{{short description|Irish investigative journalist (born 1969)}} {{Other people||Elizabeth Allen (disambiguation)}} {{Distinguish|Liz Allan}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''Liz Allen''' (born 1969) is an Irish investigative journalist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/journalist-wins-70000-bullying-case-award-26076091.html|title=Journalist wins £70,000 bullying case award|website=Independent.ie}}</ref> She is a former crime correspondent of the ''Sunday Independent'' and author of two novels.
== Early life and education == Born one of eight brothers and sisters in Cabra West, Dublin, she developed a taste for writing at 14 by becoming a regular contributor to the letters pages of ''The Evening Herald''. By 16 she had obtained a weekend job with the paper writing local footballers sports profiles.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=A hard act to follow|last=Choudhary|first=Vivek|date=27 January 1997|work=The Guardian|id = {{ProQuest|187874184}}}}</ref>
She studied law for a year at University College in Dublin before leaving to freelance for ''The Herald''.<ref name=":0" />
== Career == She and her publisher were prosecuted for offending against the Irish Official Secrets Act in 1995, after she used a police memo to write a story revealing that police had prior knowledge of Ireland's greatest bank robbery.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VSATCgAAQBAJ&dq=Liz+allen+official+secrets+act&pg=PA146|title=Words of Fire: Independent Journalists who Challenge Dictators, Druglords, and Other Enemies of a Free Press|last=Collings|first=Anthony|publisher=NYU Press|year=2001|isbn=9780814716052|pages=146–147|language=en|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/garda-memo-lands-reporter-in-court-1525269.html|title=Garda memo lands reporter in court|date=12 December 1995|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/shedding-light-on-the-state-freedom-of-information-1.153905|title=Shedding light on the State freedom of information|last=Foley|first=Michael|date=17 February 1999|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=24 August 2019}}</ref>
Working at first for the ''Irish Independent'', followed by the ''Sunday Tribune'';<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/01/06/the-pluck-of-the-irish|title=The Pluck of the Irish|last=Tóibín|first=Colm|date=30 December 1996|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=2 February 2019|language=en|issn=0028-792X}}</ref> after the 1996 murder of colleague Veronica Guerin, Allen became crime correspondent at the ''Sunday Independent.''<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pm37P54fAzMC&dq=%22Liz+allen%22+journalist&pg=PT184|title=Veronica Guerin|last=O'Reilly|first=Emily|publisher=Random House|year=2012|isbn=9781448156566|language=en|chapter=Conclusion}}</ref> One of her first stories for the paper was an interview with John Gilligan, suspected of the murder.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/23/world/how-a-killing-roused-irish-conscience.html|title=How a Killing Roused Irish Conscience|last=Hoge|first=Warren|date=23 November 1996|work=The New York Times|access-date=2 February 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
After resigning from her position at the newspaper in 2000, Allen sued ''The Independent'', claiming constructive dismissal due to stress and anxiety.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/journalist-was-treated-for-acute-anxiety-1.278078|title=Journalist was treated 'for acute anxiety'|last=Donnellan|first=Eithne|date=7 February 2001|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref> The Employment Tribunal found in Allen's favour, awarding her IR£70,500, the largest such award to that date. After appealing, the newspaper eventually settled out of court in October 2001.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/independent-reaches-settlement-with-allen-1.329959|title=Independent reaches settlement with Allen|last=Coulter|first=Carol|date=2 October 2001|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref>
In 2003 Hodder and Staughton published her first novel, ''Last to Know,''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2003/0218/ireland/allen-lands-300000-book-dealex-indo-reporter-bounces-back-after-court-case-348415515.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202153958/https://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2003/0218/ireland/allen-lands-300000-book-dealex-indo-reporter-bounces-back-after-court-case-348415515.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 February 2019|title=Allen lands €300,000 book dealEx-Indo reporter bounces back after court case|last=Buckley|first=Dan|date=18 February 2003|website=Irish Examiner|access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref> and in 2005 her second novel, ''The Setup''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/the-set-up-1.479813?mode=amp|title=The Set Up|last=Harrison|first=Benice|date=13 August 2005|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref>
In 2014 she founded the Glasthule Gallery in Dublin, which subsequently closed down in June 2018. Later that year she was declared bankrupt with €3.7m in debts.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/liz-allen-novelist-and-former-journalist-goes-bankrupt-with-3-7m-debts-5cmd2jzr2|title=Liz Allen, novelist and former journalist, goes bankrupt with €3.7m debts|last=Coyle|first=Colin|date=27 January 2019|work=The Sunday Times|access-date=16 August 2019|language=en|issn=0956-1382}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Liz}} Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Irish women novelists Category:Irish women journalists Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:People from Dalkey
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