Vincent Browne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vincent Browne
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Browne in 2011
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| Born | 17 July 1944 Broadford, County Limerick, Ireland
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| Education | Castleknock College |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin (UCD) |
| Occupation | Broadcaster and journalist |
| Employer | The Irish Times, The Sunday Business Post, TV3 |
| Known for | Presenting TV3's Tonight with Vincent Browne |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Browne |
| Children | Emma Julia |
Vincent Browne (born 17 July 1944) is a well-known Irish journalist and broadcaster. He writes columns for The Irish Times and The Sunday Business Post. He also used to be a lawyer, but he doesn't practice law anymore. For many years, he hosted popular TV and radio shows where he discussed important news and politics.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Vincent Browne was born in 1944. He grew up in a place called Broadford in County Limerick, Ireland. He went to the local primary school there.
He also spent a year learning the Irish language at Coláiste na Rinne in An Rinn, County Waterford. After that, he attended Queen of Angel's secondary school in Dromcolliher, County Limerick. Later, he went to Castleknock College.
Vincent Browne studied at University College Dublin (UCD). He earned a degree in Politics and Economics. While at UCD, he started the College Tribune, which is the oldest student newspaper still running there. He was also the chairperson for the Young Fine Gael group at UCD.
His Career in Media
Vincent Browne has had a long and interesting career in journalism. He started working on RTÉ's famous The Late Late Show for a few months in 1967–68.
Early Journalism Work
In 1968, he reported on the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia for The Irish Times. This was a big news event at the time. He then edited a news magazine called Nusight from 1969 to 1970.
In 1970, he became the Northern news editor for The Irish Press group. He covered the difficult period of the Northern Ireland conflict. In 1974, he joined Independent Newspapers and worked for the Sunday Independent.
Launching Magazines
Vincent Browne helped start Magill magazine in 1977. This magazine became famous for its investigative stories in Ireland. He was the editor of Magill until 1983.
He also helped relaunch the Sunday Tribune newspaper. He was its editor until 1994. Since then, he has written a weekly column for The Irish Times. He also started writing for The Sunday Business Post in 2000.
In 1997, he brought Magill magazine back. During this time, the magazine uncovered several important stories. One story led to a big investigation called the Planning Tribunal. Another story caused an investigation into a tax issue called the DIRT scandal. He sold Magill in 1998.
In 2004, he launched another current affairs magazine called Village. It stopped publishing for a while but was later relaunched with a new editor. Vincent Browne still writes a column for Village magazine.
Broadcasting Career
For ten years, Vincent Browne hosted a radio show called Tonight with Vincent Browne on RTÉ Radio 1. He also presented other TV shows like Questions and Answers and Prime Time on RTÉ television.
From 2007 to 2017, he hosted Tonight with Vincent Browne on TV3. This was a nightly TV show about current events. Even though it was on late at night, it was very popular and had many viewers. He stepped down from this role in 2017.
Privacy and Journalism
Vincent Browne was involved in a situation where his phone calls were listened to by the Irish state for several years. This happened between 1975 and 1983. When this was revealed, he took legal action against the state.
He reached an agreement with the state in 1997. The agreement stated that his calls were intercepted for state security reasons. However, it also confirmed that Vincent Browne was never involved in any wrongdoing. He later said that the real reason for listening to his calls seemed to be to gather information about his work as a journalist.
His Views on Politics
Vincent Browne has always been very interested in politics. In 1994, he tried to become a candidate for the Fine Gael political party in the European elections. However, the leader of Fine Gael, John Bruton, did not choose him. After this, Vincent Browne often shared his critical views about the party.
He was also a strong critic of Enda Kenny, who later became the leader of Fine Gael and the Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland). In 1982, Vincent Browne appeared on The Late Late Show and questioned Enda Kenny's effectiveness as a politician.
In 2010, Vincent Browne had to apologize to Enda Kenny for a joke he made on air. The joke was about Fine Gael's position in opinion polls. Enda Kenny later refused to appear on a leaders' debate hosted by Vincent Browne on TV3 during the 2011 general election.
In 2012, he voted "No" in the 2012 Irish European Fiscal Compact referendum. This was a vote about a new financial agreement in Europe.
Personal Life
Vincent Browne is married and has two daughters. In 2011, he sold his home in Dalkey to help pay off debts from starting Village magazine and to save for his retirement. He now lives in Dún Laoghaire.
Images for kids
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Browne in 2011
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Vincent Browne speaks as Richard Boyd Barrett watches on.
