Athboy native to head up Press Council

John Donohoe

Published: Tue 30 Aug 2016, 5:56 PM

Last updated: Tue 30 Aug 2016, 7:23 PM

Athboy native and former ambassador, Seán Donlon, has been appointed new chair of the Press Council of Ireland.

Mr Donlon has had a distinguished career in the public and private sectors over the past 55 years. His public sector career was mainly in the Department of Foreign Affairs and posts held included Ambassador to the US and Secretary General of the Department.

He was also Special Adviser to the Taoiseach, John Bruton. In the private sector he was Executive Vice President of the aviation company GPA and was a nonexecutive director of companies in the insurance and aviation financing sectors. He was Chancellor of the University of Limerick from 2002 to 2008 and most recently represented Ireland, Denmark, Lithuania and Kosovo as an Executive Director on the Board of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London.

Born in 1940, the second eldest of 13 children of Tomás and Peggy Ó Domhnalláin, his father Tomás, was a primary school principal in Athboy and later an inspector, was a great Irish ‘cultural nationalist’ and a strong supporter of the Irish language. He was the author of ‘Buntús Cainte’ which will be known to all who studied Irish, and is still widely used as a teaching text in schools throughout the country.

Following a public competition, Seán Donlon is to take up office on 1st September. The outgoing chair, Daithi O Ceallaigh, having served two full terms (the maximum allowed for the chair), retires on 31st August. The appointment is for a period of three years and can be renewed for one additional term.

The Press Council also announced following public competition the appointment of two independent members of the Press Council, Patricia O'Donovan and Dr Ruth Barrington. Patricia O'Donovan was formerly Deputy General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and Director of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva, Ruth Barrington was formerly Chief Executive of the Health Research Board and a board member of VHI Healthcare.

Also appointed as an industry member of the Press Council is Ken Davis, former editor of the Meath Chronicle. The Press Council consists of 13 members. Seven, including the Chair, are independent members, the remaining six are industry members.