Death of journalist Dougal

Journalist, broadcaster and former European Union commissioner Jim Dougal died today.

He had been ill at Belfast City Hospital and was aged 65.

Dougal, a former civil servant, worked for the BBC, RTÉ and Ulster Television.

His career as a journalist began at BBC Northern Ireland as a general reporter. He also worked at Ulster Television before taking up the post as Northern editor at RTÉ from 1974 to 1991.

He returned to the BBC as the station’s political editor and five years later was appointed as the new co-presenter of BBC Northern Ireland’s relaunched evening news programme.

Dougal left the BBC in 1997 to take up a job for the European Union, initially based in Belfast and then moving to London where he headed the European Commission for the UK until 2004.

He returned to journalism and formed his own broadcast company. He made a number of programmes, which included one on former Church of Ireland archbishop of Ireland Dr Robin Eames and a documentary on the Rev Ian Paisley.

He had just finished making a programme on the life and times of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Dougal was married with four children – three daughters and a son. He lived in south Belfast.