Fintan O'Toole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fintan O'Toole
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O'Toole in 2010
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| Born | 16 February 1958 Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation | Journalist, writer, critic |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
Fintan O'Toole (born 16 February 1958) is a well-known Irish journalist, writer, and critic. He has written for The Irish Times newspaper since 1988. He also worked as a drama critic for the New York Daily News and contributes to The New York Review of Books. Besides his newspaper work, O'Toole is an author who writes about history and politics.
In 2011, a newspaper called The Observer listed him as one of "Britain's top 300 intellectuals." From 2012 to 2013, he was a guest lecturer at Princeton University in the United States, teaching about Irish literature.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Fintan O'Toole was born in Dublin, Ireland, into a working-class family. He went to schools run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers in Crumlin. Later, he studied at University College Dublin (UCD). In 1978, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Philosophy from UCD.
Career Highlights
After finishing university, O'Toole started his career as a drama critic for In Dublin magazine in 1980. He then joined the Sunday Tribune newspaper in 1983, where he worked as a drama critic, literary editor, and feature writer. From 1986 to 1987, he was the editor of Magill magazine.
In 1988, O'Toole became a regular columnist for The Irish Times, writing articles twice a week. He took a break in 1990–1991 to advise the Abbey Theatre on literary matters. From 1997 to 2001, he was the drama critic for the New York Daily News in New York. In 2011, he was made the literary editor of The Irish Times. He also writes articles for The New York Review of Books and The Guardian.
In 2017, a publisher asked O'Toole to write the official life story of famous poet Seamus Heaney. He received the UCD Alumni Award in Arts & Humanities in 2018 for his contributions.
Fintan O'Toole's Views
Fintan O'Toole often shares his opinions on important issues. He has spoken out against negative attitudes towards immigrants in Ireland. He has also criticized the quality of Ireland's public services and the growing gap between rich and poor during times of economic growth.
He has also shared his thoughts on international events, like the Iraq War. He has also questioned the use of Shannon Airport by the U.S. military. In 2006, he spent six months in China, reporting for The Irish Times.
In 2012, O'Toole compared Ireland's Constitutional Convention to an old American political group. He suggested that the convention might not bring big changes if it didn't challenge powerful systems.
In 2019, after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, O'Toole suggested a plan to delay Brexit. He thought that some politicians should resign to create new elections, hoping to get more anti-Brexit voices in Parliament. However, this idea was criticized by some political leaders.
O'Toole has also written about American politics. In 2018, he wrote about how the Donald Trump administration's policies on immigration might be similar to fascism. In 2020, he wrote that Trump's handling of the COVID-19 crisis damaged America's image.
In a 2024 essay, O'Toole discussed William Shakespeare's plays. He believes Shakespeare's tragedies are not meant to teach us lessons about flaws. Instead, he sees them as powerful stories that show human emotions and experiences, even in difficult times.
Selected Publications
Fintan O'Toole has written many books and articles. Here are some of his notable works:
Books
- A Mass for Jesse James: A Journey Through 1980s Ireland, 1990
- Black Hole, Green Card: The Disappearance of Ireland, 1994
- Meanwhile Back at the Ranch: The Politics of Irish Beef, 1994
- Macbeth & Hamlet, 1995
- A Traitor’s Kiss: The Life of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1997
- The Ex-Isle of Ireland: Images of a Global Ireland, 1997
- The Lie of the Land, 1998
- The Irish Times Book of the Century, 1999
- Shakespeare is Hard But So is Life, 2002
- After The Ball, 2003
- Post Washington: Why America Can't Rule the World, 2005 (with Tony Kinsella)
- White Savage: William Johnson and the Invention of America, 2005
- The Irish Times Book of The 1916 Rising, 2006 (with Shane Hegarty)
- Ship of Fools, How Stupidity And Corruption Sank The Celtic Tiger, 2009
- Enough is Enough: How to Build a New Republic, 2010
- Up the Republic!: Towards a New Ireland (editor), 2012
- A History of Ireland in 100 Objects, 2013
- Modern Ireland in 100 Artworks, 2016
- Judging Shaw, 2017
- Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics of Pain, 2018
- The Politics of Pain: Postwar England and the Rise of Nationalism, 2019
- We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958, 2021
Articles
- Fintan O'Toole, "The King of Little England", The New York Review of Books, 2021. This article is about Boris Johnson.
- Fintan O'Toole, "Eldest Statesmen", The New York Review of Books, 2024. This article discusses politics and economic changes.
- Fintan O’Toole, “The Second Coming,” The New York Review of Books, 2024. This article talks about the possible return of Donald Trump to power.
Awards and Recognition
Fintan O'Toole has received many awards for his journalism and writing:
- 1993 AT Cross Award for Supreme Contribution to Irish Journalism
- 1994 Justice Award of the Incorporated Law Society
- 2000 Millennium Social Inclusion Award
- 2012 TV3 Tonight Show Journalist of the Year
- 2013 Irish Book Awards (Best Irish Published Book of the Year) for A History of Ireland in 100 Objects
- 2014 National LGBT Federation GALA Journalist/Broadcaster Award
- 2014 Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Letters by Queen's University Belfast
- 2017 European Press Prize (Commentator Award)
- 2017 Orwell Prize for Journalism
- 2017 Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Laws by NUI Galway
- 2017 NewsBrands Ireland Journalism Awards Broadsheet Columnist of the Year
- 2018 NewsBrands Ireland Journalism Awards Broadsheet Columnist of the Year
- 2018 University College Dublin UCD Alumni Award in Arts & Humanities
- 2019 Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Letters by Trinity College Dublin
- 2020 NewsBrands Ireland Journalism Awards Broadsheet Columnist of the Year
- 2020 Member of the Royal Irish Academy
- 2021 Irish Book Awards (Odgers Berndtson Non-Fiction Book of the Year) for We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958
- 2021 Irish Book Awards (An Post Irish Book of the Year) for We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958
- 2022 Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Letters by Glasgow University
- 2023 Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
- 2024 Robert B. Silvers Prize for Journalism
- 2024 Member of the American Philosophical Society
- 2024 Eire Society of Boston Gold Medal
