Michael O'Regan (3 November 1953 – 18 February 2024) was an Irish journalist, political analyst and broadcaster. He came into prominence after his coverage of the Kerry babies tribunal. O'Regan then specialised in
Irish politics
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, where his reporting on
Leinster House
Leinster House () is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Originally, it was the ducal palace of the Duke of Leinster, Dukes of Leinster.
Since 1922, it has been a complex of buildings which houses Oirea ...
and expertise on the subject became what he was best known for. He worked for prominent Irish newspapers, most notably reporting for ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' from 1981 to 2019, and appeared as an expert on domestic radio and TV.
Early life
Born on 3 November 1954 in Annagh,
County Kerry
County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...
, O'Regan was the third of five children of Patrick and Mary O'Regan. His father was a baker while his mother looked after their small farm. Following his second-level schooling, O'Regan won a scholarship to Rathmines College of Commerce and qualified from the first national course in journalism in 1972.
Career
After college, O'Regan got a job as a junior reporter with ''
The Kerryman
''The Kerryman'' is a weekly local newspaper published in County Kerry in Ireland by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper was founded in 1904 by Maurice Griffin and cousins Thomas and Daniel Nolan. Independe ...
'' and '' The Corkman'' newspapers. He won the Benson & Hedges National Award for Outstanding Work in Provincial Journalism in 1980, which resulted in him joining ''The Irish Times'' as a general reporter a year later. O'Regan covered the Kerry babies tribunal in 1985, before being appointed Dáil reporter in 1988. He was a cornerstone of the newspaper's political coverage for more than 30 years.
It was this appointment that began his career as a successful political editor as opposed to a general reporter, and he continued to work from Leinster House until his retirement. He particularly enjoyed analysing potential electoral outcomes and the motives of decisions of politicians such as
Charles Haughey
Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who led four governments as Taoiseach: December 1979 to June 1981, March to December 1982, March 1987 to June 1989, and June 1989 to February 1992 ...
,
Dick Spring
Richard Martin Spring (born 29 August 1950) is an Irish former Labour Party (Ireland), Labour Party politician who served as Tánaiste from 1982 to 1987, 1992 to November 1994, and December 1994 to 1997, Leader of the Labour Party (Ireland), L ...
, and
Albert Reynolds
Albert Martin Reynolds (3 November 1932 – 21 August 2014) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994. He held various cabinet positions between 1979 and 1991, including Ministe ...
.
He made regular appearances on current affairs shows on
RTÉ
(; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
,
Newstalk
Newstalk (formerly NewsTalk 106) is a national independent radio station in Ireland. It is operated by News 106 Limited, a subsidiary of Bauer Media Audio Ireland, and broadcasts under a sound broadcasting contract with the Broadcasting Aut ...
, and
TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to:
Television
*Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso
* Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger
* Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala
* Can ...
, while he had a weekly ''Call from the Dáil'' slot on
Radio Kerry
Radio Kerry is a full-service, licensed radio station that operates from the franchise area of County Kerry in Southwest Ireland.
Radio Kerry was established in 1989 and began broadcasting on 14 July 1990.
Personal life
O'Regan's brother, Gerard, was also involved in journalism as editor of three national newspapers, while his younger sister Eilish was the ''
Irish Independent
The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...
'' health correspondent. He married Elizabeth Henry, a nurse from
Sligo
Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...
, in 1984. His daughters, Deirdre and Alyson, continued the family tradition of journalism, taking up jobs with ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' and the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
. His daughter Deirdre gave birth to a daughter in July 2019.
O'Regan was diagnosed with a tumour in his leg in July 2018 and this was followed by
kidney failure
Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...
and
multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...
, a
blood cancer
Tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (American English) or tumours of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (British English) are tumors that affect the blood, bone marrow, lymph, and lymphatic system. Because these tissues are al ...
. He died suddenly on 18 February 2024 at the age of 70.