Miriam O’Callaghan is one of Ireland’s most well-known and respected presenters in television and radio. A winner of many awards for her work including IFTAs, Celtic Media Torcs and Justice Media Awards, Miriam works today primarily as a Broadcast Journalist with RTÉ.
Born and raised in Dublin, Miriam went to University College Dublin aged just 16 to study Law and qualified as a solicitor. She also holds a post graduate Diploma in European Law from UCD. During her time as a lawyer, Miriam worked pro bono for the Free Legal Aid Centres in Dublin.
After being interviewed by the BBC as a young lawyer in Dublin, Miriam got the urge to change career and to go into broadcasting. Her first job was in UK television working as a researcher on ITV’s This is your Life, when one of the biggest stars at the time, Irish man Eamonn Andrews, was presenting it. In 1987, she joined the BBC as a BBC producer working on shows such as Kilroy and Family Matters.
In 1989 she was headhunted by BBC Newsnight and became a reporter on that programme for almost 10 years, even continuing to work for the show after returning to Ireland to work for RTÉ.
In the early ‘90s Miriam made a decision to return to Ireland as she had very young children and wanted them to grow up near their grandparents. She was asked by RTÉ to join them as a presenter on a financial programme called Marketplace. In 1996, Miriam began to present RTÉ’s current affairs flagship programme Prime Time, while continuing to cover the Northern Irish peace process for Newsnight.
Miriam anchored much of RTÉ’s coverage of the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland. This involved Miriam travelling to New York to interview both Bill and Hillary Clinton and to also hosting a major event in Belfast City Hall where she interviewed the Clintons, Tony Blair the former UK Prime Minister and Senator George Mitchell.
Miriam is also particularly proud of one moment in her career when she helped to win the accolade ‘Ireland’s Greatest’ for the incredible peacemaker Joh Hume by making a documentary for RTÉ on John and then convincing the Irish public to vote for him over many other candidates, in a public vote.
In recent years Miriam has also made numerous documentaries for RTÉ.
As well as winning an IFTA for best television personality, Miriam has won Ireland’s most stylish, a Justice Media Award for her standout Prime Time interview with Praveen Halappanavar, and a Celtic Media Award for best TV current affairs show for a special documentary on the life of Carers.
Miriam also presents her own radio show on RTÉ Radio 1, Sunday with Miriam. For fourteen years, Miriam also presented her own summer chat show Saturday Night with Miriam.
Miriam is a patron of many charities including Ireland’s only children’s Hospice for children Laura Lynn, Carers Ireland, Cliona’s Foundation and The NMH Foundation. Miriam also supports many other charitable causes throughout the year.