Dearbhail McDonald is an author, journalist, broadcaster and documentary maker. A global Eisenhower Fellow, Dearbhail has won a series of awards for her contribution to public affairs journalism including the Outstanding Achievement Award from the UCD Smurfit Business School, the Mary Cummins Award for Women of Outstanding Achievement in Media, a Dublin City University Special Alumni Achievement award, as well as several Law Society of Ireland Justice Media Awards for her legal affairs and business coverage.

The former Group Business and Legal Editor of Independent News and Media, and author of Bust: How the Courts Exposed the Rotten Heart of the Irish Economy (Penguin), Dearbhail has consistently used her platforms to highlight a range of diverse issues at the interface of law, business, society, economics and culture. President of the Strategy Committee of Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris, Dearbhail has also served on the boards of Fighting Words, Ireland’s national creative writing centre for children and young adults, the St. Stephen’s Green Trust as well as the External Advisory Board of Maynooth University Department of Law.

Dearbhail has made a series of television documentaries for RTE, Ireland’s national broadcaster, including Fertility Shock (2019), The Last Nuns in Ireland (2024) and a new documentary due to be issued later this year.

Dearbhail holds an LL.B (Law) from Trinity College Dublin as well as a Masters Degree in Journalism from Dublin City University.