Niall Stokes (born 1951 in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
)
is a music journalist who has served as editor of the long-running fortnightly Ireland music and political magazine ''
Hot Press
''Hot Press'' is a monthly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.
History
''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who cont ...
'' based in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. He has edited the magazine since 1977. He has been a longstanding champion of Irish music, most famously
U2 in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. He was involved with
The Music Show, an exhibition of the Irish music industry held in the
RDS in October 2008. He was Chairman of the Independent Radio and Television Commission (now the BCI) between 1993 and 1998. He has written several books, including ''Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song''.
He graduated from
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...
with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Whilst in college, Stokes was a member of a band called Eyeless, alongside
Neil Jordan
Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish filmmaker and writer. He first achieved recognition for his short story collection, ''Night in Tunisia (short story collection), Night in Tunisia,'' which won the Guardian Fiction Prize in ...
. He was also a freelance writer for outlets such as
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
before founding ''Hot Press''.
He lives with his wife, Mairin Sheehy, in Dublin.
On 20 June 2002, he appeared on an episode of ''
Rattlebag'' which celebrated the 25th anniversary of ''Hot Press''. In January 2008, he attended the recording sessions of "
The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" in
Windmill Lane Studios.
He has appeared on the interactive music series ''
The Raw Sessions''.
Stokes has also appeared as a panellist on ''
Questions and Answers''. On radio he has featured on ''
Five Seven Live'', ''
This Week'', ''
Morning Ireland'' and ''
Drivetime''.
In 2007, he pursued a
High Court action against high-profile
MCD promoter
Denis Desmond and
Riverdance's
Moya Doherty and John McColgan in the aftermath of the Hot Press Music Hall of Fame Museum's failure. The "substantial" court action was settled.
Awards
Stokes won Editor of the Year at the 2008 PPAI Magazine of the Year Awards.
Stokes received an industry award at the
2009 Meteor Awards. Tributes were paid by
Niall Breslin,
Tom Dunne,
Snow Patrol,
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...
and
The Edge.
, -
, 2008 , , Niall Stokes , , PPAI Magazine of the Year Awards – Editor of the Year , ,
, -
,
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, , Niall Stokes , , Metor Music Awards – Industry Award , ,
, -
Other accolades
Niall Stokes was presented with a lifetime achievement by Magazines Ireland in 2011.
8 March 2011: "Niall Stokes founded Hot Press in 1977 and has steered the magazine through over 30 years to be one of Ireland's most successful magazines. Niall launched the career of some of the most prominent journalists in Ireland" – John Mullins, Zahara Publishing & Chairperson of Magazines Ireland.
The ''
Irish Examiner
The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Republic of Ireland, Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork (city), Cork, though it is ...
'' included Stokes in its top fifty list of "most important and influential people in Irish music during 2005".
References
External links
''Hot Press'' website''Hot Press'' on site at The O2feat. Niall Stokes
#19
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stokes, Niall
1951 births
Living people
20th-century Irish people
21st-century Irish people
Alumni of University College Dublin
Hot Press people
Irish magazine editors
Irish music journalists
Writers from County Dublin
People educated at Synge Street CBS