Irish public service broadcaster RTÉ has appointed Noel Curran as its new director general.

Curran will replace outgoing director-general Cathal Goan, who is stepping down after a seven-year term in the role, a release from RTÉ states.

Curran joined RTÉ in 1992 as a reporter, producer and editor in RTÉ Television. Prior to this he worked as a business journalist with a stint as deputy editor of Business and Finance.

He has previously worked as current affairs editor in the news division and became RTÉ's managing director of television in 2003. He left the company in March to pursue consultancy work, but will return as director-general in February 2011.

"Noel has the editorial acumen, the cultural assurance, and the business flair to lead RTÉ into a new era of public service. In these especially challenging times, I am very pleased to announce his appointment and I wish Noel well as director-general," says Tom Savage, chair of the RTÉ board, in the release.