Olivia O'Leary

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Nationality Irish Flag of Ireland
Education University College Dublin
Occupation Journalist, writer and current affairs presenter
Spouse Paul Tansey
Children Emily

Olivia O'Leary is an Irish journalist, writer and current affairs presenter.

Educated at St Leo's College, Carlow and at University College Dublin, she worked with the Nationalist and Leinster Times in Carlow. In the late 1970s she began working for The Irish Times as parliamentary sketchwriter.

In 1986 she joined Radio Telefís Éireann(RTÉ) and worked as a presenter on Today Tonight and Questions and Answers. She became the first woman presenter of the BBC's current affairs programme, Newsnight and also presented 'First Tuesday', a monthly documentary strand produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV.

O'Leary won three Jacob's Awards during her broadcasting career with RTÉ. Her first came in 1973 for her work as a radio news reporter. In 1982, she won her second Jacob's Award for her hosting of Today Tonight. Her chairing of Questions and Answers brought her a third award in 1986. She has also won a Sony Award for her BBC Radio 4 programme Between Ourselves.

She has co-authored the book Mary Robinson: The Authorised Biography, with Dr. Helen Burke, and in 2004 wrote Politicians and Other Animals, a sketch on Irish politics.

She was Chairperson of the Office of the Ombudsman's 20th Anniversary Conference.[1]

She has one daughter, Emily Tansey, from her marriage to Paul Tansey.