Former editor of The Irish Examiner Brian Looney dies

Tributes have been paid to former editor of The Irish Examiner, Brian Looney who passed away at a nursing home in his native Cork at the age of 63.

Mr Looney, who took over as editor of The Cork Examiner in the mid 1990s at the age of 36, oversaw the paper’s transition to becoming The Irish Examiner when it went national.

He had previously edited The Kerryman where his redesign of the paper had earned him huge plaudits both within the newspaper industry in Ireland and among the readership.

Mr Looney’s successor as editor of The Irish Examiner, Tim Vaughan led the tributes to his predecessor, saying that he had transformed The Examiner at a critical juncture in its history.

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“Brian transformed the Examiner at a critical time in its history, in the mid-’90s, when it needed the vision and ambition that he had in spades,” said Mr Vaughan.

“That ambition for what the newspaper could be, what it could achieve, was the mark of a real leader - and it still lives on in the success of the Examiner almost 30 years later.

“He was a big-intellect, big-picture guy who knew what needed to be done — and he had the talent, drive and fortitude to get it done,” he added.

“Brian was also brilliant at spotting and mentoring promising young journalists, many of whom hold senior positions across Ireland’s newspaper and broadcast media today,” he said.

“I will remember Brian for his wicked sense of fun and that wonderful roguish smile of his — and the kindness and generosity he showed to many people.”