Sean Whelan is an Irish journalist and one of the well-known figures of RTÉ News, with a career spanning several decades in international, political, and economic journalism. He joined RTÉ in 1991 and, during the early years of his career, worked in a range of roles, including radio and television journalism. He later joined RTÉ’s foreign desk and served as Deputy Foreign Editor.
Whelan has reported from some of the most significant international conflicts and events of his time. He covered the war in Bosnia and later the war in Kosovo. Throughout his career, he has also reported on major developments in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Following his work on the foreign desk, Whelan served as Europe Editor in Brussels and later as RTÉ’s Economics Correspondent. In 2026, he was reappointed as RTÉ’s London Correspondent. His contribution to the documentation of Kosovo forms part of a long career in international journalism, in which reporting from the field has remained a central component.