Caitríona’s US odyssey is a labour of love
FROM the Oscars to Super Tuesday to the future of Guantanamo Bay, it’s been hectic week f or RTÉ’s Caitríona Perry – but it’s all part of living the American Dream for the reporter.
The ‘one-woman newsroom for a whole continent’ often ends up working 21-hour days, but RTÉ’s Washington Correspondent has said she cannot get enough of her job.
The anchor moved to the US two years ago with her husband to take on one of the national broadcaster’s most coveted roles, and has just had one of her busiest periods yet. But there is no let-up, especially in a US presidential election year.
She said: ‘This past week has been particularly crazy, I was reporting on President Obama’s new effort to close Guantanamo Bay, then I was on a plane to LA the next day for all the Oscars stuff, then literally just hours after I caught Ireland’s latest Oscar winner Benjamin Cleary on the red carpet. I was back at the airport to jet back to DC for Super Tuesday!
With another two years left in the post, Ms Perry, 35, said tackling jet lag and times zones is exhausting, although she’s eager to plough on and visit every state in the US before returning to Donnybrook in 2018.
‘There is an awful lot of jetting around… officially I’m RTÉ’s Washington Correspondent but it’s really more like US Correspondent and I rarely spend one full week in DC,’ she said.
‘I’ve been known to get through four or five states in a week…. it’s a bit mad, but it’s fantastic at the same time. I do feel very privi- leged to have this opportunity. I worked hard to get it, so I’m making the most of it.
‘My goal is to get around all 50 states while I’m here. I’m at 33 so I’m not doing too badly.’
But the time difference and travel do take their toll. Ms Perry said: ‘I’m not going to lie, the time difference is really tough, particularly when I’m working on the West Coast, and I’m eight hours behind Ireland.’
The former DCU student, who has worked as a journalist in RTÉ since 2007, added: ‘I’m basically a one-woman newsroom for a whole continent, with the full range of subject matter at my disposal.
‘I’ve obviously done a lot of politics this year with the US presidential elections under way, but then you have all sorts of court cases involving Irish people, economics stories, justice stories, racial riots, general human interest stuff, and some entertainment, arts and quite a few sports stories as well.’
The former Newstalk anchor has had to become an expert at managing a hectic schedule. ‘I’ll have done a day’s work, and then suddenly Ireland wakes up at 10pm or 11pm West Coast time and I’m straight into Morning Ireland; then I catch a few hours’ sleep and am back up early again as my deadline for the Six One news will be 10am.
‘By lunchtime, the Irish day is over, and then you’re just starting into the California day and you could be filming all afternoon, get a bit of dinner, and then Ireland is waking up at 10 or 11pm and the whole cycle starts again. You literally can end up working 21 out of 24 hours... Stamina is definitely a professional necessity.’
Weekends off are rare but Ms Perry makes the most of midnight gym sessions and socialising with the Irish community. ‘It’s like anyone who has a demanding job, or works a mad roster; you just balance your life where you can as best you can,’ she said.
‘There are intense periods when it’s just all work and it has to be, but that’s the same for a lot of people. You do have to make time to do non-work things too or you’d go crazy.
‘We’ve made some really lovely friends out here so we all go out for dinner or drinks when we can. There’s a great Irish community here and they’ve all been very welcoming so you’re never short of things to do.’
‘Time difference is really tough’