Charles "Charlie" Bird (born September 9, 1949) is an Irish journalist and broadcaster. He is currently the Chief News Correspondent with RTÉ News. September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Note: broadcasting is also the old term for hand sowing. ... Corporate logo of RTÉ RTÉ News and Current Affairs is a major division of Radio Telefís Éireann responsible for news programming on television, radio and online within the Republic of Ireland. ...

Charlie Bird

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Life and career

Charlie Bird was born in Sandymount, Dublin in 1949. He was educated at Sandymount High School but left before he completed his Leaving Certificate. After working with pirate radio stations Bird joined the RTÉ newsroom in the late 1970s and since then has covered most of the major domestic and international stories of the last quarter century. Sandymount (Dumhach Thrá in Irish) is a seaside village/suburb in the district of Dublin 4 in Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Sandymount High School was a coeducational secondary school on Herbert Road, Sandymount, Dublin. ... The Leaving Certificate (Irish: Ardteistiméireacht), commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert (Irish: Ardteist) is the final course in the Irish secondary school system and culminates with the Leaving Certificate Examination. ... Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ; Irish for Radio and Television of Ireland) is the national publicly-funded broadcaster of Ireland. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ...

It is little remembered now, but in the late 1960s, Charlie took an active interest in far left politics, being a member of Young Socialists. The Young Socialists is the name given to the youth sections of several socialist and social democratic political parties. ...

In this role, along with Tariq Ali of the International Marxist Group, he attended the funeral of Peter Graham of Saor Éire (1967-1975) who was assassinated on 25 October 1971 in an internecine dispute. A photograph of the funeral shows Ali and Bird giving a clenched fist salute at the grave.^[1] Peter Graham (Lanarkshire, Scotland) is one of the leading composers for brass band. ... For the earlier organisation of the same name, see Saor Éire. ...

For many years in the 1990s Bird was the only point of contact between RTÉ and the Provisional IRA. He witnessed at first hand the ceasefires and the subsequent twists and turns of the peace process. In 1998, Bird and his colleague George Lee broke the National Irish Bank story. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ; Irish for Radio and Television of Ireland) is the national publicly-funded broadcaster of Ireland. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) is a paramilitary group which aimed, through the use of violence, to achieve three goals: (i) British withdrawal from Ireland, (ii) the political unification of Ireland through the merger of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland , and (iii) the creation of an all... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... National Irish Bank (NIB) is one of the Big Four commercial banks in Republic of Ireland. ...

On the international front, Bird reported on both Gulf Wars and was the only Irish journalist in Syria for the release of Brian Keenan. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from University College Dublin in 2002. Brian Keenan (born 1950 in Belfast) is a Northern Irish writer whose work includes the book An Evil Cradling, an account of the five years he spent as a hostage in the Lebanon. ... University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin - more commonly University College Dublin (UCD) - is Irelands largest university, with over 20,000 students. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Charlie Bird was attacked during the Dublin Riots of February 25, 2006 and sensationally spoke of his personal experience - and of the way the attackers knew who he was and called him an "Orange Bastard" - on the RTÉ News broadcasts later that evening. His attack was witnessed by Sunday Independent journalist Daniel McConnell who reported on the event the next day. Bird's appearance on the six o'clock news was criticised by The Sunday Times in its edition the following day, as it felt "Bird makes himself the story". Riot Gardaí on OConnell Street The 2006 Dublin Republican riots are a series of riots which began as a contentious Love Ulster demonstration, scheduled to begin in Dublin, Ireland on the 25th February, 2006 when An Garda Síochána, the Irish police, attempted to disperse a group of... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

References

1. ^ Ireland on Sunday, 1 October 2006