Emily O'Reilly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emily O'Reilly
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O'Reilly in 2015
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| European Ombudsman | |
| In office 1 October 2013 – 31 December 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Nikiforos Diamandouros |
| Succeeded by | Teresa Anjinho |
| Irish Ombudsman | |
| In office 1 June 2003 – 29 September 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Kevin Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Peter Tyndall |
| Information Commissioner | |
| In office 1 June 2003 – 29 September 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Kevin Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Peter Tyndall |
Emily O'Reilly is an Irish author and former journalist who became a very important public official. She was the first woman to be appointed as the Ombudsman for Ireland in 2003. An ombudsman is a person who investigates complaints from the public about government departments and other public organizations.
Later, on July 3, 2013, she was chosen to be the European Ombudsman. This role involves helping people from all over the European Union. She was so good at her job that she was re-elected in 2014 and 2019. She studied at famous universities, including University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, and Harvard University in the United States.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Emily O'Reilly grew up in Tullamore, a town in County Offaly, Ireland. When she was eight years old, her family moved to Dublin, the capital city of Ireland.
For her higher education, she attended several well-known universities. At Harvard University, she earned a special award for journalists called a Nieman Fellowship.
Career as a Journalist
Before she became an ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly had a successful career as a journalist, starting in the 1970s. She worked for major newspapers like The Irish Press and the Sunday Tribune. She also wrote about politics for The Sunday Times and The Sunday Business Post.
In 1998, she became the editor of a magazine called Magill. She left this job in 1999 because another magazine owned by the same company was banned for publishing inappropriate ads. O'Reilly also worked as a broadcaster for radio stations like RTÉ and Today FM.
During her time as a journalist, she won two big awards: Journalist of the Year and Woman Journalist of the Year.
Books by Emily O'Reilly
O'Reilly has also written three books:
- Candidate: The Truth Behind the Presidential Campaign (1991), which is about the election of Mary Robinson as President of Ireland.
- Masterminds of the Right (1992), a book about the role of religion in Irish politics.
- Veronica Guerin (1998), a biography about a famous Irish crime reporter.
Serving as Ireland's Ombudsman
In 2003, Emily O'Reilly was appointed as Ireland's Ombudsman and Information Commissioner. As the Ombudsman, her job was to make sure that public services treated people fairly. As the Information Commissioner, she helped people get access to information held by the government.
She received her official appointment from the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese. When asked about her job title, she said she was happy to be called either "Ombudsman" or "Ombudswoman."
In 2007, she was also given the role of Commissioner for Environmental Information. This meant she helped people find out information about the environment. She was so respected in her roles that she was appointed for a second term in 2009. She left these positions in 2013 to take on her new European role.
Fighting for Fairness and Openness
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During her time as the Irish Ombudsman, O'Reilly spoke about the importance of public bodies being easy to contact. She was concerned that many organizations were using call centers and websites instead of talking to people directly. She pointed out that not everyone has internet access, so it's important to have other ways to communicate.
She also believed that the government should be more open. She argued that laws about freedom of information should apply to more organizations, including the police (Garda Síochána) and major banks. This would make it easier for citizens to see what these powerful groups were doing.
European Ombudsman
In 2013, the European Parliament elected O'Reilly as the European Ombudsman. This is a very important job that involves helping people across all the countries in the European Union. If a citizen has a problem with an EU institution, like the European Commission, they can complain to the Ombudsman.
O'Reilly's job was to investigate these complaints and find fair solutions. She was re-elected for five more years in 2014 and again in 2019. Her final term as European Ombudsman ended in December 2024.
