By Deaglán de Bréadún
LONGTIME member of the Association of European Journalists and leading broacaster with RTÉ, David Davin-Power (also known as “DDP”) passed away at the end of October, aged 72 years. He had become a national figure through his political coverage, at different times, from Northern Ireland and on the other side of the border at Leinster House.
Born in Dublin on April 24, 1952, he grew up on the South Circular Road. His father, Maurice, was a medical doctor and a strong supporter of the poor and underivileged as well as an award-winning playwright who also wrote episodes for the RTÉ drama series Tolka Row.
David attended the Jesuit-run Gonzaga College in Ranelagh before moving on to third level at University College Dublin where he was initially interested in a medical career but later switched over to the arts faculty where he studied Economics and Politics.
Following graduation, he began his career in journalism with the Irish Medical Times and moved from there to the now-defunct Irish Press as a sub-editor in 1976. In the late 1970s he got a job with RTÉ where he worked in the newsroom and in due course achieved national prominence as a joint presenter with David Hanly of the newly-established radio programme Morning Ireland, in 1984.
He left RTÉ in the late eighties to become head of news at Century Radio, Ireland’s first commercial station, which started broadcasting on 4 September 1989 and closed down on 19 November 1991.
He was subsequently hired as a Political Reporter with the Evening Press but left shortly afterwards and returned to RTÉ where he was appointed Northern Editor.
DDP was a prominent figure in coverage of the peace process, leading to the historic Belfast/Good Friday Agreement of April 1998. He returned to RTÉ headquarters in August 2001 as Political Correspondent.
In addition to his professional reporting, Davin-Power is remembered for a colourful episode in March 2009 when he was covering the ardfheis/annual conference of the Fianna Fáil party. In an apparent publicity stunt, about a dozen conference delegates decided to stand behind him with sombre expressions as he spoke to the RTÉ camera. Some reporters might have found it challenging but DDP kept his cool.
David had five children, three by his first marriage to Christine Bowen and two more with his second wife Dearbhla Collins. He was diagnosed in more recent times with cancer and died on October 31st. Davin-Power was predeceased by former RTÉ reporters Charlie Bird on March 11 and Tommie Gorman on June 25. In a tribute on Morning Ireland, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, a neighbour and friend of David said: “In one year, three wonderful people have passed.”