Richard Downes

Richard Downes is an Irish broadcaster and journalist. He has worked for the Press Association, Reuters, the Financial Times, the BBC and RTÉ. He was one of the presenters of Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 from 2002 until 2010 and was Washington Correspondent for RTÉ News from 2010 until 2013.

Early and personal life Downes was reared in Edenmore on Northside Dublin, born the ninth of ten children. He grew to know the country and was sent to report on the Desert Fox aerial assault against Saddam Hussein which took place that December. He left before Saddam Hussein's statue was toppled, claiming he was "at an advanced stage of psychological disintegration" and that the pressure on his family was too much to bear. In 2008, during the 2008 Zimbabwean presidential election, he was one of only a few to be granted access into Zimbabwe. Downes was only allowed to stay in the country for a period of three days but he returned disguised as a tourist and filmed a secret report for the BBC's Newsnight. When Bird announced his premature departure from the role, Downes was rumoured by the Evening Herald to replace him. He was in the United States for three years. At the news of the role he said that he was a "surprised but rather delighted man." He took up the role in June 2010.

He returned to Dublin and was replaced by Catriona Perry in late 2013.

Literary work In Search of Iraq: Baghdad to Babylon (New Island Press, 2006)