10 Questions with journalist and storyteller Reem El-Hassany

Reem El-Hassany transitioned into journalism after earning a master’s degree from the University of Limerick.

Journalist and storyteller Reem El-Hassany answers 10 questions about inspiration, her childhood, and memorable moments

Reem El-Hassany is an Iraqi-Irish journalist and storyteller, currently reporting for RTÉ’s Nationwide. After starting out in pharmacy, she transitioned into journalism after earning a master’s degree from the University of Limerick.

She started off her career as a presenter on RTÉ’s news2day, before getting into digital content creation and feature reporting. Now, she’s busy sharing stories from all around Ireland, bringing fresh perspectives to the screen and keeping things interesting along the way.

1. Can you tell us about your childhood?

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I had such a lovely childhood, and I always look back on it really fondly! I actually only moved to Limerick (from Clare) when I was 7 years old, but I wouldn’t be able to consider myself as being from anywhere else!

I grew up in a lovely estate and there were always kids around to hang out with, so we would spend every single evening playing outside, especially in the summer, when it was bright until late, we would be playing games, riding our bikes, having picnics and always ending the night by queueing up for the ice cream man! Even though I have since moved, I would still be quite close with a lot of the kids I grew up with there!

2. Where did your passion for journalism come from?

Journalism has been something I’ve been interested in since I was in my early teens! I remember hosting a school lunchtime radio show when I was in first year, and I honestly thought it was the coolest thing I ever did! The teacher who set that up left in my second year, so I was upset that the radio show ended, but I’d say that’s when I caught the bug. I remember my school friends and I would be discussing what we wanted to be when we grew up and I would talk about how I wanted to interview people and share their stories.

Then, I remember being in fifth year, and we were doing mock papers for the Leaving Cert, and it was the creative writing part — I was never great at English growing up, I remember I got a ‘C’ when I was in first year and I started grinds almost immediately!

I managed to get up to a B1, but it was still always one of my favourite subjects and I worked HARD for that result when I was in school! — but, when we did the creative writing part, I used to always do short stories (I absolutely love writing short stories, to this day!), but one day the article question really stood out to me, and I did that, and I got an A1!!! I was delighted!! And I remember my English teacher then told me that that was my strength and to focus on writing articles going forward – she was right, it definitely paid off!

3. What are your biggest inspirations?

I’d say I’m inspired by people who are truly passionate about their work and put everything they have into what they do. What really motivates me is seeing how dedicated people are, whether it’s in their community, their field, or even on a global scale. It’s the kind of ambition and drive that creates something meaningful.

4. Can you describe a typical day in your role as a multi-media journalist?

No two days are ever the same in my job! I could be filming in Limerick one day, Cork the next, then Dublin for something and then wrapping up the week in Galway! My days go from story planning and researching, to scripting and planning my pre-shoots, to filming my stories, and then recording my voiceover and editing it all together. I always have so many stories on the go at once, so it’s always go, go, go!

5. What advice would you give people hoping to pursue journalism?

Apply for everything. Every opportunity (big or small!) helps you learn, make connections, and build experience. Stay curious, work on your skills, and focus on telling meaningful stories. The more you put yourself out there, the more you’ll learn and grow!

6. What is your most memorable moment in your career?

My very first job as a Presenter/Reporter for news2day! It was my first job as a journalist, first time reporting, first time presenting… A lot of firsts! It was such a rewarding job, and I feel like it really helped me develop my skills as a journalist because you would be doing it ALL in that job! And getting to meet so many inspirational kids, and share local and global stories, working with such a wonderful team and getting to enjoy every single day of your job… What’s not to love?!

7. What challenges have you faced in your career and how did you overcome them?

Imposter syndrome has definitely been one of my biggest challenges! No matter how much experience I gain, there are times where I still question if I truly belong in this field. I’ve learned to deal with it by just focusing my attention on the stories I’m telling, rather than my own doubts. I’m really lucky in that I have great supportive colleagues, and lots of great friends within the industry who I can chat to about this and have helped me push past it and keep going.

8. How has your role changed over the years?

I started off with RTÉ as a Presenter/Reporter for news2day, after that I joined the RTÉ News online/social team as a Digital Content Creator, and now I’m a Multimedia Journalist for Nationwide – it’s been a great progression, and I’m loving the variety of work I get to do now!

9. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully still getting to do what I love!

10. What’s your favourite thing about Limerick?

Limerick is home! I love the familiarity of it and that no matter where you go, you always end up seeing a friendly face and chatting away to someone. I’ve lived in a lot of places, but I don’t think anywhere feels quite a warm as Limerick does!