# David Dunseith

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/David_Dunseith
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/David_Dunseith.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dunseith
> Source revision: 1175416612
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name          =  David Dunseith
| image         = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [brackets](/source/brackets) -->
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption       = 
| birth_name    = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1934|10|2|df=y}}
| birth_place   = 
| death_date    = {{death date and age|2011|06|29|1934|10|2|df=y}}
| death_place   = 
| nationality   = <!-- use only when necessary per [WP:INFONAT](/source/WP%3AINFONAT) -->
| other_names   = 
| occupation    = Journalist
| years_active  = 
| known_for     = 
| notable_works = 
}}
'''David Dunseith''' (2 October 1934 – 29 June 2011)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13985089|title = Talkback's David Dunseith 'gave Disappeared a voice'|work = BBC News|date = July 2011}}</ref> was a [Northern Irish](/source/Northern_Irish_people) [journalist](/source/journalist) and [broadcaster](/source/News_presenter) with [BBC Northern Ireland](/source/BBC_Northern_Ireland). He presented [BBC Radio Ulster](/source/BBC_Radio_Ulster)'s '[Talkback](/source/Talk_Back_(BBC_Radio_Ulster))' & 'Seven Days' programmes. His career spanned the troubles covering the turbulent and tragic events of recent years from the [Falls Curfew](/source/Falls_Curfew) in 1970 to the [Omagh](/source/Omagh) atrocity in 1998. He reported on all the Northern Ireland political initiatives from [Sunningdale](/source/Sunningdale) to the [Good Friday Agreement](/source/Good_Friday_Agreement).

==Career==
He grew up in [Derry](/source/Derry). Before pursuing a career in the media, he was a police officer, but moved to journalism in the 1970s. He worked for [Ulster Television](/source/Ulster_Television) (U.T.V.), presenting many programmes, including [UTV Reports](/source/UTV_Reports) and [Counterpoint](/source/UTV_Insight). During UTV's 50th birthday celebrations in November 2009, he co-presented an edition of UTV Live.

David Dunseith is perhaps best known for presenting [BBC Radio Ulster](/source/BBC_Radio_Ulster)'s Talkback from 1989 to 2009 &ndash; he followed the late [Barry Cowan](/source/Barry_Cowan_(broadcaster)) as presenter &ndash; but his association with the programme went back even further than that.   When it first went on the air in 1986, he was a weekly contributor with an ability to read from a script written on various pieces of scrap paper. He became its main presenter in 1989, going on to establish a huge reputation for straight-talking, no-nonsense, often merciless grilling of interviewees. In 2006 Talkback won a silver [Sony Radio Academy Award](/source/Sony_Radio_Academy_Award) in the news and current affairs programme category. He presented the 20th anniversary edition of Talkback on Friday 7 September 2006.

In August 2009, he ended over two decades of work on [Talkback](/source/Talk_Back_(BBC_Radio_Ulster)) when Radio Ulster reshuffled presenters on its news and current affairs programmes.<ref>http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=97817 4ni.co.uk</ref> On 11 May 2011, Dunseith announced his retirement from Radio Ulster while presenting his final Seven Days.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13361742|title = David Dunseith retires from BBC NI's airwaves|work = BBC News|date = 11 May 2011}}</ref>

==Death==
On 30 June 2011 it was announced that Dunseith had died following a lengthy illness and the age of 76. His funeral was held at Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church in [Strangford](/source/Strangford) before his remains were removed to Roselawn Crematorium.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-14007840 Funeral of veteran broadcaster David Dunseith]</ref>

==Personal life==
Dunseith married fellow journalist Roisin Walsh and the couple had three sons together. Walsh died in July 2010 from [motor neurone disease](/source/motor_neurone_disease).<ref>[http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/former-top-tv-reporter-roisin-walsh-dies-after-long-illness-14865219.html Former top TV reporter Roisin Walsh dies after long illness]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunseith, David}}
Category:1934 births
Category:2011 deaths
Category:Place of death missing
Category:BBC newsreaders and journalists
Category:Radio personalities from Northern Ireland
Category:Royal Ulster Constabulary officers
Category:Police officers from County Londonderry
Category:Broadcasters from Derry (city)

{{BBC-radio-stub}}
{{NorthernIreland-journalist-stub}}

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [David Dunseith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dunseith) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dunseith?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.