CNN

Fionnuala Sweeney

Fionnuala Sweeney is an anchor and correspondent for CNN International, based at the network's headquarters in Atlanta.

Sweeney, who was previously based in London, has reported on major news events from around Europe and the Middle East. This year she's reported from Cairo, Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi as part of the network's coverage of the unrest in Egypt and the Middle East.

In October 2008 she anchored a week-long series of programs from Poland, and has since been involved in presenting special coverage of Gaza from Israel; reporting on the Israeli elections from Jerusalem; and presenting from the epicenter of the Italian earthquake in L'Aquila. Sweeney returned to Poland in June 2009 to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of Communism for CNN's Autumn Of Change programming initiative. She also anchored ‘World One’ from Prague and Bucharest as part of that year-long series.

In 2007 she presented special programming from Jerusalem to mark the 40th anniversary of the six day war, as well as anchoring CNN’s coverage of the elections in Northern Ireland to mark the reinstatement of devolved rule. Sweeney also covered the announcement of Tony Blair’s resignation as British Prime Minister and traveled to Portugal to report when the parents of Madeleine McCann were named as formal suspects in the investigation into her disappearance.

In 2006 Sweeney reported from Israel during the summer conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, anchoring daily news programs live from Haifa. She also traveled to Israel when the then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon went into a coma, providing updates on his state of health and the political consequences of his illness.

Her many assignments have also included covering the London bombings in July 2005 and reporting from countries around Eastern Europe as they prepared to join the European Union, as part of CNN’s special coverage on EU enlargement. She reported from Israel and the Palestinian territories between September and November 2003 and covered the Israeli elections for CNN in February 2001.

Sweeney was the launch anchor of ‘World News Europe’, having previously launched ‘CNN This Morning’ in September 1997, the network’s first European breakfast news program produced from London. As an anchor for ‘World News’, she covered major stories including the humanitarian crisis in Zaire, the Docklands bomb in London, the Bosnian conflict, the British elections and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

Sweeney joined CNN from RTE in Ireland where she worked as a radio and television news reporter and newscaster from 1988 to 1993. In 1993, she was selected to present the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of RTE, broadcast live to 350 million people in three languages.

A native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Sweeney has a higher diploma in Education and a bachelor degree in English and History from the University College, Dublin.