Press Ombudsperson to speak at NUJ forum

Dr Maria Helen Murphy is an Associate Professor at Maynooth University and was appointed to the Press Council as a Public Interest Director in April 2026.Her research focuses on the intersections between technology and human rights, with a particular interest in privacy, data protection, freedom of expression, and artificial intelligence.Dr Murphy is a Board Member of the Center for AI and Digital Policy and Chair of its Global Academic Network. She has previously served as a Member of the National Advisory Council for Online Safety and as a Member of the National Standards Authority of Ireland Top Team on Standards for Artificial Intelligence. From 2017-2023, she was an Executive Board Member of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, where she also chaired the Subcommittee on Research.

Bob Hughes is Executive Director of Local Ireland, the association which represents local news publishers across the country.

A journalist and broadcaster, he began his career as a newspaper reporter with the Midland News Association in England, working initially with Shropshire Weekly Newspapers before moving to the daily regional evening publication, the Express and Star.

He then moved to London to become a sub-editor with the Press Association before joining Channel 4 News, ITN, where he became a television producer. He then joined Reuters as a programme editor.

In Ireland, he worked initially for Radio Ireland/Today FM before joining TV3 as Deputy Director of News. His subsequent consultancy work has included Virgin Media Television, the Thomson Foundation and TVC Nigeria. Prior to joining Local Ireland, Bob was a special adviser in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment and in the Department of Rural and Community Development.

Judy Murphy been a journalist for more than 35 years, chiefly in print media.As a freelancer, shes worked for all the countrys national papers, as well as for RT and as a researcher and producer on a range of programmes for TG4.
For the past seven years, she has been Assistant Editor of the Connacht Tribune group. Judy is a member of the West of Ireland branch of the NUJ and is active at Branch and Chapel level. She is keenly interested in the media industry and in its rapidly changing landscape.

Conor ODonnell is Group Editor of Mail Newspapers Ireland. He was editor of the Irish Mail on Sunday for seven years before being appointed to his current role in 2019. In his 14 years with DMG Media Ireland, he has held the position of night editor and deputy editor of the Irish Daily Mail. Conor started his career in the The Kerryman newspaper, before joining the Irish Examiner where he worked as night editor during his nine years at the paper. He spent over three years in London working for The Daily Telegraph before moving to Dublin.

Roddy OSullivan is Duty Editor at The Irish Times. He started at the newspaper as a general news reporter and went on to work in various editing roles, including News Editor and Night Editor. A graduate of DCUs MA in Journalism, his first jobs in journalism were at UCD where he edited the College Tribune and University Observer. He was appointed to the Press Council in 2023.

Edward McCann is Head of Northern Ireland and Managing Editor at Mediahuis Ireland, the publisher of the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent and Sunday World, among other titles. He has worked at Mediahuis Ireland and its predecessor company Independent News and Media since 2003 when he joined as a features editor at the Irish Independent. He was appointed Managing Editor of Independent Newspapers in 2015. He took on his current role in 2022. Edward started his journalism career as a reporter for the Andersonstown News in Belfast and also worked for the Irish News and Daily Mirror. He holds a Masters in Journalism from the Ulster University, honours degree in Law and Masters in Modern History from Queens University Belfast.

Duan Stokes is the Publishing Director of Hot Press and associated media outlets. The organisation encompasses the eponymous print magazine, hotpress.com and a number of other digital, print, social, video and audio platforms. He has been centrally involved in all of the major media innovations at Hot Press over the past 20 years, beginning with the pioneering editorial development of hotpress.com, which he launched in 2002. He has been a driving force behind the integration of print and online activities in the Hot Press organisation. Duan oversees the Irish Music Month project created by Hot Press, in conjunction with the IBI, and funded by the BAI (now Coimisin na Men), with additional support from commercial partners. Irish Music Month saw 25 independent Irish radio stations collaborate with Hot Press in supporting indigenous Irish Music as well as being production lead on numerous editorially and culturally driven projects. Previously honorary chairperson of Magazines Ireland, Duan has also represented Irish Magazines on a number of industry bodies, including the JNRS and ABC Ireland.

Sofi Muslehis a seasoned Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategist with over 18 years of experience spanning corporate, public, and non-profit sectors. She has worked extensively in developing and executing L&D,HR, Employee Relations and Engagement and DEI strategies for multinational organizations such asNovartis, Sodexo, and DocuSign, ensuring alignment between diversity objectives and broader political and organizational goals. A recognized public speaker and thought leader, Sofi has delivered TEDx talks and contributed to high-profile policy discussions on DEI, intersectionality, and inclusive leadership. Her deep personal connection to these issues uniquely informs her work in shaping inclusive political and institutional landscapes. She serves on the Board of Directors forThe Complex Art Centreand European Movement Ireland and has previously held governance roles, including as a board member forFirst Light, a charity dedicated to supporting parents in Ireland going through sudden bereavement.

James Doorley was appointed to the Press Council in 2022 and was elected Vice Chair of the Board in 2024. He was also appointed as Chairperson of the Administrative Committee of the Press Council in 2024.

James is currently Vice Chairman of the Irish Chamber of Shipping. He previously served as Deputy Director of the National Youth Council of Ireland for over 16 years. He is currently a board member of the Residential Tenancies Board and previously served on the boards of other public bodies, such as the Dental Council. He is a member of the Governing Authority of Maynooth University and a member of the Senate of the National University of Ireland. He is also active at board level with a number of charities and currently serves as Chairperson with both North Leinster Money Advice and Budgeting Service and Tallaght Drugs and Alcohol Taskforce. He also serves on regulatory committees with the Legal Services Regulatory Authority and the Nursing and Midwifery Board. James has qualifications in social studies, law and corporate governance.

Alan Dukes was appointed to the Press Council in 2022.

Alan has served at various times as Ireland’s Minister for Finance, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Justice, Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, and Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was leader of Fine Gael and Leader of the Opposition from March, 1987 to November 1990 and a member of the Dil from 1981 to 2002. Among his many roles since leaving politics have been those of Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs, chairman of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation and chair of the AgriVision 2015 group which reported in 2005 on a strategy for the development of agriculture and the food industry. He is an Officier de la Legion d’onneurand a hold the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. He was previously Chief Economist to the Farmers’ Association and an advisor in the cabinet of European Commissioner Richard Burke.

Noeline Blackwell was appointed to the Press Council in May 2024. A solicitor by profession, Noeline is the Online Safety Co-Ordinator with the Childrens Rights Alliance. She has previously served as CEO of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and of the Free Legal Advice Centres, having worked in private practice before that. She is a member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. She chairs the Independent Patient Safety Council of the Department of Health and the Child Law Project and sits on the board of the Open Doors Initiative. She was appointed an Adjunct Full Professor at UCD School of Law in April 2024.

Rory Montgomery has been Chair of the Press Council since 1 April 2022. He retired from the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2019. During his career he served in a wide range of posts at home and abroad, including as Irelands Permanent Representative to the European Union, Ambassador to France, Second Secretary General at the Department of the Taoiseach and Second Secretary General at the Department of Foreign Affairs. He was part of the Irish team which negotiated the Good Friday Agreement. He is Honorary Professor of Practice at the Institute for International Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast, and a member of the Royal Irish Academy.