RTÉ News haso announced the appointment of Galway-native Ailbhe Conneely as its new Social Affairs & Religion Correspondent. For the past 17-years Ailbhe has worked as a news reporter across all RTÉ platforms, including as a member of RTÉ’s political staff for seven years, reporting on events in the Houses of the Oireachtas and the European Parliament.
She will be responsible for reporting and providing analysis of social affairs and religion issues across RTÉ News’ television, radio and digital platforms.
Ailbhe who is from Portumna and a graduate of NUI Galway, began working for RTÉ in 2003, as the first co-presenter and reporter of the dedicated RTÉ children’s news programme news2day. Previously, she worked in the newsroom at Galway Bay fm.
A trained video journalist, Ms Conneely has travelled to the United States and Europe with the Taoiseach for a trade mission and Brexit talks respectively. She also reported on the first International Congress of Parliamentary Women’s Caucuses held in Dublin Castle in 2018 and the visit by Pope Franci’ to the European Parliament in Strasbourg in 2014.
She was assigned to report extensively on the Referendum on the Eighth Amendment for RTÉ News. She followed the work on the Oireachtas Eighth Amendment Committee, until the introduction of abortion services in Ireland in 2019 and continues to this day. A year after the Referendum on the Eighth Amendment Ms Conneely produced and presented a podcast titled Voices of the 8th, featuring some of the key figures from the referendum campaign sharing their views on the Referendum, abortion services in Ireland and the future of that service.
In her most recent role as reporter for RTÉ’s Nine O’Clock News she produced and reported a four-part series on direct provision. She also reported on sex for rent in Ireland, concerns over the lack of social workers in the country, gender identity and gender expression and mental health concerns in the Travelling community.
Speaking about her appointment Ailbhe said it was an honour to be appointed Social Affairs and Religion Correspondent for RTÉ.
“It’s a broad brief which covers a wide range of subjects such as housing, immigration, home care, mental health, disability, drug abuse and other under-reported issues.
“I aim to give a voice to those who struggle to make themselves heard. I also aim to reflect Ireland’s changing society through religious coverage,” she concluded.
