Veteran RTE correspondent announces shock retirement

"It's been an honour."

The north-west correspondent for the national broadcast made the announcement on social media, saying that she will be "packing up the microphone and camera."

Magnier worked for the broadcaster for 39 years, serving as north-west correspondent for 34 of those years, with her retirement following that of her colleague Bryan Dobson.

“I’ve decided to retire early and start on the bucket list. It's been an honour to work as NW Corr for 34 years,” she wrote in a post on X.

“Sincere thanks to all who shared their stories with me and my fantastic colleagues especially all those in the regions.”

Veteran RTE correspondent Eileen Magnier announces shock retirement

The Kilkenny native began her career in RTE as a junior reporter in the early 1980s and went on to become the first female correspondent at the broadcaster.

Five years after she joined the broadcaster, she was named as north-west correspondent, where she initially covered Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan, replacing Tommy Gorman.

Her coverage has included many major moments in history for the north-west of the country, including the Creeslough tragedy in Donegal in October 2022.

Time to pack up the @rtenews mic and camera. I've decided to retire early and start on the bucket list! It's been an honour to work as NW Corr for 34 years. Sincere thanks to all who shared their stories with me & my fantastic colleagues especially all those in the regions. pic.twitter.com/n95eCroA4B

— EileenMagnier (@EileenMagnier) April 10, 2024

In a statement released to RTE today, Ms Magnier said the role provided a "front row seat to every big story that has happened" and she has "been delighted to work on some of the really positive things that have been going on in the northwest region and beyond".

She added that during this time she "reported on a huge amount of tragedy which I hope I did in an empathetic and respectful way".

"The job of a regional correspondent is a unique and very important one and I am very proud to have been part of the RTE News team around the country,” she said.

"It can be a tough job, emotionally draining, physically exhausting but also hugely satisfying and as a team, I know we all do our best to represent the people of the areas we cover in the true spirit of public service broadcasting.”

Ms Magnier will finish her reporting duties with the national broadcast on Thursday, May 2.