Samantha Libreri announced as RTÉ’s new eastern correspondent

Samantha Libreri has been announced as the new eastern correspondent for RTÉ.

Ms Libreri (41) has been a journalist for RTÉ News for 20 years and has presented some of RTÉ Radio One’s flagship programmes, including Morning Ireland and Drivetime, since joining the station in 2000.

She also won a Justice Media award for her work on a year-long series on Road Safety with Charlie Bird.

As eastern correspondent, Ms Libreri will be reporting across RTÉ News platforms from the eastern region including all of Dublin, parts of east Meath, north and east Kildare and north Wicklow.

“As someone who was born and reared on the northside of Dublin and who has lived and worked all my life in the capital, being appointed RTÉ’s eastern correspondent is a dream come true,” she said.

“I hope to bring my 20 years of reporting experience to this new and expanded role to tell the stories of those who live in the commuter belts of Meath, Kildare and Wicklow while also keeping audiences up to date with the major developments in Dublin which impact on those who live, work in and visit the capital.”

Ms Libreri will take up her new position in late May, which is a newly created post expanding on the previous role of Dublin correspondent.

“I have always been so proud to work for RTÉ and am delighted to be taking on this role at such a vital time for reliable, accurate and engaging journalism,” she added.

A Finglas native joined the RTÉ newsroom in November 2000 and was initially employed as a runner while studying English and Sociology in UCD.

She went on to become a freelance radio and television journalist for RTÉ, while also working as editor of UCD’s student newspaper The University Observer.

In 2005, she became a full-time RTÉ journalist, where she has been reporting on issues in the greater Dublin area in addition to other stories, including the Carrickmines fire tragedy or the Creeslough explosion.

Ms Libreri was named Transport Journalist of the Year for her reporting on Ireland’s transport infrastructure both in 2011 and 2012.

She also wrote a book about her home place Finglas: A People’s Portrait in 2012.

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