Orla Guerin

Orla Guerin MBE (born 15 May 1966) is an Irish correspondent working for BBC News currently based in Cairo.

Early life and career

Guerin was born in Dublin and attended a school run by nuns. Subsequently a journalism graduate from Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), she qualified as a journalist in 1985 with a Certificate in Journalism from the College of Commerce in Dublin. She also holds a master's degree in Film Studies from University College Dublin (UCD).

Guerin began her career working for newspapers in Dublin such as the Sunday Tribune. Guerin joined RTÉ News in 1987 and became its youngest foreign correspondent when she was sent to eastern Europe at the age of 23 in 1990. She remained at RTÉ until 1994, additionally reporting from central Europe, the former Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Sarajevo. Guerin's reports from eastern Europe for RTÉ Radio won her a Jacob's Award in 1992.

She left RTÉ to run as a Irish Labour Party candidate in the 1994 European Parliament elections. A political novice, Guerin had been hand-picked by then Labour Party leader Dick Spring. Even though she was not selected at the party convention, Spring insisted that she be added to the ballot. She did not win a seat, although she polled reasonably well.