Charlie Bird was born in Sandymount, Dublin in 1949. He was educated at Sandymount High School but left before he completed his Leaving Certificate. After working with pirate radio stations Bird joined the RTÉ newsroom in the late 1970s and since then has covered most of the major domestic and international stories of the last quarter century. On the international front, Bird reported on both Gulf Wars and was the only Irish journalist in Syria for the release of Brian Keenan. For many years in the 1990s Bird was the only point of contact between RTÉ and the Provisional IRA. He witnessed at first hand the ceasefires and the subsequent twists and turns of the peace process. In 1998, Bird and his colleague George Lee broke the National Irish Bank story. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from University College Dublin in 2002.

He is currently the Chief News Correspondent with RTÉ News.

[Biography & Photo Copyright Wikipedia contributors (2006). Charlie Bird. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:12, April 29, 2006.]