Conor Brady facts for kids

Conor Brady is an Irish journalist, a writer of books, and a university teacher. He was the editor of The Irish Times, a very important newspaper in Ireland, from 1986 to 2002.

Early Life and Education

Conor Brady was born in Dublin, Ireland. He spent his early childhood in a town called Tullamore in County Offaly. He went to school in Tullamore and then to Cistercian College, Roscrea in County Tipperary.

Later, he studied history and politics at University College Dublin (UCD). While at UCD, he also worked as the editor of Campus UCD News, which was one of the college's newspapers. This experience helped him start his career in journalism.

Journalism Career

Conor Brady began his career as a trainee journalist at The Irish Times after finishing university. He worked in different offices for the newspaper, including Dublin, Belfast, and London. He also helped set up a new section focused on European news.

Before becoming editor of The Irish Times, he was the editor of another newspaper called the Sunday Tribune. He also worked for RTE, which is Ireland's national broadcaster, on both radio and television.

Leading The Irish Times

In 1986, Conor Brady became the editor of The Irish Times. This was a big step because he was the first editor chosen after a competitive interview process. He was also seen as someone who helped the newspaper connect with more people across Ireland.

As editor, he was known for making the newspaper very successful. The number of people buying The Irish Times reached its highest levels in over twenty years during his time. He strongly supported the peace process in Northern Ireland and also backed new ideas and changes in the Republic of Ireland.

He made sure the newspaper covered more international news by opening offices in places like Moscow, Beijing, and South Africa. He also expanded coverage of arts, books, finance, and sports. During his time, The Irish Times also launched its first digital versions, which was a big step for the newspaper.

Conor Brady retired from The Irish Times in 2002. He later wrote a weekly column for the Irish edition of The Sunday Times between 2014 and 2019.

Teaching and Academia

Conor Brady has also shared his knowledge by teaching at universities. He was a visiting professor at John Jay College, which is part of the City University of New York. He was also a Senior Teaching Fellow at the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business and University College Dublin.

In 2020, he was made an Honorary Professor in the journalism school at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG). In 2023, he received an honorary doctorate in literature from the National University of Ireland, which is a special award for his achievements.

Public Service and Other Roles

Conor Brady has also served the public in many important ways. He was a member of the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission from 2005 to 2011. This group helps make sure the police force in Ireland acts fairly.

He also chaired (led) The British-Irish Association and was part of the Remembrance Commission, which was set up under the Good Friday Agreement, a peace agreement for Northern Ireland. In 2016, he joined the Top Level Appointments' Committee (TLAC), becoming its chair in 2019. This committee helps choose leaders for important public service jobs in Ireland.

He has also been involved with other organizations, including ARC Cancer Support and the Institute of International and European Affairs. He is the vice chair of Midlands Radio 103 and helped start CaliberAI, a company that works on technology to help with speech and writing. In 2022, he became the chair of the board for Esker Arts CLG, a new arts center in Tullamore.

As a Writer

Conor Brady has written several books on different topics. He has written histories about the Irish police force and also shared his own experiences from his journalism career in memoirs.

He is also known for writing a series of crime fiction novels. These stories are set in Victorian Dublin and feature a detective character named "Detective Sergeant Joe Swallow." Some of his crime novels include A June of Ordinary Murders, The Eloquence of the Dead,” “A Hunt in Winter,” and “In the Dark River.”