Journalist and author Ed Moloney dies aged 77

Journalist and author Ed Moloney dies aged 77

Ed Moloney, with his award after being named Journalist of the Year in 1999. File picture: Graham Hughes/ RollingNews.ie

Journalist and author Ed Moloney, best known for his coverage of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the activities of the Provisional IRA, has died aged 77.

Mr Moloney died in New York City on Friday, where he had been living, after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, Joan McKiernan, and their son Ciarán. 

Mr Moloney wrote for a number of publications over the course of his career, including Hibernia, Magill, The Irish Times, Sunday Tribune, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Economist, and the New Statesman.

His first book, Paisley, about Unionist leader Ian Paisley, was published in 1986. He also authored a new edition of the book in 2008 under the title: Paisley: From Demagogue to Democrat.

In 2002, he published A Secret History of the IRA, about the history of the Provisional IRA. The book went on to become a bestseller.

In the latter part of his career, Mr Moloney was director of Boston College's Belfast Project — also known as the Boston Tapes — which collected interviews with former republican and loyalist paramilitaries with the aim of creating an oral history of the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Speaking on Monday, assistant general secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Séamus Dooley, described Mr Moloney as "one of the most consequential journalists of his generation".

"He had an unyielding commitment to shining a light into the darkest corners of Northern Ireland's troubled history," he said.

"During a crowded career, he risked prison in defence of his sources and faced death threats for his investigative journalism.

"He was fearless, courageous and outspoken and was never afraid of upsetting those who yielded power, influence and authority, either through elected office or membership of a proscribed organisation."

The news of his death first appeared on his blog, The Broken Elbow

Mr Moloney was born and educated in England, as well as Germany, Gibraltar and Malaysia. He moved to Belfast to attend Queens University, where he was introduced to Irish politics and republicanism.

The blog says that during his early years in Belfast, he "briefly joined the Official IRA, which focused on political rather than military activities".

"Later in his life, Ed survived several assassination attempts by that same group," it adds.

As a child, he survived polio as a child, with his blog saying it was "an experience that shaped his personality and world view". 

"He remained an advocate for disability rights and of the National Health Service to which he owed his life."

His family have asked that donations be made in Mr Moloney’s honour to the Polio Global Eradication Initiative based in Geneva, Switzerland.

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