In pictures: Charlie Bird's career — from early days to major milestones and iconic moments
Charlie News Photo: Rté Reporter (1980) Rte Archives Bird
Having joined RTÉ in 1974, Charlie Bird was present for some of the memorable moments in Irish history and culture — and for many, he was at the centre.
The journalist, who died aged 74, first joined the national broadcaster as a researcher in current affairs.
He began his career with RTÉ News in 1980, and is well-known for being the main point of contact between the IRA and the state broadcaster from 1993.
Bird broke many major stories while reporting on the Northern Ireland Peace Process.
One of the earliest stories in his career was the Stardust fire in Artane in Dublin in 1981 which killed 48 people. The tragedy held a special place in his heart and he remained in close contact with the families of those who lost their lives.
In 1998, along with his colleague George Lee, he exposed the corrupt practices and tax evasion at the National Irish Bank.
It led to a long court battle with former Fianna Fáil TD Beverly Cooper Flynn which Bird and Lee eventually won.
When 9/11 occurred, Bird was reporting in Columbia. According to RTÉ, he rushed to Mexico when the news broke and walked over the border to the US in order to get to New York to cover the story.
He would go on to cover the war in Iraq and in 2009, he took on the role of Washington Correspondent for RTÉ news.
One of his most memorable reports occurred during his time as Washington Correspondent.
While in the States, Charlie Bird paid a visit to the home of former Anglo Irish Bank Chief David Drumm in Cape Cod outside Boston. Bird and his camera crew rocked up to his home which at the time was valued at about $4.5m. He knocked on the door and shouted into the letterbox once he saw that Drumm was home. “It’s Charlie Bird from RTÉ. Why are you ducking down? I want to talk to you,” he said.
“There are tax payers at home in Ireland who would like some answers.”
Drumm did not answer the door but it made for an iconic moment in RTÉ broadcasting history.
After his time in the States, Bird returned to Ireland and produced which saw him head off on a number of adventures to remote but fascinating destinations including the Arctic, the River Ganges and the Amazon.
In 2012, he retired from RTÉ but there was still more to come from the journalist as he continued to write and campaign.
In 2021, he told the nation that he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease. He revealed the news while speaking to Joe Duffy on .
From there, he campaigned to raise awareness for the disease and was open about his own journey and the difficulties it brought, including the loss of his voice which was later replicated with the help of footage in the RTÉ Archive.
In April 2022, Bird and thousands of others climbed Croagh Patrick as part of the Climb with Charlie initiative. It raised over €3.5m for Pieta House and the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association.
In the same year, his book — written with RTÉ’s former chief news editor Ray Burke — won biography of the year at the An Post Irish Book Awards.
Charlie Bird's death was confirmed in a statement to RTÉ on Tuesday.