Alan English, one of the country’s most respected and experienced journalists, is joining The Currency on a full-time basis. 

English will take up the position of Associate Editor on November 3, after a five-year stint as editor of the country’s biggest-selling newspaper, The Sunday Independent. 

A best-selling author, English was previously group editorial director of Iconic Media, Ireland’s largest regional newspaper group, overseeing more than 20 local titles and websites. Before that, he was editor of The Limerick Leader for almost 10 years.

As Associate Editor, English will help drive investigations, write commentary and produce stories, features, and interviews. 

“I’ve been a subscriber to The Currency since its inception and a great admirer of its in-depth storytelling,” English said. 

“It’s been clear for a long time now that the news organisations with a future will be the ones giving their subscribers high-quality, unique journalism — The Currency has been doing that brilliantly from day one. It’s been a genuine success story and I’m delighted that I’ll soon be part of it.”

He added: “For me, after decades in senior editing jobs, mostly behind desks, this is very much going to be a new challenge. I’m really looking forward to getting back to more writing, interviewing interesting people, and telling their stories. As Associate Editor, I’d also like to use my experience to help The Currency continue its growth in whatever way I can.”

Earlier in his career, English was one of the founding editors of The Sunday Times Ireland edition, later becoming deputy sports editor of the UK edition, based in London. During that time, he edited a bestselling book, The Sunday Times Sporting Century.

He is also the author or co-author of five rugby books, including Stand Up and Fight: When Munster Beat the All Blacks and the award-winning autobiographies of Paul O’Connell and Brian O’Driscoll, which are Ireland’s two biggest-selling sports books of the past 20 years.

Tom Lyons, co-founder and chief executive of The Currency, said the appointment was a sign of intent. “It is rare that a journalist of Alan’s calibre becomes available. We are delighted that he chose to join our team. Since we founded The Currency, we have sought to invest in quality journalism and quality journalists. Alan is a great addition and his appointment will help us drive the publication forward. His experience in long-form storytelling both in Ireland and overseas will be invaluable as we continue to grow,” Lyons said. 

“Thank you to our more than 7,000 members for allowing us to add Alan to our team.”