
Petula Martyn appointed RTÉ News Mid West Correspondent
RTÉ News announced the appointment on Tuesday, July 22nd. Her role will cover Ireland's Mid West region, including the counties of Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary.
Advertisement
Ms Martyn will be reporting and providing analysis across RTÉ News platforms on social, economic, cultural and political developments.
Having joined RTÉ News in 2011, Ms Martyn worked as a multimedia journalist across television, radio and online platforms.
She currently presents business news on Morning Ireland, the One O'Clock News, and Drivetime.
She has also presented some of the state broadcaster's flagship radio programmes, including Morning Ireland, This Week and The Business, political party conference coverage and for RTÉ Sport during the Olympic Games.
Advertisement
Ms Martyn is said to be a "passionate Limerick hurling supporter," having reported on the county's All-Ireland successes, including a RTÉ Radio One documentary, Limerick: Pure Proud.
She has also reported on general elections from the Mid West, as well as the election and inauguration of the first directly elected mayor.
Ms Martyn began her journalism career in the Mid West, reporting for Limerick's Live 95FM and later as a journalist with the Limerick Leader.
"Having grown up, studied, and started my journalism career in the region, I am delighted to return to take up the role of Mid West Correspondent," Ms Martyn said of her appointment.
"I'm looking forward to covering the stories that matter to the people of Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary, including challenges in healthcare, housing, infrastructure, as well as cultural events and no doubt, sporting triumphs. I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to continue the great work that Cathy Halloran did for over 30 years. I care deeply about this region and its people."
Ms Martyn will take up her new role this autumn.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
'Two tier' Keir Starmer is accused of 'trying to police opinions' as elite team of cops told to monitor anti-migrant social media posts
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of 'trying to police opinions' by assembling an elite team of police officers to monitor growing anti-migrant sentiment online. Detectives are set to be drawn from forces around the country as the Government scrambles to crack down on potential violence by flagging up early signs of civil unrest on social media. It comes amid fears Britain could face another summer of disorder just 12 months after a wave of riots sparked scenes of chaos following the Southport murders. Earlier this month, demonstrations first flared up outside The Bell Hotel, in Epping, Essex, after an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl, but protests have since spread to other parts of the country. The new police division, assembled by the Home Office, will aim to 'maximise social media intelligence' after police forces were heavily criticised for their handling of last year's riots which quickly spread across the country. Angela Rayner last week warned the Government needs to address the 'real concerns that people have about immigration'. But critics say the social media crackdown is 'disturbing' and raises concerns for free speech. It also comes after footage emerged of Essex Police escorting pro-migrant protesters to the Epping hotel before clashes broke out. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, told The Telegraph: 'Two-tier Keir can't police the streets, so he's trying to police opinions instead. 'They're setting up a central team to monitor what you post, what you share, what you think, because deep down they know the public don't buy what they're selling.' The new police unit, called the National Internet Intelligence Investigations team, will work out of the National Police Coordination Centre in Westminster. The backlash to the plans has reignited anger over a judge's decision to jail Lucy Connolly, a mother-of-one who is married to a Conservative councillor, for 31 months over a racist tweet after the Southport murders. While police will be monitoring what's being said online, officers are also being deployed on the streets. Protesters and counter-protesters from Stand Up to Racism are due to gather outside The Bell Hotel again today, with more demonstrations planned at other migrant hotels including in Wolverhampton, Cheshire and Canary Wharf. Political activist Tommy Robinson said on X on July 20 that he was 'coming to Epping next Sunday... and bringing thousands more with me'. But in a later post, Robinson said he may no longer be attending. Over the weekend, angry crowds have gathered in Norwich, Leeds, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Southampton and Nottinghamshire - with counter-protesters fighting back by insisting 'refugees are welcome'. With a fresh round of demonstrations expected on Sunday, Essex Police have imposed restrictions to curb any violence or disorder, saying it is necessary and proportionate. The force said residents have reported feeling 'trapped', fearful of leaving their homes and anxious about protest activity. There will be a ban on anyone wearing face coverings and there will be designated sites opposite the hotel for protesters. A dispersal order will be in effect from 12pm on Sunday until 8am on Monday, covering