Martin O'Brien

This article is about the journalist. For the humanitarian, see Martin O'Brien (humanitarian).

Martin O'Brien is an Irish journalist and producer with BBC Northern Ireland.

Personal life

O'Brien was born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.^{[citation needed]}

He is a graduate in Politics and Scholastic Philosophy from Queen's University, Belfast, and served on the university's Senate from 1982 to 2006.^{[citation needed]} He was the recipient of the Irish Association's Montgomery Medal in 1993 for his Queens University's Master's dissertation on Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Irish policy.^[1]

Career

O'Brien began his journalistic career as a reporter with the Belfast Telegraph.^[2] Before joining the BBC, he was Editor of The Irish News from 1982 to 1984. At his appointment, at the age of 27, he was believed to be the youngest daily newspaper editor in the UK or Ireland.^[3]

He is Associate Producer and originator^[4] of "Our Man in the Vatican"^[5][6] the 2010 BBC (Northern Ireland) TV observational documentary trilogy depicting a year in the life of Francis Campbell^[7][8], then United Kingdom Ambassador to the Holy See - and its sequel "Our Man in the Vatican: The Papal Visit"^{[citation needed]} which was broadcast shortly after the Pope's visit to Britain. It captured Ambassador Campbell's role in the planning and organisation of Benedict XVI's State visit to Britain.

O'Brien is currently a producer in network development in Northern Ireland. From 1995 to 2011 he produced Sunday Sequence, BBC Radio Ulster's weekly religious affairs and ethics programme, winning four Andrew Cross Awards in religious affairs broadcasting.^[9] Previously he produced Good Morning Ulster and Sunday Newsbreak, winning a Radio Academy Sony Award.

References

1. ^ Martin O'Brien, 'Margaret Thatcher and Northern Ireland', Queens University Belfast Library, Sept 1993
2. ^ Richard Ford, 'Belfast editor's policy upsets Sinn Fein', The Times, 31 July 1982, p.2
3. ^ Hugh Oram, "The Newspaper Book: A History of Newspapers in Ireland" (Dublin: MO Books, 1983) p.332
4. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/2010/02/our_man_in_the_vatican_episode.html
5. ^ O'Brien, Martin (7 March 2010). "Blair lifted Catholic ban for 'Our Man In The Vatican'". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8514142.stm. Retrieved 3 June 2011. 
6. ^ "Barnmeen man Francis is 'Our man in the Vatican'". Outlook News. http://www.outlooknews.co.uk/articles/features/12787/barnmeen-man-francis-is-our-man-in-the-vatican/. Retrieved 3 June 2011. 
7. ^ The Irish News, 13 Feb 2010 p.38
8. ^ The Tablet, 13 Feb 2010, p.16
9. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/2006/06/sunday_sequence_wins_at_the_an.html

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