Frank McDonald — the former environment editor of The Irish Times, author and campaigner — has died. He was 76.
McDonald was born in Cabra, Dublin, and studied history and politics at University College Dublin before entering journalism.
He initially worked for The Irish Press but left in 1979 to join The Irish Times where he spent the next 36 years of his career.
McDonald became the newspaper’s first environment correspondent in 1986 after a series of ground-breaking investigations into planning failures and dereliction in Dublin.
His reporting on planning corruption was pioneering in Irish journalism, and he regularly reported from abroad on international climate negotiations.
But he also maintained his deep interest in the built environment and Dublin’s struggles to balance the demands for housing and transport with architectural conservation and heritage preservation.
He was appointed environment editor in 2000 and was also a prolific author, writing or co-authoring eight books and contributing to academic publications on the subjects of urban planning, planning corruption, architecture and the history and possible futures of Dublin.
Frank McDonald: ‘It took me years to accept who I am. I’m still working on it’
He wrote his memoir, Truly Frank, in 2018, an account of his life and work in which he chronicled his experience of being gay in a country that for most of his life discriminated against people of his sexuality.
In 2016, he married his partner of 40 years, Eamon Slater. The couple lived in Temple Bar in Dublin city centre for many years before settling in Blackrock on the city’s south side in 2022.
McDonald retired in 2015 but continued to contribute to The Irish Times and other publications and often appeared as a commentator in radio discussions.
He also remained active in planning issues, one of his most recent concerns being the configuration of MetroLink.
In particular, he was concerned about plans for a MetroLink station in St Stephen’s Green, expressing fears for the park’s integrity and heritage as a national monument.
He died overnight at the Blackrock Clinic in Dublin after a short illness and is survived by his husband and partner of 50 years, Eamon Slater, two brothers and a sister, and a large circle of friends.