THE AUTHOR, broadcaster and editorial director of the Irish-based magazine group, Harmonia, Richard Hannaford has died at the age of 49.
Mr Hannaford died yesterday at Our Lady's Hospice in Blackrock, Dublin, in the company of his wife, publisher and Dragon's Denpanellist Norah Casey.
As well as his role as editorial director of Harmonia, which he ran with Ms Casey, he was also deputy chairman of Magazines Ireland and sat on the board of the Health Information and Quality Authority. He previously worked as a news and health correspondent for the BBC for 17 years during which time he received a number of awards including the Nursing in the Media Award which he was presented by then British prime minister Tony Blair.
In 2001 he was named the UK’s National Health Correspondent of the Year.
He moved to Ireland in 2002 and in the same year produced and presented the landmark RTÉ series, The Truth about the Health Service.In 2003 he received the Irish Health Writers' Broadcaster of the Year Award for a six-part documentary series on recreational drugs. He also contributed to the The Irish Timeshealth supplement.
Mr Hannaford worked as a consultant and adviser to a number of international and governmental organisations, including the NHS in the UK, The Kings Fund for Health, the EUs External Advisory Committee and the WHO.
He is survived by his wife, his son Dara, aged 12, his mother Adria and his brother Simon.