Kevin Myers

Kevin Myers
Born	(1947-03-30) March 30, 1947 Leicester, England
Alma mater	University College Dublin
Occupation(s)	Journalist, author
Years active	1970s–present
Known for	Columns in Irish Independent, The Sunday Times (Irish edition), The Irish Times ("An Irishman's Diary")
Notable work	Watching the Door: A Memoir, 1971–1978; Banks of Green Willow; Kevin Myers: From the Irish Times Column 'An Irishman's Diary'; More Myers: An Irishman's Diary, 1997–2006; A Single Headstrong Heart; Ireland's Great War; Burning Heresies: A Memoir of a Life in Conflict, 1979-2020
Spouse	Rachel Nolan

Kevin Myers (born 30 March 1947) is a journalist and author of Irish nationality, originally from England. His work has appeared in publications such as the Irish Independent, the Irish version of The Sunday Times, and in the "An Irishman's Diary" column for The Irish Times.

Myers has gained notoriety for his provocative opinions on subjects including single motherhood, aid to Africa, the Holocaust, and Irish nationalism. In July 2017, The Sunday Times announced the termination of his association after an article he wrote on the BBC gender pay gap sparked allegations of antisemitism and misogyny. Nevertheless, the chairperson of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland argued that branding Myers as antisemitic or a Holocaust denier misrepresented the circumstances.

Early life

Born in Leicester and brought up in England, Myers lost his father—an Irish general practitioner—when he was 15 years old and studying at Ratcliffe College, a Catholic boarding school. Despite facing financial hardship after his father's passing, he was able to continue at Ratcliffe with assistance from both the school and the Local Education Authority. He later relocated to Ireland to attend university, earning a degree from University College Dublin (UCD) in 1969.

Journalism

Myers launched his journalism career with Irish broadcaster RTÉ, covering events in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. He went on to contribute to prominent Irish newspapers including The Irish Times, the Irish Independent, and the Irish edition of The Sunday Times. His "An Irishman's Diary" columns were compiled into collections published in 2000 and again in 2007.

Other work

During the 1990s, Myers hosted the quiz show Challenging Times on RTÉ. He wrote the novel Banks of Green Willow in 2001, which was met with largely unfavorable reviews. His 2006 memoir Watching the Door, recounting his experiences reporting in Northern Ireland during the 1970s, received positive assessments from The Times, The Guardian, and the New Statesman, although The Independent offered a more ambivalent evaluation. Myers frequently contributed to radio broadcasts on Newstalk 106 and was a regular guest on The Last Word on Today FM. Additionally, he held a position on the Film Classification Appeals Board.

Irish republicanism

Myers has expressed strong opposition to physical force Irish republicanism. In 2008, he criticized commemorations marking the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, questioning whether violence against unarmed Irish civilians by insurgents could be justified.

On Newstalk's Talking History program in 2010, Myers pointed out that Ireland’s independence was secured through internal strife, emphasizing that rebellions from 1798 through 1919 involved conflict among Irish people themselves, with most fatalities being Irish nationals.

Unionism and loyalism

He characterized the 1914 Larne gun-running operation executed by the Ulster Volunteers as "high treason," highlighting its coordination with high-ranking British Army officers and Conservative Party members.

Myers also disputed assertions that violence by republican and loyalist factions was comparable, underscoring the distinct savagery of loyalist paramilitary groups such as the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Shankill Butchers, whose violent practices preceded those of the IRA.

"Bastards" controversy

In 2005, Myers encountered criticism following a column published in The Irish Times where he described children born to unmarried mothers as "bastards". He implied that some teenage girls intentionally chose single motherhood to benefit from government assistance.

The then Minister of State, Nuala Fennell, publicly denounced this terminology as unacceptable. Myers issued an unconditional apology two days afterward, independently of external pressure. Geraldine Kennedy, the editor at the time, also apologized for allowing the article to be published.

Aid to Africa

In July 2008, Myers authored a piece claiming that aid directed toward Africa contributes to population growth and exacerbates problems on the continent. This article provoked significant controversy, leading the Immigrant Council of Ireland to lodge a complaint with the Garda Síochána alleging incitement to hatred.

Hans Zomer of Dóchas, a coalition of NGOs, along with another complainant, brought the matter before the Press Council. They argued that the article violated four principles of its Code of Practice: Accuracy, Fairness and Honesty, Respect for Rights, and Incitement to Hatred. The Press Council found that both the headline and content contained exaggerations and broad generalizations that distorted facts and were offensive toward Africans. It determined that the language was likely to cause serious offense to individuals from sub-Saharan Africa and Africans living in Ireland, thus breaching Principle 8. However, it did not find sufficient evidence that the article intended to incite hatred or breached the other principles.

Alleged antisemitism and misogyny

In July 2017, Myers contributed an article to the Irish edition of The Sunday Times addressing the BBC gender pay gap controversy. He suggested that men might earn higher salaries due to being "more charismatic," exerting greater effort, and having fewer absences due to illness. Controversially, he asserted that presenters Claudia Winkleman and Vanessa Feltz received higher pay because they are Jewish, stating, "Jews are not generally noted for their insistence on selling their talent for the lowest possible price." Frank Fitzgibbon, editor of the Irish edition, strongly condemned antisemitism and issued an apology alongside Martin Ivens, editor of The Sunday Times. After public outcry and complaints from the Campaign Against Antisemitism, the piece was withdrawn and Myers ceased contributing to the publication.

Maurice Cohen, chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, defended Myers by stating he was not antisemitic but had "inadvertently stumbled into an antisemitic trope." Myers publicly apologized for any offense caused and expressed respect for Jewish achievements. Vanessa Feltz described the column as "horrifying racism."

Media reports also revisited a 2009 column by Myers opposing legislation against Holocaust denial. While acknowledging Nazi crimes, Myers challenged the etymology of terms like "holocaust" and questioned precise victim numbers, which led to accusations of Holocaust denial. The column was subsequently removed from both Sunday Independent and Belfast Telegraph websites. Although The Observer initially labeled Myers a Holocaust denier, it later clarified that he rejected this characterization in its usual sense.

In 2018, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland upheld a complaint against RTÉ Radio 1 presenter Audrey Carville for calling Myers a Holocaust denier. The ruling stated that his article did not deny genocide but criticized how language related to Holocaust denial was used. Myers later won a defamation case against RTÉ concerning this allegation in 2019.

Personal life

Kevin Myers is married to Rachel Nolan and lives in County Kildare. He is related by marriage to TV host and former UK Big Brother participant Anna Nolan.

Bibliography

• Kevin Myers: From the Irish Times Column 'An Irishman's Diary' (2000)
• Banks of Green Willow (2001)
• Watching the Door: A Memoir, 1971–1978 (2006)
• More Myers: An Irishman's Diary, 1997–2006 (2007)
• A Single Headstrong Heart (2013)
• Ireland's Great War (2014)
• Burning Heresies: A Memoir of a Life in Conflict, 1979-2020 (2020)

External links

• Kevin Myers profile at the Irish Independent
• Myers secures lucrative contract with Independent Newspapers – The Sunday Business Post, 30 April 2006
• Ireland: The dark before the dawn – Interview with Myers published in The Sunday Times, 29 October 2006
• Excerpt from 'Watching the Door' by Kevin Myers, featured in The Independent, 8 March 2008
• "Lies, damned lies, and the wickedness of Wikipedia", sample column by Kevin Myers dated 27 May 2008