McNamee Awards Presented
Ulster have featured strongly in the 2011 and 2012 McNamee awards which were presented by Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael, Liam Ó Néill, at a function in Croke Park on Saturday 13th April.
These Awards, the GAA National Communication and Media Awards named after the late Pádraig McNamee, former President of the GAA, Chairman of the GAA Commission (1969-1971) and member of RTÉ authority. They are presented annually in recognition of outstanding contributions made by individuals and Association units in the area of media and communications.
The winners of the 2011 McNamee Awards are as follows:
2011 Provincial Media Award – Donegal Democrat, Ulster Final Preview
Chosen because of the quality and extent of its content; a dozen writers were involved with extensive, quality photographic content to compliment the various articles in an excellent 16 page broadsheet publication.
The presentation of the package was first class, most attractively laid out to engage readers, and the inclusion of a young person’s section was an added plus.
This kind of publication is to be considered as the type of publication that will be retained in families for years to come; an appropriate souvenir of a great event in the history of Donegal GAA.
2011 Best Website – Louth GAA
The 2011 winner of the Best Website Award is Louth GAA. (http://www.louth.gaa.ie)
Lauded for its clean, user-friendly design, and the ease at which it’s possible to navigate; it’s also very engaging for the fans.
Also scored highly for functionality; the TV channel, social media integration and inclusion of a county shop link was all highly impressive and all fit seamlessly into the design.
Overall, the site is a very engaging resource for both county & club fans.
2011 Club Project Award – Omagh St. Enda’s GAA
The 2011 winner of the Club Project Award goes to Omagh St. Enda’s, who ran an incredibly well supported fundraising drive for the Palliative Care Unit at Tyrone County Hospital.
The breadth of support for the ‘Three Points One Goal’ St. Enda’s Trail concept; cycling from Galway to Omagh in July 2011, indicates that the project resonated within key aspects of what the GAA is about – community and co-operation. The quality of all materials connected with the project left all others in the shade to make them worthy winners.
2011 Best Programme – BT MacRory Cup Final
The winning entry of the 2011 award for Best Programme goes to Séamus Woods and his teams efforts on The BT MacRory Cup Final.
The quality of design, high standard of editorial content along with the very competent use of photography is what made this match programme stand out from the rest.
It was very apparent that many painstaking days of effort were put in by the editorial staff in compiling the statistics and player profiles. Not just a great match programme, but a fantastic memento for all, including the hundreds of people mentioned throughout its well thought-out pages.
2011 Best GAA Publication – The Road To 51: The Making of Mayo Football
Laffey’s book is a compelling read; tracing the history of the rise of football in Mayo and sets that rise within the history of the county and within the history of Ireland.
It is much more than a sports book offering as it does a brilliant insight into the men who made football such an integral part of the life of Mayo people.
A more than worthy winner.
2011 Best Photograph – Paul Mohan
The winning photograph of the 2011 award goes to Paul Mohan for his photograph of Bryan Cullen raising the Sam Maguire aloft after Dublin beat Kerry in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final.
The photo brilliantly depicts the joy of a victorious sporting winner and the surrounding faces further enhance the nature of the event and the jubilation of such a victory.
2011 National Media Award – Christy O’Connor
Limerick’s struggle to make the breakthrough in the Munster championship is mirrored in the personal journey of Stephen Lavin through ten years of frustrated effort, culminating in qualification for the All-Ireland quarter-final last August – and recounted in The Sunday Times by Christy O’Connor.
As well as being a respected writer on GAA affairs, Christy is also a successful author, as reflected in the widespread commendation for his latest publication ‘The Club.’ The combination of high quality writing for which he is renowned and the narrative of Lavin’s personal quest for success make him a deserved winner.
2011 Best GAA Related Radio Programme – Limerick 95FM
Limerick 95FM’s one off show broadcast dedicated to the history of Na Piarsaigh GAA Club who had just won their first ever County Senior Hurling Final the previous October was a triumphant piece of GAA radio.
On the eve of their first ever Munster Senior Club Hurling final, the show’s producers really captured everything that encapsulates the spirit of a community and its club. With featured interviews with founding and current club members as well as characters from the locality, it was a touching tribute to those who went before and to those that will follow in their footsteps.
Gradaim na Gaeilge 2011 – Seó Spóirt; Sónta do TG4
Clár seachtainiúil den scoth ag déanamh scrúdu ar na scéalta móra ón bpeil agus iomáint agus ag spreagadh diospóireachta ar an tolg le Dara Ó Cinnéide agus aoínna.
