Charlie Bird has died at the age of 74.
The legendary broadcaster and journalist served as RTÉ’s Chief News Correspondent for many years, reporting on some of the biggest stories in modern Irish history.
He joined RTÉ in the mid-1970s and reported on events including the Stardust Fire, the kidnapping of supermarket executive Don Tidey and the 1998 National Irish Bank (NIB) tax evasion scandal.
The National Union of Journalists has paid tribute to Charlie Bird, whose death was announced this morning. Seamus Dooley, Irish Secretary said: "Although we have been expecting this news it is still a moment of enormous sadness. Supported by his wife Claire, Charlie lived his battle with Motor Neuron Disease in the public gaze, with characteristic determination and searing honesty.
The qualities he has manifested during his illness - grit, fierce determination and generosity of spirit, were the same qualities which marked Charlie Bird as a journalist. He was passionate about news and had a unique ability to develop relationships. He was stubborn and relentless in pursuit of whatever he set out to achieve.
His life should not be defined by his illness but by the remarkable qualities he displayed in the face of adversity. He leaves a remarkable legacy.
Charlie was a lifelong member of the NUJ and a former Chair of Dublin Broadcasting branch."
