Celt's Seamus Enright named Feature Journalist of the Year
Local Ireland Media Awards
The Celt's senior reporter, Seamus Enright, was among the big winners at last night's Local Ireland Media Awards - the oscars for the regional news publishing industry.
He took the gong for Best Feature Journalist of the Year for his story 'Tainted Kilnacrott heads in a new direction'.
The story was about the demolition of the old Holy Trinity Priory at Kilnacrott, once home to notorious paedophile Brendan Smyth, to make way for a new faith formation centre.
Seamus attended the sod turning and spoke to many locals. It marked 'the end of an era' for the community, which had lived in the shadow of Kilnacrott 'for good or for ill'.
The judges praised Seamus for handling the subject matter sensitively while not shying away from the reality of the tragedy of Kilnacrott.
The Anglo-Celt was shortlisted in five categories at the Local Ireland Media Awards including for Best Political Coverage in 2024. The 10th annual ceremony took place in the Mullingar Park Hotel and was presented by RTÉ's Marty Whelan.
Photographer Alex Coleman was also shortlisted for his stunning photo of Bailieborough Community School students peering out from the back of the bus for their Debs with the headline 'A new adventure begins'.
Meanwhile deputy editor Damian McCarney was shortlisted for his articles focussed on farmers who try to ensure their enterprises have a positive environmental impact.
The Anglo-Celt was further nominated under the Best Advertising Campaign for the superb Farnham Estate adverts.
Reflective of the number of elections held last year, there was a new category Political Coverage of the Year, for which the Anglo-Celt was nominated. This is a reflection of the work of the whole news team under the guidance of Editor Linda O'Reilly.
The Celt's sister paper, the Meath Chronicle, also took took awards on the night for Best Community Story and Best Front page. Celtic Media Group titles had over 20 nominations between them across the various categories.
The Local Ireland Media Awards are sponsored by the National Lottery and also supported by Coimisiún na Meán.
A special Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to David Burke from the Tuam Herald.
President of Local Ireland Seán Mahon said: “What a fantastic night! A real celebration of everything that's great about local newspapers in Ireland.
“It was superb to see awards being won not just for news, political and sports reporting but also for special features, investigative journalism, digital innovation and creative advertising solutions.
“Well done to everyone who was nominated and to all our winners. We're privileged to have very talented, committed and passionate people who work for our local newspaper businesses.”
CEO of the National Lottery Cian Murphy said: “We are proud to continue our partnership with the Local Ireland Media Awards, which shine a spotlight on the outstanding work of local journalists and regional newspapers.
“With more than 700 entries this year, the standard of journalism was truly first class. Local journalism does more than report the news — it fosters trust, gives communities a voice, and helps shape a shared sense of place and belonging while also informing, connecting, and strengthening communities across the country.
“They play a vital role that reflects the National Lottery’s own commitment to supporting Good Causes and making a positive difference in people’s lives throughout Ireland.”
Coimisiún na Meán was supporting the awards for the first time this year. Media Development Commissioner Rónán O’Domhnaill said: “It was heartwarming and encouraging to see such vibrancy and enthusiasm amongst the members of Local Ireland at the awards.
“A thriving local media landscape is vital to a functioning democracy and in Ireland it is clear that the local newspaper industry is central to that.”
Some of Ireland’s leading media professionals make up the awards’ judging panel.
Chair, author, journalist and broadcaster Alison O’Connor told the audience: “Local journalism matters enormously. It happens in the courtroom, the council chamber, the parish hall. It captures the highs and lows of community life—the joy of a local sporting triumph, the heartbreak of job losses, the significance of a planning decision that will shape a town’s future.
“And it’s evolving. Stories are being told in fresh ways—through podcasts, TikTok, QR codes—and our increasingly diverse communities are being reflected more and more in the pages of local titles right across the country."
The judging panel also comprises: RTÉ presenter and journalist Katie Hannon, DCU journalism lecturer Conor Tiernan, broadcaster and journalist 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.
Executive Director of Local Ireland Bob Hughes said: “The awards reflect the high standards of journalism, production and commercial acumen in local newspapers and their online products right across Ireland.
“Competition for the awards is very strong, so everyone who receives a nomination is a winner. I want to thank the National Lottery for their continued support, Coimisiún na Meán for its support for the event and for our sector, and everyone who helped make the awards a very special event.”
THE 2024 WINNERS
YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Darragh Murphy
THE WATERFORD NEWS AND STAR
BEST USE OF DIGITAL
THE SOUTHERN STAR
BEST LOCAL AD
THE CONNACHT TRIBUNE
BEST USE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
THE NATIONALIST
BEST SUPPLEMENT
THE SOUTHERN STAR
FEATURE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Seamus Enright
THE ANGLO-CELT
BEST NEWS SERIES
Donal O’Keeffe
THE ECHO
SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Ryan Ferry
THE DONEGAL NEWS
BEST ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
THE ROSCOMMON HERALD
BEST SUSTAINABILITY JOURNALIST
Dara Bradley
THE CONNACHT TRIBUNE
POLITICAL COVERAGE OF THE YEAR
THE LIMERICK LEADER
and
THE SOUTHERN STAR
BEST PHOTOGRAPH
John Kelly
THE CLARE CHAMPION
BEST HEADLINE
THE LAOIS NATIONALIST
BEST INNOVATION
THE SOUTHERN STAR
BEST DIVERSITY JOURNALISM
Andrew Hamilton
THE CLARE CHAMPION
NATIONAL LOTTERY JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Ann Casey and Sally Harding
THE MEATH CHRONICLE
COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR
Áilín Quinlan
THE ECHO
BEST FRONT PAGE
THE MEATH CHRONICLE
BEST NEWS STORY
Darragh Murphy
THE WATERFORD NEWS AND STAR
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
David Burke
THE TUAM HERALD