Cathal Mac Coille
{{Short description|20th and 21st-century Irish journalist and broadcaster}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Cathal Mac Coille
| image= Cathal Mac Coille.jpg
| caption = Cathal Mac Coille in 2009
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1952}}
| birth_place = Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education =
| alma_mater = University College Dublin
| occupation = Journalist, broadcaster
| alias =
| title =
| family =
| spouse =
| children = 4
| nationality = Irish
| credits = Morning Ireland
}}
Cathal Mac Coille (born 1952) is a retired Irish broadcaster, researcher and journalist. He was a co-presenter of Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 for most of the period from 1986 until his retirement in 2017.{{cite web | url = http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/tributes-paid-to-kind-and-diligent-cathal-mac-coille-as-he-leaves-rtes-morning-ireland-35976319.html | title = Tributes paid to 'kind' and 'diligent' Cathal Mac Coille as he leaves RTE's Morning Ireland | last = Fox | first = Claire | date = 28 July 2017 | website = independent.ie | access-date = 28 July 2017}} He currently writes opinion pieces for Tuairisc.ie, a role he took up in 2014.{{cite web |title=Scríbhneoirí: Cathal Mac Coille |date=6 April 2017 |url=https://tuairisc.ie/scribhneoiri/cathalmaccoille/page/50/ |publisher=Tuairisc.ie |access-date=22 July 2020}} He was used by RTÉ in numerous political broadcasts and interviewed several prominent politicians.
Mac Coille also presented other shows on radio and television, including This Week and One to One. His journalism work has included stints with Comhar and the Sunday Tribune and he also spent time as a reporter with TG4.
Career
Mac Coille started his career as editor of the Irish language magazine, Comhar. He then went on to get a Bachelor of Arts in History from University College Dublin. He first joined RTÉ as a radio researcher in 1974, initially working at the Nuacht desk for five years. He was a member of the RTÉ Northern Staff from 1978 to 1984 and from 1984 to 1986 presented This Week and other news programmes.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/cathalmaccoille.html |title=Morning Ireland Profile: Cathal Mac Coille |year=2009 |website=RTÉ |access-date=2009-06-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091108054743/http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/cathalmaccoille.html |archive-date= 8 November 2009 }} He worked as political correspondent with Irish language television channel, TG4. He also worked as a journalist with the Sunday Tribune newspaper for five years from 1990.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/tv/turasteanga/guest20.html|title=Turas Teanga Profile|website=RTÉ|language=en, ga|access-date=2009-06-10}}
Mac Coille is best known for presenting Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1, which is Ireland's most listened to radio programme and has been on air since 1984.{{cite news|url=http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2004/11/26/story278757124.asp |title=Good Morning |date=2004-11-26 |access-date=2009-06-10 |newspaper=Irish Examiner |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922183537/http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2004/11/26/story278757124.asp |archive-date=22 September 2009 |df=dmy }} He joined the Morning Ireland team in 1986, left the show in 1990 but returned again from 2001 until his retirement in 2017. In 1990, Mac Coille won a Jacob's Award for his work as presenter of Morning Ireland. Mac Coille regularly interviewed politicians such as Gerry Adams{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/frightening-men-havent-gone-away-1470990.html|title=Frightening men haven't gone away|date=2008-09-07|access-date=2009-06-10|newspaper=Irish Independent}} and Eoin Ryan Jnr,{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/eoghan-harris/reaching-out-for-a-few-raw-nerves-in-the-irish-republic-1241619.html|title=Reaching out for a few raw nerves in the Irish Republic|date=2007-12-09|access-date=2009-06-10|newspaper=Sunday Independent|first=Eoghan|last=Harris}} and breakfasted politically with CNN broadcaster Larry King on Super Tuesday in February 2008.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/eoghan-harris/fairytale-ending-so-sad-and-predictable-1286282.html|title=Fairytale ending so sad and predictable|date=2008-02-10|access-date=2009-06-10|newspaper=Sunday Independent|first=Eoghan|last=Harris}}
Mac Coille has also worked on One to One, a television interview series broadcast on RTÉ One.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0216/onetoone.html |title=One to One – Brian Cody |date=2009-02-16 |access-date=2009-04-04 |publisher=RTÉ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307001205/http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0216/onetoone.html |archive-date=7 March 2009 }} In radio he worked on the Good Friday Agreement and the 2008 United States presidential election.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/super-expensive-rtes-us-election-costs-just-keep-on-growing-1386438.html|title=Super expensive: RTÉ's US election costs just keep on growing|newspaper=The Irish Independent|access-date=2009-06-10|first=Colum|last=Kenny|date=2008-05-25}} Mac Coille was part of a crew of RTÉ employees who travelled to the United States to cover the Super Tuesday election event, a move which was later criticised when the true cost emerged.
In September 2010 on Morning Ireland Mac Coille received a controversial nine-minute live interview from Taoiseach Brian Cowen at a Fianna Fáil think-in in Galway; the interview received international attention and led to increased pressure on Cowen to resign in the days that followed.{{cite news|last=Minihan|first=Mary|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/politics/2010/09/14/taoiseach-transcript/|title=Taoiseach transcript…|date=2010-09-14|access-date=2009-09-14|newspaper=The Irish Times|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918080233/https://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/politics/2010/09/14/taoiseach-transcript/|archive-date=2010-09-18}}{{cite news|author=Bray, Allison |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/radio-listeners-blast-brian-cowen-radio-disgrace-14949431.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723010912/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/radio-listeners-blast-brian-cowen-radio-disgrace-14949431.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-23 |title=Radio listeners blast Brian Cowen radio 'disgrace' |date=2010-09-15 |access-date=2009-09-15 |newspaper=The Belfast Telegraph }}{{cite news|author=McCarthy, John-Paul|url=http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/the-secret-to-a-long-life-is-knowing-when-its-time-to-go-2343603.html|title=The secret to a long life is knowing when it's time to go|date=2010-09-19|access-date=2009-09-19|newspaper=Sunday Independent}}{{cite news|author=McDonald, Henry|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/20/irish-pm-brian-cowen-drunk-allegations|title=Irish PM Brian Cowen under pressure after 'drunk' radio interview|date=2010-09-20|access-date=2009-09-20|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London, UK}}
Personal life
Mac Coille grew up in Clondalkin and attended school at Coláiste Mhuire in the city centre, before moving to Phibsborough in Dublin. He is married with four children.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20091108054743/http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/cathalmaccoille.html Morning Ireland Profile]
- [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article672780.ece The Sunday Times Radio review]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mac Coille, Cathal}}
Category:21st-century Irish people
Category:Alumni of University College Dublin
Category:People educated at Coláiste Mhuire, Dublin
Category:Jacob's Award winners
Category:People from Clondalkin
Category:RTÉ newsreaders and journalists
Category:RTÉ Radio 1 presenters