23-year-old Cathal Dowd from Wexford is the newest addition to the news2day team, and he made his TV debut this week! Press play up top to see Cathal's first report.
Tune in to news2day weekdays during the school term at 4.20pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
The team are delighted to welcome Cathal to the show. The young Wexford man will join Florence Okojie in studio, as well as hitting the road visiting schools during the new term.
Following a call-out by RTÉ to media and journalism graduates across the country, and a comprehensive audition process, Cathal was chosen to join the team. Florence sat down with her new colleague with some questions to get to know him better, but read on find out more about him. He spoke to us about his new presenter and reporter role.
The new man on the team says: "I am absolutely delighted to be joining the news2day team. It's such an exciting and surreal opportunity to be able to be part of a show that I watched growing up. To now be in the place of people who shaped my early love for news and media is an absolute honour.
"It’s going to be a fantastic experience to be part of this wonderful team and to help bring news and current affairs to screens and classrooms across the country, keeping them up to date with all that's happening in the world. Most of all, I’m really looking forward to meeting people, from schools and elsewhere, all over the nation and sharing their stories with the children of Ireland."
More about Cathal
Cathal, from Wexford Town, attended the Mercy and CBS Primary schools before attending St Peter's College secondary school.
Cathal says: "Back in my schooldays I was a big fan of History and English. I loved when we got to read books and stories in class, and these subjects were always full of stories. I'd get to play soccer at break almost every day with my class, which was great for me as a big soccer fan. I supported my local League of Ireland team Wexford Youths (now Wexford FC) and in the Premier League I supported Manchester United. I also played soccer for my school in five-a-side tournaments and my own team Forth Celtic at the weekends."
In 2022 he started at Dublin City University and studied Journalism for three years - he only graduated this year. During his time in college, Cathal worked in a number of different media roles including covering local news at WLR FM, as a sportswriter at Balls.ie, and commentating and reporting on League of Ireland games with Wexford FC.
Cathal loves all thing's news and current affairs, this is his first time presenting television. As you might have guessed, he is a huge sports fan. (Hope he likes the headline.) His favourite hobbies are soccer, running and golf. So, expect some action-packed reports this year! He also loves reading, poetry and writing in his free time.
And now for some tough questions...what's your favourite?...
- BOOK: Far from the Madding Crowd
- FILM: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
- MUSIC: Fontaines DC
- FOOD: Salami Pizza
- COLOUR: Orange
Visit rte.ie/news2day to get the latest from the show and to see the video archive.
And head over to RTÉ Kids for more great content for young people.
