Fionnuala Sweeney facts for kids

Fionnuala Sweeney, born in 1965, is a well-known Irish journalist and TV presenter. She has worked as an anchor and reporter for CNN, a major news channel. Fionnuala has been based at CNN's main office in Atlanta, USA, and also at their London office. Many people might remember her as the host of the Eurovision Song Contest 1993, which took place in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland.

Early Life and Education

Fionnuala Sweeney was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1965. She lived there until she was 12 years old. After that, her family moved to Dublin, the capital city of Ireland.

She went to University College Dublin for her higher education. There, she earned a special degree in English and History. She also completed a diploma in Education, which means she studied how to teach.

Career in Broadcasting

Fionnuala Sweeney has had a long and interesting career in both radio and television. She is known for her clear voice and ability to report on important news stories.

Starting in Radio

Fionnuala began her journey in broadcasting in 1987. She started as a newscaster on a radio station called Energy Power 103 FM in Dublin. This station was sometimes called a "Superpirate" radio station because it operated without a full official license at the time. She helped host a morning show called "Wake Up With Energy."

In 1988, she moved to RTÉ 2FM, which is a national radio station in Ireland. After working there as a newscaster, she soon moved into television news for RTÉ. In 2018, she returned to radio for a short time. She co-hosted a political discussion show called "Late Debate" on RTÉ Radio 1.

Television Journalism

While working as a television journalist for RTÉ, Fionnuala had a very special role. She was the only host of the 38th Eurovision Song Contest in 1993. This is a huge international music competition.

After Eurovision, Fionnuala joined CNN, a global news network. She first worked as an anchor at CNN's main office in Atlanta. Later, she moved with CNN to London. In London, she anchored news programs like World News Europe. She also traveled often to report from places like the Middle East and other parts of Europe.

Fionnuala also hosted a show called Design 360. This program explored how design works, its social impact, and its influence around the world.

In 2002, she became the anchor for Your World Today. She also hosted International Correspondents, a weekly show that looked at how global news stories were covered. Later, she returned to Atlanta. There, she hosted CNN Newsroom and often filled in as the main anchor for The International Desk.

Awards and Recognition

Fionnuala Sweeney has been part of news teams that have won important awards for their reporting.

In 2006, she reported from Haifa during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. For this coverage, CNN received an Edward R. Murrow Award. This award recognizes excellent journalism.

In 2012, she was part of the CNN news team that won an Emmy Award. This Emmy was for their live coverage of a major news event: the "Revolution in Egypt" in 2011, when President Mubarak stepped down. This coverage also earned the network a Peabody Award, another highly respected award in broadcasting. In the same year, she was also part of a team nominated for another Emmy for their coverage of the "Libya Revolution" in 2011.

See also

• List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters