JOURNALIST AND CAMPAIGNER Frank McDonald has died at the age of 76 following a short illness.

McDonald was the environment editor of the Irish Times until 2015, where he had a particular focus on climate action, architecture, urban design and the planning process.

He began his career as a reporter with the Irish Press, before leaving for the Irish Times in 1979. He was promoted to environment correspondent in 1986. 

McDonald was also a fierce environmental campaigner, with singer Bob Geldorf describing him at the time as “a permanent thorn in the fat arse of municipal pretension” – a description which the Irish Times said he approved of. 

McDonald was involved in many campaigns to preserve Dublin city, including the campaign to save Wood Quay from redevelopment, after a huge Viking site was discovered there. 

Throughout the years, alongside his reporting and activism, he penned many books.

The Destruction of Dublin, published in 1985, was perhaps his most well-regarded, which detailed the destruction of various historic Georgian parts of the capital by developers and planners in the 1960s and 1970s.

Other books included Saving the City, The Construction of Dublin, Chaos at the Crossroads with James Nix, The Builders with Kathy Sheridan, and A Little History of the Future of Dublin.

His Memoir, Truly Frank, also documents his experience of growing-up as a gay man in Dublin in the 1960s.

McDonald also famously never learned to drive – unusual for a reporter – instead relying on public transport and the kindness of others. 

A number of tributes have flooded in. The Green Party said that McDonald’s death will be a “loss to national dialogue” and that the party are “grateful for his advocacy and passion”.  

Green Party Leader Roderic O’Gorman said: “Frank was a powerful voice advocating for the protection of Dublin’s architectural and cultural heritage. He used his platform in The Irish Times to highlight environmental and climate issues, long before these were part of the mainstream public debate. His contribution to national policy discussions will be missed.”

Seamus Dooley, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, described McDonald as a “pioneering journalist”, one who was “fierce in his determination to expose corruption and to make the world a better place to live”.

RTÉ journalist Rita O’Reilly said: “I am so sad to learn of the loss of Frank. He has made, and his legacy will continue to make, an immense contribution to public awareness and understanding of planning and urban planning.

“His campaigning journalism, passion and his generous spirit shone a light on so many issues.”

McDonald is survived by his husband, Eamon Slater, whom he married in 2016.