'This is not a job I ever went looking for' - Caitriona Perry on her move to RTE's Six One News

Caitriona Perry has told how she will be very sad to leave her job as Washington Correspondent for RTE to front the Six One news in January.

The Dubliner will be joined by fellow RTE star Keelin Shanley on the revamped news programme in January when Sharon Ni Bheolain will move to the Nine O'Clock News and Crimecall.

"I have to go back and pack up my whole live and say good bye to my lovely friends. 

"This is not a job I ever went looking for. I think everyone knows how much I absolutely adored America and I loved the job," she told Independent.ie.

"While I'm very excited about the new role, there is a bit of a wrench involved to say goodbye to US politics. 

"It's such a huge job, it's the thing everyone grew up watching with your tea or your dinner. It's part of the Irish psyche. So when I was offered this totally out of the blue, it was very difficult to say no to."

Perry said she will remain at her post in Washington for the rest of the year and doesn't think she will return to Ireland permanently until New Year's Day. 

"I'm a staff member of RTE so the way things work, when you get to the end of your term, you have to come home if you want to be employed," she said.

Shanley added the pair were looking forward to putting their own stamp on the programme.

"It's very much a team effort. We are very much looking forward to working together and bringing our reporting to it as well. There's lots of possibilities," she said.