Richard Chambers (born 1989)[1] is an Irish journalist and author who currently works as a news correspondent for Virgin Media News.
Richard Chambers | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989 (age 34–35) |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | University College Dublin, Dublin City University |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, author |
| Employer | Virgin Media |
Early life
editChambers was born in Belfast. He grew up in Lahinch, County Clare before moving to Rush, County Dublin,[2][3] where he attended St. Joseph's Secondary School.[4] Chambers has one older brother, Jeffrey.
Chambers studied law at University College Dublin,[1] which he stated he didn't enjoy due to the long commute. He joined the College Tribune, the university's student newspaper, where he began covering sports by his final year.[5] He later received a master's degree in journalism from Dublin City University.[6]
Career
editChambers started his career with an internship at Today FM. After working for the Irish Daily Star for a short spell, Chambers returned to Today FM, before joining Newstalk.[6] Chambers was a news reporter for Newstalk from 2013 before joining Virgin Media in August 2018.[7] In 2021, he was promoted to news correspondent.[8] Chambers was ranked the 8th most influential journalist in Ireland by PR consultants Murray in 2021.[9]
Chambers was involved in the coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting on the daily case figures, vaccination uptake and announcements of government restrictions on his Twitter account.[10][11] He wrote A State Of Emergency: The Story of Ireland's Covid Crisis, a book about the pandemic and Ireland's response in 2021.[12][3] His book was nominated for the 2021 Irish Book Awards,[13] and was described by RTÉ's Sinéad Crowley as one of her "books of the year".[14] Health minister Stephen Donnelly was interviewed about the book on Prime Time in November 2021, with Donnelly saying he "wouldn't be reading" the book and that it didn't "marry" Donnelly "with [his] experience".[15]
Personal life
editChambers was previously in a relationship with author Louise O'Neill,[16][17] who he met in 2018.[18] He previously lived in a house-share in Castleknock with fellow Virgin Media News correspondent Zara King.[3][19][20]
Chambers was involved in an online feud with Westlife's Brian McFadden, with McFadden describing him as a "knobhead".[21]
He is a supporter of Bohemian F.C.[22]
References
edit- ^ a b Glennon, Nicole (30 October 2021). "Richard Chambers: 'Without humour the last year or so would have swallowed me whole'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Clashes, lockdowns and a state of fear in Richard's raw account of pandemic". The Clare Champion. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ a b c "Richard Chambers on Covid — 'I don't think the public knows how close we were to this being an unmitigated catastrophe'". independent. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Successful College Awareness Week". Independent.ie. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ Notaro, Vicki (14 January 2024). "Virgin Media's Richard Chambers: Running has changed my life". The Times. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Meet the media". Eolas Magazine. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Virgin Media News promotion for Clare's Richard Chambers". Clare Echo. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Virgin Media Viewers Shocked At Richard Chambers' New Role". Extra.ie. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ Slattery, Laura. "Virgin Media News's next task is to hold on to its younger viewers". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ Grimes, Gary (23 April 2021). "Who Is Richard Chambers And Why Is Everyone So Obsessed With Him?". LADBible.
- ^ "Virgin Media reporter inundated with hilarious restrictions questions". www.msn.com. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Richard Chambers' A State of Emergency turns Ireland's Covid story into a pacey page-turner". independent. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ O’Donoghue, Denise (21 October 2021). "Sally Rooney, Dónal Ryan and Richard Chambers among nominees for Irish Book Awards". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ Crowley, Sinéad (13 December 2021). "Sinead Crowley's Books Of The Year". RTÉ.ie.
- ^ Moloney, Marita (2 November 2021). "Prime Time viewers react as Stephen Donnelly 'throws shade' at Richard Chambers". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ Carter, Erica (25 October 2021). "Virgin Media's Richard Chambers opens up on relationship with Louise O'Neill". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ Ganatra, Shilpa. "'I'm looking forward to being around family and not being as worried as we were last year'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "How They Met: Richard Chambers And Louise O'Neill's 'Modern' Set Up". Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Zara King: I share a house with Richard Chambers, we don't really switch off". Irish Examiner. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ O'Loughlin, Mikie (3 September 2022). "Richard Chambers praises girlfriend Louise O'Neill 'She has been brilliant'". RSVP Live. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ Walsh, Kayla (31 October 2021). "Richard Chambers says Brian McFadden called him a 'knobhead' in public feud". RSVP Live. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Episode 19 - Richard Chambers". Pundit Arena. Retrieved 13 December 2021.