Epping town centre and nearby transport hubs. The order gives officers the power to remove anyone suspected of anti-social behaviour. Hotel residents and staff have been advised to remain indoors after 5pm as some experienced verbal and physical harassment, including a resident chased and injured while returning to the hotel, the force added. Essex Police said there was an 'escalation of violence' during protests on July 13, 17, 20 and 24, involving hundreds of people. The force added that officers were assaulted, missiles were thrown, vehicles were vandalised and the hotel sustained broken windows and graffiti. Essex Police said on Saturday that two more men have been charged and will appear in court after the disorder. Lee Gower, 43, of High Street, Epping, was charged with violent disorder and assault by beating of an emergency worker on July 17. He was remanded into custody and was due to appear at Colchester Magistrates' Court on Saturday. Joshua Meadows, 18, of Sunnyside Road, Epping, was charged with failing to remove an item worn and possession of cannabis on July 24. He has been bailed to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on September 24. It comes after 10 people were charged in relation to the disorder, Essex Police said. There have also been protests outside the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf which is set to be used to offer temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. A major protest is planned outside the four-star hotel in London's financial district again today. The Epping protest was sparked by the charging of asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, with sexual assault after he allegedly attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl. He denied the charge at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court and will stand trial in August. Protests against migrant hotels have escalated this weekend with tense stand–offs in Norwich, Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Leeds on Saturday. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside The Best Western Brook Hotel in Bowthorpe, Norwich, chanting 'we want our country back' and ' Keir Starmer 's a w*****'. Police officers separated the main group from a set of counter protesters, some of whom were waving Revolutionary Communist Party flags. Three masked anti–racism activists tried to force their way in at one point, causing angry scuffles. The hotel – one of two Norwich sites used by the Home Office to house migrants – has been the focus of fury since April when a 'predatory' asylum seeker staying there was jailed for more than eight years for raping a woman. In Leeds, some protesters set off red and blue coloured flares while others draped in Union Jack flags scuffled with police. In Portsmouth, more than 40 anti–immigration demonstrators confronted almost 30 activists holding Stand Up to Racism placards outside the Royal Beach Hotel on Friday evening. Some on the anti–immigration side hung a banner which said 'protect our children' outside the hotel. Protesters also gathered outside the Chine Hotel in Bournemouth on Friday night. Demonstrators waved signs with slogans including 'bring back Rwanda', 'two–tier Keir, two–tier policing' and 'it's not racist, it's a national security risk'. When two migrants arrived with their belongings in bin bags, some chanted 'send them back'. Angry protests also took place in Leeds on Friday outside another asylum–seeker hotel, with demonstrators shouting 'get back in your rubber dinghies' to those inside. Officers made a defensive cordon as crowds waving Union Jacks surrounded the Britannia Hotel, in the city's Seacroft area. Earlier this week, protesters descended on the Norfolk market town of Diss amid Home Office plans to change a migrant hotel from housing families to single adult men. Two men have been charged with public order offences after the protest, Norfolk Constabulary has said. They were arrested on Saturday after police reviewed footage from both sides of a protest that took place on Denmark Street on Monday, the force said. James Harvey, 22, of Linden Drive, Hethersett, has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence. Luke Sharman, 23, of Harcourt Close, Norwich, has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence and possession of cannabis.


Times
7 hours ago
- Times
After a decade, I'm boarding the ferry that takes me home
L et me get straight to the point. This is my last weekly column to be hosted by The Times and The Sunday Times. I spent the best part of seven years contributing to The Times midweek, and latterly much of the next two years submitting this column. Throughout that period, I was in my seventies; last October I entered my eighties. So there was, I suspected, a growing inevitability that this day would eventually dawn. Newspapers — and contributing to them — have played a huge part in my life. Indeed, a friend recently passed on a battered cutting from the Sunday Standard (SS), a short-lived title from the Herald stable. I got my first newspaper job there, largely because more established journalists on business and economic issues wouldn't risk the possibility that, if they signed up, the new paper might quickly fail. As it did.


The Guardian
7 hours ago
- The Guardian
Has the Epstein affair strained Trump's cozy relationship with the Murdoch media empire?
