Independent News & Media (INM), has announced the appointment of Fionnán Sheahan (above) as editor of the Irish Independent and Cormac Bourke as editor of the Sunday Independent. Sheahan has been group political editor while Bourke was executive editor of the Irish Independent. Both new editors take up their new roles with immediate effect.
Sheahan is an award-winning journalist and current affairs analyst across print, TV, radio and online, managing the political coverage of the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent, Herald and Independent.ie, since 2013. He was the political editor of the Irish Independent from 2007 to 2013. He joined the Irish Independent as a political correspondent from the Irish Examiner in 2005. He was the leader of the Irish Independent Presidential election team and winner of the National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) journalist of the year award in 2012. A native of Thurles, Co Tipperary, he is a graduate of UCC, where he was founding editor of the college newspaper, The University Examiner.
He is married to Fianna Fáil senator Averil Power.
Bourke (above) has been responsible for the daily production and news delivery on the Irish Independent for the past 18 months. He joined the Irish Independent in 2007 as assistant editor news, later becoming news editor and most recently executive editor. A native of Athy, Co. Kildare, he holds a BA in journalism from DCU. He is a former health correspondent for Ireland on Sunday/Irish Mail on Sunday. He later had roles at the Dublin Daily and the Irish Daily Star.
With sales of 112,383 copies and a readership of 691,000, the Irish Independent has a market share double that of both of its competitors combined. With sales of 220,565 copies and a readership of 992,000, the Sunday Independent accounts for over 63 per cent of the quality Sunday newspaper market, selling over twice that of its nearest rival.
