Western People wins on the double at Media Awards
Pictured at the Local Ireland Media Awards were, from left: Fr Brendan Hoban, Columnist of the Year; James Laffey, Editor, Western People; Anthony Hennigan, Deputy Editor, Western People.
The won two of the top prizes at the Local Ireland Media Awards last week.
The newspaper won Best Supplement for its coverage of US President Joe Biden's visit to Mayo in April 2023 while Fr Brendan Hoban was named Columnist of the Year. The awards were announced at a gala event at the Mullingar Park Hotel.
Nineteen awards were made in total, including a Lifetime Achievement award for Kieran Walsh of the , whose family have been associated with the Waterford-based newspaper for more than 130 years.
The was also shortlisted in three other categories - Deputy Editor Anthony Hennigan featured in the categories of Sport and Feature Journalist while columnist Conor McGuire was shortlisted for Diversity Journalist.
President of Local Ireland and Head of Irish Times Regionals Dan Linehan said: “This was our ninth awards and the seventh sponsored by the National Lottery.
“It was a great event and I want to thank the judges for all their work and the National Lottery for their support, which has been invaluable.
“We had nearly 600 entries and the standard of journalism was first class.”
CEO of the National Lottery Cian Murphy said: "We are delighted to once again sponsor the Local Ireland Media Awards, celebrating the exceptional work of local journalists and regional newspapers across the country.
“Their dedication to informing and connecting our communities mirrors the National Lottery's commitment to supporting Good Causes, making a positive difference in the lives of people throughout Ireland."
Chair of the judges, author, journalist and broadcaster Alison O’Connor said: “Where would local communities be without the efforts made in newsrooms all over the country?
“It is not an easy task to pick winners when there is so much good work to choose from. These awards are about recognising the very best of what local newspapers do.”
The event was hosted by RTÉ presenter and renowned Eurovision commentator Marty Whelan.
Executive Director of Local Ireland Bob Hughes said: “This year’s awards were the biggest yet with new categories for Diversity, Sustainability and Best Headline. We are hoping to introduce even more categories next year.”
Joining Alison O’Connor on the judging panel were journalist and broadcaster Dearbhail McDonald, Emeritus Professor at TUD Michael Foley, Dawn Wheatley of DCU School of Communications, Managing Director of Kinetic Ireland Andrew Sinclair, photographer and former Irish Times Picture Editor Frank Miller, broadcaster and writer Valerie Cox, journalist and author PJ Cunningham, novelist and newspaper columnist Dr Martina Devlin, Policy Editor of the Business Post Daniel Murray and Deputy Night Editor of the Irish Sun Gerry McCarthy.
