Rory Montgomery appointed as new chair of Press Council

A retired diplomat has been appointed as the new chair of the Press Council of Ireland.

Rory Montgomery replaces Seán Donlon who will step down on March 31st having completed the maximum six years that a chair of the council can serve.

Welcoming the appointment, Mr Donlon said Mr Montgomery “takes up office at a time when the public credibility of the media has never been more important”.

“The role of a Press Council, independent of the press industry and government, is crucial and I am confident that Rory has all the skills and experience to guide the Press Council in the years ahead,” he said.

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Mr Montgomery served for some 36 years in the Department of Foreign Affairs and in the Department of the Taoiseach. During that time, he served as Ambassador to France, Permanent Representative to the European Union in Brussels, Second Secretary General at the Department of the Taoiseach and Second Secretary General at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Mr Montgomery is Honorary Professor of Practice at the Mitchell Institute in Queen's University, Belfast and a member of the Royal Irish Academy.

In late 2019, he was hired by former Minister of State Lucinda Creighton’s Vulcan Consulting, the government and EU consultancy which advises Irish and multinational businesses, as a special adviser.

Appointed following a public competition, Mr Montgomery takes up office on April 1st next.