Niall Stokes

{{Short description|Irish music journalist, best known as the editor of Hot Press}}

{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Niall Stokes

| image =

| caption =

| birthname =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1951}}

| birth_place = Dublin, Ireland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| education = Bachelor of Arts

| alma_mater = University College Dublin (UCD) Synge Street CBS

| occupation = Music journalist, editor

| alias =

| title =

| family =

| spouse = Mairin Sheehy

| domestic_partner =

| children =

| relatives =

| credits = Editor of Hot Press,
Editor of the Year (2008 PPAI Magazine of the Year Awards),
Industry Award (2009 Meteor Awards)

| URL =

}}

Niall Stokes (born 1951 in Dublin) is a music journalist who has served as editor of the long-running fortnightly Ireland music and political magazine Hot Press based in Dublin. He has edited the magazine since 1977. He has been a longstanding champion of Irish music, most famously U2 in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. He was involved with The Music Show, an exhibition of the Irish music industry held in the RDS in October 2008.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-to-their-ears-1490655.html|title=Music to their ears|date=6 October 2008|access-date=1 December 2008|work=Irish Independent}} He was Chairman of the Independent Radio and Television Commission (now the BCI) between 1993 and 1998. He has written several books, including Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song.

He graduated from University College Dublin with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Whilst in college, Stokes was a member of a band called Eyeless, alongside Neil Jordan. He was also a freelance writer for outlets such as The Irish Times before founding Hot Press. He lives with his wife, Mairin Sheehy, in Dublin.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/editor-recounts-hall-of-fames-downfall-1164526.html|title=Editor recounts Hall of Fame's downfall|date=12 October 2007|access-date=1 December 2008|work=Irish Independent}}

On 20 June 2002, he appeared on an episode of Rattlebag which celebrated the 25th anniversary of Hot Press.{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2002/0620/rattlebag.html|title=Rattlebag – Thursday, 20 June 2002|date=20 June 2002|access-date=24 January 2010|work=RTÉ}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}} In January 2008, he attended the recording sessions of "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" in Windmill Lane Studios.{{cite news|first=Richie|last=Taylor|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/cream-of-irish-music-in-tribute-to-dubliner-as-he-battles-with-cancer-1268435.html|title=Cream of Irish music in tribute to Dubliner as he battles with cancer|date=18 January 2008|access-date=21 August 2009|work=Irish Independent}} He has appeared on the interactive music series The Raw Sessions.{{cite news|url=http://www.hotpress.com/news/5449745.html|title=Sony Ericsson Raw Sessions: catch it this weekend|date=15 May 2009|access-date=1 August 2009|work=Hot Press}}

Stokes has also appeared as a panellist on Questions and Answers.{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0620/qanda.html |title=Questions And Answers – Monday, 20 June 2005 |date=20 June 2005 |access-date=24 January 2010 |work=RTÉ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416182118/http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0620/qanda.html |archive-date=16 April 2010 }} On radio he has featured on Five Seven Live,{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0415/57live.html|title=Five Seven Live – Thursday, 15 April 2004|date=15 April 2004|access-date=24 January 2010|work=RTÉ}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}} This Week,{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0424/thisweek.html |title=This Week – Sunday, 24 April 2005 |date=24 April 2004 |access-date=24 January 2010 |work=RTÉ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050426032904/http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0424/thisweek.html |archive-date=26 April 2005 }} Morning Ireland{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0628/morningireland.html |title=Morning Ireland – Tuesday, 28 June 2005 |date=28 June 2005 |access-date=24 January 2010 |work=RTÉ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605122209/http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0628/morningireland.html |archive-date=5 June 2011 }} and Drivetime.{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2006/1121/drivetimewithdave.html|title=Drivetime with Dave – Tuesday, 21 November 2006|date=21 November 2006|access-date=24 January 2010|work=RTÉ}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

In 2007, he pursued a High Court action against high-profile MCD promoter Denis Desmond and Riverdance's Moya Doherty and John McColgan in the aftermath of the Hot Press Music Hall of Fame Museum's failure.{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1009/hotpress-business.html|title=Hot Press in court over Hall of Fame|date=9 September 2007|access-date=24 January 2010|work=RTÉ}} The "substantial" court action was settled.