Morning Ireland

John trained at the School of Journalism in Rathmines in Dublin before taking up his first job as a junior reporter with the Tallaght Echo in 1983. Six months later, he headed south to the Cork Examiner. There he stayed for six years before taking the plunge into broadcasting when he moved to the new independent station Cork 96FM. In 1992, he returned to Dublin as a general reporter with RTÉ.

During his three years at RTÉ, John presented Morning Ireland with one of the original presenting team, the legendary David Hanly. In 1995, he accepted an offer to work as a media adviser with the then-leader of the Progressive Democrats, Mary Harney TD. Two years later, he was appointed Deputy Government Press Secretary as the party entered coalition with Fianna Fáil.

In 2000, John left for China where his wife Miriam Donohoe had taken up a posting with the Irish Times. Two years later, he returned to Ireland for a brief spell in the PR business. But the lure of broadcasting proved irresistible and, in 2003, he returned to the airwaves as a business reporter on Morning Ireland. He is now one of the regular presenters along with Aine Lawlor, Cathal Mac Coille and Richard Downes.

John recently published his first book "Now That's What I Call Jargon", a humorous look at how people in public life mangle the English language. He is passionate about sport, especially rugby.

He has two teenage children, Stephen and Catherine.