Ronan bows out after half century
A NENAGH based newspaper reporter who has spent a half century working in the media industry is retiring after a distinguished career.
Ronan Dodd, from St Conlon’s Road, started his career as a teenager working as a messenger boy on Saturday night with The Sunday Press, part of The Irish Press stable of newspapers.
He was asked to cover the papal visit in 1979 in Irish for The Irish Press and that December was appointed to its sub-editing team, working alongside illustrious colleagues such as the famous author John Banville and the editor and renowned historian, Tim Pat Coogan. He had previously written reports in Irish on rugby for the paper, covering Ireland’s internationals and even Leinster schoolboy finals.
A Dubliner, Mr Dodd moved to Nenagh in 1986 after marrying Virginia O’Dowd, a teacher from Boyle in County Roscommon, who was on the teaching staff of St Mary’s Secondary School and who later went on to be elected as a Labour Party representative of Nenagh Town Council and North Tipperary County Council.
Mr Dodd worked as a freelance reporter when he came to Nenagh, filing stories from North Tipperary to local and national media and having his own weekly slot on RTÉ Radio One’s Na Ceithre hÁirde programme. He became assistant editor of the Wexford People, with responsibility for Ireland’s Own, in August 1987, before returning to work as a reporter with the Midland Tribune and serving for many years as chief sub-editor with the Limerick Leader newspaper.
Over the past 14 years he has served as a reporter with the Tipperary Star, including in the role of that newspaper’s Nenagh Correspondent.
In 2022, Mr Dodd won a National Justice in Media award and last December he appeared on the Six One news on RTÉ outside St Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh during the funeral of The Pogues’ frontman Shane MacGowan from where he delivered an insightful report into the close bonds the late famous singer had with the town.
Mr Dodd was congratulated by councillors at the last meeting he attended of the Nenagh Municipal District authority in the Civic Offices in Nenagh on Thursday last.
He told councillors he had really enjoyed his years working in journalism, the highlights of which included meeting the former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev at Shannon Airport; interviewing the multi-award winning Limerick born actor Richard Harris; covering the visit to Moneygall of the US President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama in 2011, and the visit of Queen Elizabeth the same year.
He is an award winning member of the Nenagh Players and in 2021 produced a radio adaptation of The Monkey’s Paw for the group on Tippfm. He also adapted CS Lewis’s A Grief Observed for stage, which he performed as part of the Dromineer Nenagh Literary Festival a number of years ago.