About
About the University Observer
The University Observer is a Berliner newspaper distributed throughout campus of University College Dublin fortnightly. It was launched in 1994 by University College Dublin Students’ Union as an immediate successor to the Students’ Union News, and was granted complete editorial independence from UCD Students’ Union.
The paper was founded by dual editors Pat Leahy, now of the Sunday Business Post, and Dara Ó Briain, now of BBC and RTÉ comic fame. It has provided a number of notable Irish journalists their first break, including Roddy O’Sullivan, now of the Irish Times, Declan Walsh, now of The Guardian, Shane Hegarty (Irish Times), Alan Torney (RTÉ Radio 1), Sinead Ingoldsby (BBC NI), Daniel McConnell (Sunday Independent), Juno McEnroe (Irish Examiner), Steve Cummins, now editor of NME Ireland, Samantha Libreri (RTÉ News), Emmet Ryan (Sunday Business Post), Sorcha Nic Mhathúna (Daily Star), and Stephen Carroll (Sky News). The University Observer is also quoted regularly by the Irish mainstream media.
The University Observer and its contributors have been consistent winners at the Oxygen.ie National Student Media Awards (Smedias). The paper itself has won the Oxegen Smedia Newspaper of the Year Award four times since the awards began in 2001. The Observer is also the only Irish student paper to win an award in the Best Newspaper category at The Guardian Student Media Awards, which are held annually. The newspaper took runner-up spot for the Best Newspaper in 2002 (Volume 8).
