Vinnie Doyle, editor of the Irish Independent for almost 25 years, died yesterday, aged 72.
He was described by Irish prime minister Brian Cowen as a "legendary figure in Irish journalism".
And the chief executive of the paper's publisher, Independent News & Media, Gavin O'Reilly, said "he was undoubtedly the outstanding newspaper editor of his generation."
Doyle began his journalistic career as a copy boy. After spells on the Irish Press and Sunday Press, he joined the INM group in 1964.
He became editor of the Dublin Evening Herald in 1977 before taking over as Irish Independent editor in 1981.
He worked hard and worked late. "Vinnie Doyle could be a tough boss but he was also a man of kindness and many journalists have reason to be grateful for private acts of generosity," said Seamus Dooley of the National Union of Journalists.
In a lengthy and affectionate tribute in today's Irish Independent, Michael Brophy wrote that Doyle "knew what the people of middle Ireland were thinking, sometimes even before they did, and he was unfailing in his ability to give them a product that reflected their mood."
Sources: Irish Times/Irish Independent
