Kate Walsh O'Beirne (September 23, 1949 – April 23, 2017) was the former president of National Review Institute and the Washington, D.C. editor of National Review. Her column, "Bread and Circuses," covered Congress, politics, and U.S. domestic policy.
O'Beirne was a regular contributor on CNN's Saturday night political round-table program, Capital Gang, along with Al Hunt, Mark Shields, Robert Novak, and Margaret Carlson. O'Beirne and Novak typically argued the conservative viewpoint, and Hunt, Shields, and Carlson provided the liberal viewpoint. She also served as a substitute host on CNN's Crossfire, a commentator for NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and a political analyst for MSNBC's Hardball.
Early life and education
O'Beirne was born Kate Monica Walsh in Brooklyn, New York City. She grew up in Manhasset, New York on Long Island. She was raised in a traditional Irish Catholic family.
O'Beirne's father was Matthew (Matty) Walsh, longtime owner of famed Manhattan saloon Jimmy Ryan's where dozens of jazz legends played, including Sidney Bechet, Ben Webster, and Coleman Hawkins.
She attended St. Mary's High School, graduating in 1967, and then attended Good Counsel College, a Catholic women's school in White Plains, New York, where she majored in English and journalism. She was responsible for keeping Washington policymakers abreast of Heritage proposals and research findings in all areas of the foundation's study. She simultaneously served as a contributing editor for National Review.
In 1992, President of the United States George H. W. Bush named her to the Presidential Commission on Women in the Armed Forces.
In 1995, she began work as a part time contributing editor for National Review, and was soon appointed the magazine's Washington, D.C. editor. Her work on the magazine led to her invitation to join Capital Gang and other television opportunities.
She received an honorary degree from St. John's University in 1997.
O'Beirne was president of National Review Institute, a nonprofit public policy organization.