Rathlee’s Orla is one to watch
In a world where the internet has become part and parcel of everyday life, TheJournal.ie has become one of Ireland’s most popular news sites. Orla Ryan, originally from Rathlee in west Sligo, is one of their most prominent reporters, and has been at the centre of the sites news output for the past two years.
Although her career is still in its infancy having been taken on by TheJournal.ie in 2014, the former Jesus and Mary Secondary School student says she always had an interest in the media world.
“I always liked English and the media in school. It was always in the back of my mind and in TY I spent some time in the Western People.”
Having studied Communications in DCU and then completing a Masters in NUI Galway, Orla spent time interning at big international names such as the New York Observer and The Guardian in the UK, as well as in The Irish Times in Dublin.
“I was lucky enough to go abroad. It was great to go abroad and get experience in different newsrooms, but essentially every newsroom is the same, just the audience is different.”
Having originally started as a political intern at TheJournal.ie, Orla is now a general news reporter covering a diverse range of stories on a day- today basis. “I’ll be here two years in March. I started as a political intern, but now I’m a general reporter.
“Every day is different. We cover national and international stuff, but it depends on the day, and we’d also be working on long- term stuff on the side which would be rolled out every so often like now with the general election.” With the general election campaign in full swing, Orla’s work for the next couple of weeks will focus almost solely on the campaign – and it’s a line of work she enjoys.
“At the moment it [ her work] is nearly all politics. It’s very interesting, and I’m often in Leinster House covering debates and stories and it’s interesting to see the politicians doing their work on a regular basis.” The realm of online media is evolving all the time, and TheJournal.ie is very
much at the core of the revolution.revolution Its popular series of high table interviews – where high- profile politicians and others come in for a one- on- one interview - have gained much publicity, and Orla says video content is now an important part of their output.
“We have lots of video content online already. There are a series of debates and high- table interviews where people come in for a one- on- one chat. We’ll have more video stuff online shortly. It’s good to have a mix of platforms. Most people digest everything on a smartphone now on a daily basis so we try to look after that.”
And while Orla’s name is often associated with a political piece, a series of articles she oversaw last autumn about death and bereavement gained huge traction online. One piece in particular on coping with bereavement was a highly personal one, as she detailed how she coped with the loss of her father, grandmother and grandfather and a close friend in the space of 14 months. The reaction to the eloquently written piece was extraordinary.
“It [ the article] was mainly about my dad. It was a series we did about death and I oversaw that. There was a really strong reaction – people that knew me started to get in touch, but so did loads of people who didn’t know me.”
“I was a bit nervous putting it out there but it seemed to touch a lot of people.”
Though based in Dublin full- time now, Orla still retains a strong connection with Sligo by returning to Rathlee every couple of weeks. For the next two weeks, however, Orla will be occupied with the trials and tribulations of the general election campaign.
EXTRACT FROM ORlA’s ARTICLE.
THE STRANGEST FEELING you’ll probably ever have is willing someone you love to die. After months of hoping, accepting defeat is the only option left on the table. You want them to be free and feel no pain. And so, you wait in this weird pre- death limbo. Dad didn’t smoke and barely drank. He was very active – a farmer.
After a few weeks of symptoms – that could easily be put down to several other minor issues – he was diagnosed with a type of cancer I had to Google the spelling of: oesophageal. As the doctor informed us, it’s often associated with smokers and heavy drinkers who are overweight.
As I said, Dad never smoked, hardly ever drank alcohol and was far from overweight. It was a shock, but then again lots of people get cancer and lots of people survive. Before we knew Dad was sick, I had began the common post- college ritual – flights to South East Asia were booked and my working visa for Australia was sorted ( months before we knew anything was wrong).
As fate would have it, the day I was due to fly out was the same day Dad had an appointment with a specialist in Dublin: 1 September 2012. After hours of sitting around, we heard the three worst words in the English language: It has spread. I spent the next few months in Sligo and, bar some Christmas work in Penneys, was gainfully unemployed. I wouldn’t take back a moment of those months.
After the initial shock of the diagnosis dulled, fight mode kicked in and treatment began. He responded well and had a good Christmas. Hope was there. When the treatment stopped working, the doctor assured us there were other options and they’d try a new type of chemo. It didn’t work. Again, the doctors said we’d go back to the drawing board.
On a Friday evening at our house, a nurse told us: A week is a long time in your father’s life. It was the first time anyone had been that honest about what was happening. The truth hit. I was mad at the doctors and nurses for what felt like them deceiving us over the past few weeks. But what were they supposed to say? ‘ He’s dying’ is too blunt. All the positive, hopeful language is what you’re supposed to say so you say it. In hindsight, we were in denial. But you can talk away any symptom or sign if the truth is too painful. For Orla’s full article see: www. thejournal.ie/ readme/dealing- withgrief-after- losing- a- parent.
THE ARTICLE WAS MAINLY ABOUT THE DEATH OF MY DAD. IWAS NERVOUS PUTTING IT OUT THERE BUT IT TOUCHED A LOT OF PEOPLE