Death announced of economist and journalist Colm Rapple

Colm Rapple, the economist and financial journalist, has died following a short illness.

Mr Rapple worked for the Irish Press and Independent Newspapers throughout the 1980s and 1990s during which time he was credited with making the intricacies of finance accessible to all.

An author of several books and a regular commentator on television and radio, he died at the Bon Secours Hospital in Dublin on Thursday.

“Colm was an outstanding journalist, a champion of the consumer who made financial journalism accessible and relevant,” Séamus Dooley, Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists said in a statement today.

“He was imbued with a sense of justice and fairness. He was a passionate believer in the right to freedom of expression and in independent journalism, free from corporate influence.”

Mr Rapple is survived by his wife Nuala and children Simone and Rory.