In the wake of new revelations regarding the friendship of Donald Trump and disgraced and deceased billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein, Rupert Murdoch's media empire has both poured gasoline on to the story and come to Trump's loyal defense. Experts say that, much like the broader Maga movement, the Epstein affair is testing Trump and Murdoch's mostly chummy relationship. To think, only months ago, at Jimmy Carter's funeral, Barack Obama and Donald Trump were laughing together in the pews. But in Trump's latest attempt to deny and deflect when faced with controversy, he's calling for his first predecessor's prosecution over trying 'to rig the election' against him in 2016. Of course, Fox News, the crown jewel in Murdoch's wallet of media properties, has followed suit: in one of the days following the fallout from Epstein, mentions of Obama's name reportedly drowned out that of the convicted pedophile and suspected spy, by a score of 117 to two. But there is trouble in paradise. Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (WSJ) broke the story that Trump allegedly penned a seedy birthday message to Epstein in 2003. The president then did what he does best: filed a libel suit for billions in damages. 'The Trump-Murdoch media dynasty has traditionally been a cozy one,' said Margot Susca, an assistant professor of journalism at American University and the author of Hedged: How Private Investment Funds Helped Destroy American Newspapers and Undermine Democracy. 'Murdoch-owned Fox News serves up what amounts to state-owned television for Trump.' At the outset of his second presidency, Trump named several Fox News personalities to his stable of figures in the administration, namely Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense who was a weekend host of Fox & Friends and has taken on his role at the Pentagon with the vigor expected of a veteran talking head. 'I'd like to believe the $10bn defamation lawsuit Trump filed against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch for its Epstein coverage will serve as a wakeup call that Murdoch is not immune to Trump's press bullying,' she said, referring to the legion of ways Trump has imposed his will against the fifth estate. 'They should have favored press freedom and picked the press's role in democracy over access and cronyism.' The White House, thus far, has had a direct line to the most influential broadcaster in the country. Susca admitted that though the WSJ is a 'bright spot' among the 'lapdog coverage' for the president in the list of other Murdoch properties, Fox, the highest-rated news network in America, could easily be holding the government accountable day to day. But on the one hand, as Susca pointed out, Fox has 'barely mentioned' the defamation suit, while on the other, the WSJ 'still has its Epstein story posted'. Trump, eager to escape the myriad and legitimate questions surrounding his well-documented former friendship with Epstein, has rallied all of his media and congressional troops to distract his associations with a conspiracy theory that he himself has stoked among his Maga disciples for years. 'Clearly, Trump wants to distract from the fact that he had a close and intimate friendship with Epstein, a billionaire pedophile that seemed to have set up a global trafficking ring,' said Edward Ongweso Jr, a senior researcher at Security in Context, an international project of scholars housed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 'And he wants to distract from the obvious implication of his about-face here (going from insisting the Epstein files will be released to insisting they never did and were invented by Democrats to take him down): that he's in them.' Ongweso did note that Trump's continued ability to dodge becoming a casualty of the news cycle is unmatched: 'It is hard to imagine how any of his tactics will work, but then again he has gotten out of almost every single situation that would've doomed anyone else, hasn't he?' But there's help already on the way for the president. Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, issued a convenient end to the congressional session to avoid a vote on the floor for the release of all the Department of Justice files relating to Epstein, while Mike Flynn, former Trump national security adviser (turned QAnon peddler) and former general, has told followers Obama needs to go to jail over the years-old Mueller report of 2019. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion 'The entire corrupt investigation was based on a fabricated lie that was part of a COUP by [Obama] to overthrow the United States,' he posted on X, before calling on the FBI and justice department to investigate and arrest the former president. 'EVIL PERSONIFIED!' he said in another post with hundreds of thousands of views. Flynn's endorsement of the Obama conspiracy was a sharp turn away from days of breathlessly begging for the release of the Epstein files. But while the WSJ, a more independent and centrist publication in comparison with the rest of Murdoch's media empire, cast a stone against the president, Fox News is more than making up for it. Perhaps, that is, to avoid the fates of Paramount and ABC, which paid off Trump in large sums to settle suits that ultimately involved freedom of the press issues. Both networks stood to beat Trump on the facts of the cases, but avoided more litigation in what many have seen as a veritable bribe to a suit-happy and powerful president. 'I think this is more about caution than falling in line, but I can't see how it will last,' Ongweso said, referring to Fox and its coverage of Obama over the more salacious and Maga topic of Epstein. 'He's been able to get Paramount and ABC to settle even though their cases were winnable.' Last year, Murdoch's Fox decimated CNN on election night, scoring millions more viewers and having their hosts fawning over Trump, a far cry from when the network enraged him by declaring Arizona for Joe Biden in 2020 – ultimately ruling on who won the presidency. Murdoch himself is rumored not to be a personal fan of Trump, reportedly backing Ron DeSantis, Florida's governor, for the presidency in the lead-up to the 2024 election, before switching sides again. Even his own immediate family has enjoyed cozy relationships with media companies that were firmly in the Democratic orbit. Still, Ongweso believes WSJ reporters might smell blood in the water for the president and report on him accordingly. 'There has been a trickle of additional Epstein-Trump material, most recently the resurfacing of photos showing Epstein at Trump's 1993 wedding to Martha Maples,' he said. 'There is certainly more that WSJ reporters will uncover and unless there's editorial interference, I can't see how Murdoch's empire can stop itself from uttering his name again.'