By Kate Heaney
RTE’s first female correspondent, who brought the news from the north west to the national broadcaster for the past 35 years, will retire from the job which made her a household name here, next Thursday.
Eileen Magnier, north west correspondent with RTE since 1989, this week shared her memories of those years, good and bad, with the Donegal News.
Mother of three adult children and wife of retired school teacher TJ Kilgallon, Eileen is looking forward to stepping down from what was a mostly enjoyable, but demanding job. The tragic stories she covered have also left their mark.
She and TJ plan to travel a lot more and have a number of big music legends’ concert tickets for the coming months and are looking forward to their son’s return from Australia in May.
A native of Kilkenny, Eileen got her first job after college in the People’s News in Wexford.
In 1984 RTE ran a junior’s training course which Eileen signed up for and after the six months sampling every aspect of radio and television she got a job with the national broadcaster.
“I worked on 2FM News when it started and a programme called Slants. I worked with Pat Kenny, John Bowman and Marian Finucane. I really enjoyed working with Pat Kenny, we did a lot of fun stuff as well as very interesting stories.
“Back then we had really big heavy recorders and I have the dinge in my shoulder to this day from carrying that gear around.
“Sligo became my base in 1989 when I got the job of north west reporter because the studio was there and that was well before the internet and all the satellite communications we now have. Back then I also covered Monaghan and Cavan as well as Derry during the Troubles.
“Then there was the Morris Tribunal,” she explained.
Recently she came across her old pager which she now describes as an antique and her original mobile telephone from 1984 which is the size of a breeze block. Her number has remained the same since then bar the addition of one digit.
With the huge changes the internet and wi-fi have brought it made the job of getting the news easier in some ways.
“Back in the day we had to get back to the studio in Sligo to get the report edited and ready for broadcasting, be it on television or radio. Now with all the technology we can edit it on the road and go into a hotel and send it on broadband or through one of our satellite vans. They can also be brought out to the scene of a major story.
“When I started as north west reporter there were five of us in the office – a researcher, editing person, sound and camera people and me.
Now it is just me and a freelance camera person. It has been pared back a lot in terms of personnel. I have a special app on my phone now that I can do live interviews and send it through to the station.
“While advances in technology have been great in a multitude of ways it does increase the skills required and there is more pressure with everything having to be instant,” she said.
One of the positives of all of the new technology today is the thousands of messages Eileen received on social media when she announced her retirement from RTÉ on April 10.
“It was lovely to see those messages. People wishing me good luck and thanking me. Even though I never met many of them, it was heart-warming to see that people had a trust in the news I brought them. My job brought me into their homes through the news reports on a regular basis.”
Her journalistic work has been recognised by two John Healy Awards, a Community Games Association Award, an AT Cross Woman Journalist of the Year Award and two Justice Media Awards.
Eileen explained that as a reporter you would have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by the tragic stories she has covered from the county over the years.
“The loss of the Carrickatine with six crew was the first big tragedy from the county I covered.
Then the eight young men who died in that terrible car crash. Creeslough was horrific with the loss of ten people in such difficult circumstances.
I am a human being first and you would have to be made of stone not to be affected by these awful events and loss.
I have always been respectful and try to put myself in the shoes of the people affected.
As Eileen prepares to depart the station, a colleague showed her a list from the archive of all the stories she has covered since she began in her present role and it amounts to thousands.
“I recall the electrification of Gola Island and the first ambulance for Arranmore. Coney Island off Sligo only got electricity in my lifetime. I have always loved going to the offshore islands.
“I was delighted to get a call from Daniel O’Donnell wishing me well, as I would have regularly covered his hugely popular tea parties.
“Great occasions which stand out in my memory include Packie Bonner and Italia 90 when he saved the penalty and we were in Burtonport for the homecoming and we went to Glasgow to cover his testimonial. I was there in 1992 when Donegal won the first All-Ireland,” she recalled.
On the recent controversy which has engulfed the national broadcaster, Eileen said it was very upsetting for staff.
“To see the way different people in the organisation were treated differently was upsetting. We just had to get on with our jobs and in fairness, our unions were very good at expressing our displeasure at it all.”
Another item on Eileen’s to do list is to get back to Donegal with TJ to spend more time here without the ever-looming deadlines the job demanded.
“I want to be able to come and visit Sliabh Liag and Glenveagh and Fanad and stay over and enjoy it all without having to rush away.
“To see other parts of the county I would have driven through without stopping.
“Donegal people have been really good to me over the years, so kind and accepting.
“You can expect to see me anywhere in the county in the future,” she concluded.
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