into the west: tv3's laura quits station and gears up for new job in pr
Saturday June 28 2008
TV3's star reporter Laura Ryan has announced that she's quitting the station after seven and a half years.
The Limerick journalist (32) started the same day as anchor Collette Fitzpatrick but has now decided to return home.
Laura is finally answering the call to the West where she is looking forward to spending time with the two main men in her life -- her dad and her boyfriend.
But it will be a sad farewell on Friday, July 4, when she signs off for the last time and she admits that there will be a few tears.
Despite being promoted to Courts Correspondent a few months ago, Laura will be hanging up her microphone to become the PR person of Limerick city.
"I've been seven and a half years in TV3 and before I was in TV3 I was in The Star so I've been in Dublin for 10 years," she said.
"I'm excited about doing it but I'll be sad. I've got great friends especially in TV3 and I've had great opportunities."
Her new job with the Limerick Co-ordination Office will be to "get Limerick in the headlines for all the right reasons".
"It's an exciting time," said Laura. "If you are moving to PR you might as well move to a PR job that is challenging.
masters
"Not only am I leaving Dublin, changing jobs, moving house, going on holiday -- I'm also doing my thesis," added Laura who has a post-graduate in Journalism and is doing a thesis to get her masters.
Despite being away for 10 years, Laura has maintained close links with the city of her birth. Her dad lives there and her boyfriend, garden designer Fergal Jordan, has a house there where Laura plans to live when she moves down.
"It will be nice doing up the house," said the presenter. "Its home for me as well," she said about Limerick. "I'm very proud to be from there."
And she'll miss the court reporters from other news outlets who she has become close friends with like RTE's Orla O'Donnell and INN's Sarah O'Connor.
One of the highlights for Laura of the TV3 career was spending six weeks in France last summer covering the Rugby World Cup.
She says the sport is in her blood but returning to Limerick will give her the chance to closely follow Munster's progress. She's also looking forward to the opening of the new Thomond in August.
- - Sarah Neville
