She graduated with a first-class honours degree in science - specialising in zoology - from Trinity College, Dublin.
She then spent three years at BBC radio, television and online media in Belfast and London before returning to RTÉ in 2004.
In 2015, she was part of a Guardian team which published a year-long investigation into the use of migrant workers in the Irish fishing industry.
In 2000, McSweeney was named Young Science Journalist of the Year for a documentary she made on the human genome project.
[6] Her work on Mind Matters earned her a national Phonographic Performance Ireland (PPI) Radio Award in 2007.