Fergal Keane

About

Fergal Keane is one of the BBC’s best-known correspondents and has won numerous awards for his reports from the world’s trouble spots. He has been the BBC’s correspondent in Southern Africa, Asia, and Northern Ireland, as well as a peripatetic reporter following conflict around the globe. In addition to his reporting, Fergal has written numerous bestselling books combining historical perspectives with deeply personal remembrances.

Career

Early Career

Fergal began his journalistic journey in 1979 as a reporter for the Limerick Leader and Chronicle before moving to the national daily The Irish Times. He transitioned into broadcasting for RTE as a reporter and presenter from 1984 to 1987, before reporting from Belfast for the station.

BBC Career

• Northern Ireland Correspondent: Fergal joined the BBC in 1989 as Northern Ireland correspondent.
• Southern Africa Correspondent: In 1990, he moved to become Southern Africa correspondent, covering the transformation of South Africa from apartheid regime to democracy and the genocide in Rwanda.
• Asia Correspondent: In 1995, Fergal became the BBC’s Asia correspondent, reporting on the handover of Hong Kong to China and the gas attacks on the Tokyo underground.
• International Reporting: After the Hong Kong handover, Fergal was based in London but covered major international stories including the Kosovo war and the invasion of Iraq. He is now Africa Editor for BBC News.

Documentary Projects

• Forgotten Britain: A three-part series meeting people living on the edge of affluent societies.
• The Story of Ireland: A five-part series exploring the history of Ireland.
• Westminster Abbey Commentary: Provided commentary for the centenary of the Armistice service in 2018.
• Living with PTSD: A 2022 BBC Two documentary in which he revealed the impact of PTSD on himself and others, exploring the latest thinking behind the disorder and its treatment.

Books

• The Bondage of Fear: A Journey Through the Last White Empire (1995)
• Season of Blood: A Rwandan Journey (1996)
• Letter to Daniel: Despatches from the Heart (1996)
• Letters Home (1999)
• A Stranger’s Eye: A Foreign Correspondent’s View of Britain (2000)
• All of These People (2005)
• Road of Bones: The Epic Siege of Kohima (2010)
• Wounds (2017)
• The Madness: A Farewell to War (2022)

Awards

• OBE for services to journalism (1997)
• Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Liverpool
• Honorary Degrees in Literature from the University of Strathclyde, Bournemouth University, and Staffordshire University
• Amnesty International Press Awards overall winner (1993) and television prize (1994)
• Royal Television Society Journalist of the Year and Sony Radio Reporter of the Year (1994)
• Orwell Prize for “Season of Blood” (1995)
• The Voice of The Viewer Award and Listener Award for “Letter to Daniel” (1996)
• BAFTA for “Valentina’s Story” (1997)
• James Cameron Prize for war reporting
• Edward R. Murrow Award for foreign reporting
• Index on Censorship Prize for journalistic integrity
• Sony Gold Award for Taking A Stand (2009)
• British Army Military Book of the Year for Road of Bones (2011)
• Peabody Award and Emmy as part of the BBC team covering the 2015 refugee crisis
• Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize and Irish Book of the Year for Wounds (2017)