1. Charles Brown Bird was an Irish journalist and broadcaster.
22 Facts About Charlie Bird
1. 2.
Charlie Bird was Chief News Correspondent with RTE News until January 2009.
3.
Charlie Bird took up the role of Washington Correspondent, but prematurely returned to his earlier post in Ireland in June 2010.
4.
Charles Brown Charlie Bird was born in Sandymount, Dublin on 9 September 1949.
5.
Subsequently, Charlie Bird was recruited into RTE by Workers' Party member Eoghan Harris in the mid-1970s.
6.
Charlie Bird began his career in RTE as a writer responding to fan mail for a children's show, and later became a researcher before moving into a position in the newsroom in 1980.
7.
For many years in the 1990s, Charlie Bird was the only point of contact between RTE and the Provisional IRA.
8.
Charlie Bird witnessed first-hand the ceasefires and the subsequent twists and turns of the peace process.
9.
Charlie Bird covered the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in the early 90s and the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
10.
Charlie Bird covered domestic stories such as a 2004 horse-doping scandal including Cian O'Connor and the story of the Colombia Three, three Irish Republicans charged with providing training to FARC rebels.
11.
Charlie Bird was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from University College Dublin in 2004.
12.
Charlie Bird was attacked during the Dublin riots of 25 February 2006, suffering a fractured cheekbone, soft tissue damage and bruising.
13.
Bird presented the Charlie Bird Explores series in 2006,2007 and 2008.
14.
On 7 October 2008, Charlie Bird was announced to become the RTE News and Current Affairs Washington correspondent in January 2009.
15.
Charlie Bird provided coverage from the 2010 Haiti earthquake in January 2010.
16.
Charlie Bird returned to Ireland to take up his previous job of Chief News Correspondent with RTE in June 2010.
17.
Charlie Bird covered a high-profile leadership challenge of Enda Kenny on his return.
18.
Charlie Bird retired from RTE on 26 August 2012; his last broadcast was presenting The Marian Finucane Show on RTE Radio 1.
19.
Charlie Bird presented Tonight with Vincent Browne on TV3 between 29 August and 1 September 2016.
20.
On 27 October 2021, Charlie Bird announced that he had developed motor neurone disease, after experiencing problems with his voice.
21.
Charlie Bird subsequently announced "Climb For Charlie", a campaign where he and other celebrities would climb Croagh Patrick to raise awareness of the condition.
22.
On 12 June 2022, the Sunday World reported that Charlie Bird had selected his burial place.