José María Vela Irisarri (1942-2023) was a Spanish writer and journalist, born in Bilbao. He studied Law at the University of Deusto and worked for years at the newspaper El Correo Español-El Pueblo Vasco. He was director of publications for the Basque Parliament and wrote several works, mainly essays and books on political and social themes related to the Basque Country. Among his titles are "Un siglo de El Correo 1894-1994", "Euskadi: Autonomía y Estatuto", and "La otra transición: Los vascos en el laberinto". He was also a columnist and contributor to various media outlets.