2007–11, having been nominated by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern....
, to "bl[o]w up and denounced this departure from the party line of direct taxation in his new dogmatic tone which brooks of no contradiction whatsoever". One month earlier, Harris "congratulated" McGee in his column for his "tremendous scoop" on Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
's 17-minute speech "without notes". After the Irish local elections, 2009
Irish local elections, 2009
The 2009 Irish local elections were held in all the counties, cities and towns of Ireland on Friday, 5 June 2009, on the same day as the European Parliament election and two by-elections .-Overview:...
, he declared to Karen Coleman on Newstalk that the Irish Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
had been "eviscerated", "decimated" and "destroyed" by the results. During coverage of the Lisbon Treaty second referendum he appeared as a commentator on The Marian Finucane Show
The Marian Finucane Show
The Marian Finucane Show is an Irish radio programme, presented by Marian Finucane. It airs Saturday - Sunday at 11:00 to 13:00. It is the highest-rating weekend radio show in Ireland....
on RTÉ Radio 1. He described the Irish budget, 2010
Irish budget, 2010
The 2010 Irish Budget refers to the delivery of a government budget by the Government of Ireland on 9 December 2009, its third in fourteen months...
as maybe "the most austere Budget in the history of the State".
McGee is known for his cycling habits and, whilst a journalist with the Irish Examiner, was once said by the Sunday Independents Martin Drennan to have been "most discombobulated" after being "almost flattened" by a vehicle while on his bicycle outside Leinster House
Leinster House
Leinster House is the name of the building housing the Oireachtas, the national parliament of Ireland.Leinster House was originally the ducal palace of the Dukes of Leinster. Since 1922, it is a complex of buildings, of which the former ducal palace is the core, which house Oireachtas Éireann, its...
. Drennan previously suggested that watching McGee remove his cycling gear was "one of the most entertaining sights in Leinster House".
External links
- Official website
- Politics blog at The Irish TimesThe Irish TimesThe Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
- Irish language article which mentions McGee from 2 February 2006
- Earliest article by McGee from The Irish Times archives dated January 2008