Henry McDonald (writer) facts for kids

Henry Patrick McDonald (born 6 July 1965 – died 19 February 2023) was a well-known journalist and author from Northern Ireland. He worked as a correspondent for major newspapers like The Guardian and Observer. Later in his career, starting in 2021, he became the political editor for The News Letter, a daily newspaper based in Belfast.

Growing Up in Belfast

Henry Patrick McDonald was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1965. He went to St Malachy's College for his schooling. After a short time at Edinburgh University, he earned his degree from Queen's University Belfast.

When he was younger, McDonald was involved with the Workers' Party. This was a political group that started from Sinn Féin in the early 1970s. It had connections to a former armed organization. In the early 1980s, he even traveled to East Germany with the youth part of this group.

His Career as a Journalist

After studying journalism at Dublin City University, Henry McDonald started his writing career in 1989. His first job was at The Irish News, a newspaper in Belfast. He wrote a lot about a difficult period in Northern Ireland's history known as the Troubles. He focused especially on groups involved in the conflict, like the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA).

He co-wrote a book about the INLA called INLA – Deadly Divisions with his cousin, Jack Holland. This book came out in 1994. McDonald also wrote about other groups, like the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the UDA, with Jim Cusack. He wrote a book about Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble. He also wrote a personal story called Colours: Ireland – From Bombs to Boom and, in 2017, Martin McGuinness: A Life Remembered. For a while, he was a security reporter for the BBC in Belfast.

In 1997, McDonald became the Ireland correspondent for The Observer. He then took on the same role for The Guardian in 2007. From 2018 to 2020, he worked from the newspaper's London office. After that, he returned to Belfast. There, he wrote for The Sunday Times and worked as the political editor for The News Letter.

Writing Novels

Henry McDonald also wrote fiction books. His first novel, The Swinging Detective, was published in 2017. His second novel, Two Souls, came out in 2019. He was working on a third novel, called Thy Will Be Done, when he passed away.

His Life and Passing

Henry McDonald was a big fan of football. He supported the Irish League team Cliftonville and the English team Everton.

He married Claire Breen in 1996, and they had three children together before they divorced. He also spent 12 years in a relationship with author June Caldwell. During that time, he lived in Dublin and taught journalism at the Dublin Business School and the Irish Writers Centre. At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with Charlotte Blease.

In 2018, Henry McDonald was diagnosed with a serious illness. He passed away in a hospital in Belfast on 19 February 2023, at the age of 57.