Fergal Keane

Fergal Keane appeared on Newstalk on Sunday 31 May

Click here to read the discussion

Click here to read and listen to his Letter to Daniel

Fergal Keane's lyrical and humane style have made him one of the BBC's best-known correspondents.

He was born in London in 1961 but was brought up and educated in Ireland. He began his career in journalism in 1979 as a reporter onthe Limerick Leader and Chronicle, before moving to the national daily newspaper, The Irish Press.

His first taste of broadcasting was with Radio and Television Eire, where he was a reporter/presenter from 1984 to 1987, later reporting from Belfast for the station. Fergal joined the BBC in 1989 as Northern Ireland Correspondent.

In August 1990, he was appointed Southern Africa Correspondent, after having covered the regions during the early 1980's. It is probably with this region that he is most strongly associated. Fergal 's reports covered the township unrest in South Africa, Mandela's increasing popularity and the first multi-racial elections following the end of apartheid.

During this time he travelled the length and breadth of the country from the white farms of the Northern Transvaal to the vast townships of the Witwatersand. From this experience he wrote a book "The Bondage of Fear" primarily about the experience of ordinary South Africans as history propelled them towards a new uncharted country.

As Southern Africa correspondent he also covered the civil war in Rwanda. "I had seen war before, I had seen the face of cruelty, but Rwanda belonged in a nightmare zone where my capacity to understand, much less rationalise, was overwhelmed." He wrote the book "Season of Blood" about his experiences reporting such a harrowing story.

In 1995, Fergal became the BBC's Asia correspondent, covering all the main stories in the region; from the Tokyo gas attacks in January of that year until the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule on July 1st 1997.

Fergal Keane has won numerous awards for his radio and television reports. He belongs to a well known Irish literary and theatrical family and his hobbies include theatre, poetry and traditional Irish music which he plays. In 1996 Fergal was awarded an OBE for his services to journalism.