The (new) Lady of D'Olier Street
The weekend appointment of Geraldine Kennedy as editor of Ireland's most influential newspaper, The Irish Times, is a milestone in the Republic's media history, as she has become the first woman to hold such a senior post in the annals of Irish newspapers. Kennedy, the paper's political editor, replaces Conor Brady who saw daily circulation expand from 80,000 copies to almost 120,000 during his 16 years at the top. But Brady's reign ended under darkening clouds — "The Old Lady of D'Olier Street" was forced to endure unprecedented public criticism of its management strategy and 250 staff were let go earlier this year in a dramatic attempt to cut costs. And then there was the embarrassing and expensive scandal involving managing director Nick "The English Impatient" Chapman during which the paper's reputation for prudence was severely damaged.
So, Kennedy is taking over at a difficult time and things won't be any easier for her given reports that Maeve Donovan, the paper's managing director, wanted The Irish Times to begin "with a clean slate" and had favoured an outsider for the job. And, of course, Kennedy will have to work with the unsuccessful internal candidates for the job: columnist Fintan O'Toole and associate editor, Cliff Taylor.
Back in August, Taylor was regarded as favourite for the editor's chair but ultimately he lacked the public profile of his rivals. O'Toole, on the other hand, is a brilliant and popular columnist, but his leftist tendencies frighten the business community. His antipathy towards Fianna Fᩬ, the majority party in the ruling coalition government, goes down well in the paper, but Kennedy has more impressive credentials in that area. She became a household name in the 1980s after clashing with the then Fianna Fail government, which tapped her phone to establish the source of leaks. In 1987, she successfully sued the state for invasion of privacy and in the same year she was elected to the Dail as a Progressive Democrat deputy and became the party spokesperson on foreign affairs and Northern Ireland.
Geraldine Kennedy is a formidable persona with many friends, but the list of her enemies inside and outside The Irish Times is impressive.
