Jenny McCudden facts for kids

Jenny McCudden is an Irish journalist, writer, and television producer. She has worked in newspapers, radio, and TV. Jenny has presented news for BBC News in the UK and TV3 News in Ireland. She was even the Western Correspondent for TV3 for many years.

In 2012, Jenny became the editor of The Sligo Champion newspaper. She was the first woman to hold this important job. Jenny also wrote a book called Impact: The Human Stories Behind Ireland's Road Tragedies. This book was later made into a TV documentary. She has also written short stories and poems.

Jenny's Career Journey

Jenny McCudden grew up in Naas, County Kildare. She studied Journalism and French at Dublin City University. Later, she earned a master's degree in Writing from the National University of Ireland.

Starting in Journalism

Jenny began her career as a local reporter. She worked for newspapers like the Westmeath-Offaly Independent in Athlone. She also worked for Midlands Radio 3 in Tullamore. Later, she joined the Sunday World newspaper. For a short time in 2012, she was a reporter for the Irish Sun.

Working in Television News

When TV3 started in 1998, Jenny was one of its first news reporters. She worked on the TV3 News program. After a few years, she moved to the UK to work for the BBC.

Reporting for BBC News

Jenny spent five years at the BBC. She worked as a producer and reporter for BBC News. She was based in both Birmingham and London during this time.

Returning to TV3 News

In 2006, Jenny came back to TV3 News in Ireland. She became their Western Correspondent. This meant she reported on news from the western part of Ireland. She left TV3 in 2012 to go back to working with newspapers.

Becoming a Newspaper Editor

Later in 2012, Jenny became the editor of The Sligo Champion. This was a big moment because she was the first woman to edit the newspaper. The Sligo Champion was founded way back in 1836. She was also the first editor who hadn't worked there before.

Writing Books and Stories

Jenny wrote her first book, Impact: The Human Stories Behind Ireland's Road Tragedies. She decided to write it after seeing many road accidents as a journalist. She explained that her job often took her to the scenes of serious crashes.

The Book and TV Documentary

Her book led to a two-part TV documentary. It was called Impact: Tragedy on Irish Roads. This program aired on TV3 in March 2010. The famous broadcaster Gay Byrne presented the documentary. It featured interviews with families affected by road accidents. It also included stories from people who survived.

Gay Byrne, who was the head of the Road Safety Authority, wanted to present the show. He became interested after Jenny sent him a copy of her book.

Other Writings

Jenny has also written fiction and poetry. Some of her work was published in a collection called Three Times Daily in 2010. One of her stories, "Fallow," appeared in The Irish Times newspaper in December 2011. She was also a special guest reader at the 2009 Cúirt International Festival of Literature.

Television Appearances

• TV3 News (1998–2001, 2006–2012)
• BBC News (2001–2006)
• Impact: Tragedy on Irish Roads (2010)