I measc anailísthe bionn Darragh Ó Sé, John Allen, Ger Loughnane, Tomás Ó Flatharta, Kevin Cassidy, Paul Galvin, Donal O’Grady, Charlie Vernon, Rory Kavanagh, David Henry agus go leor eile páirteach.
Bionn Gemma Ní Chionnaith ag taisteal ó cheann ceann na tíre arís lena tuairiscí agus agallaimh le imreoirí aitheanta, bainisteoirí agus pearsain eile sa saol spóirt agus Cumann Lúthchleas Gael go hairithe.
2011 Hall of Fame Award – Michael Dundon
Thurles native, Michael Dundon is synonymous with Gaelic games and Premier County activity specifically and is still active on the GAA scene covering local games for the Tipperary Star, a paper he first worked as a trainee in 1963.
A former Thurles Sarsfields hurler, he brought his passion and expertise to bear on his coverage of games at all levels, not least those at inter-county level right up to All-Ireland finals over the course of many years.
Michael has been involved in the publication of 2500 editions of the Tipperary Star and served as editor between the years of 1987 and 2011 covering major successes for the county in that period.
The winners of the 2012 McNamee Awards are as follows:
2012 Provincial Media Award – The Western People, ‘D-Day for Mayo’
The winner of the 2012 Provincial Media award is The Western People’s preview of the 2012 All Ireland Senior Football Final.
This 72 page tabloid supplement is a worthy publication capturing the importance of the event for the people of Mayo. Its scope, editorial content, quality of the writing, and pictorial content were excellent.
It combines expert match analysis of the big game with reflections on major games of years gone by and also reaches out to the Mayo Diaspora with articles outlining their viewpoint.
It was attractively presented, merging colour with black and white pictures tastefully, and is an ideal souvenir of the great memento.
2012 Best Website – Killoe GAA
The winner of the Best Website for 2012 was Killoe GAA (http://www.killoegaa.ie)
For such a small provincial club, there was an enormous amount of work put into the site and it gave the impression that the website, as representation of the club, is very much part of their community and important hub for their fans.
An example of their innovation involved was an assigned section for seniors, ladies and youth, ensuring the site was all-encompassing. The site encourages interaction and included a great mix of useful info, images and video. They have utilised social media to their advantage ensuring their fans have the latest team information at all times.
2012 Best Programme – Down Senior Football Championship
The winner of the 2012 Best Programme Award goes to Down GAA for their meticulous production of the Down GAA Football Senior Championship Final 2012 match programme.
An immense amount of credit must go to Down County Board PRO Paul Rooney and his editorial team whose obvious attention to detail at planning stage, along with strong adherence to design, resulted in a very easy-to-read, accurate and comprehensive publication that is not just a great source of match-day and county related information but a fine memento of the day.
2012 Best Photograph – Stephen McCarthy
The 2012 award goes to Sportsfile’s Stephen McCarthy for his photo of namesake, Michael McCarthy making his way from the dressing rooms to the pitch for the O’Byrne Cup game against Carlow at Dr Cullen Park.
The difference with this photo is that it’s prepared to explore opportunities other than those on the field of play.
It’s managed to produce a well constructed and imaginatively lit image of a player emerging from within, ready to do battle.
2012 Best GAA Publication Award – ‘The Cups that Cheered; A History of the Sigerson, Fitzgibbon and Higher Education Gaelic Games’ By Donal McAnallen
An excellently researched publication, for the first time ever Donal McAnallen’s book provides a comprehensive insight to the importance of third level competitions and the vibrancy of the GAA in this sector over a prolonged period.
It shows the players – both famous and those less known – in an excellent light for the role they played in establishing these competitions and the exercise is further embellished by some of the stories and insight provided away from the field of play.
2012 Best GAA Related Radio Programme – Pat O‘Mahony ‘A Silver Lining’
Pat O’ Mahony’s excellent documentary on Stockholm Gaels gives an insight into the setting up, membership and running of what has become a unique development in the recent history of the association – an overseas GAA club, of which there are more than 300 in existence at present.
Stockholm Gaels is one of 50 clubs affiliated across 20 countries in Europe and as well as speaking to founding members and recent emigrants to Stockholm, the programmes follows the Gaels to the Finals of the Ladies and Men’s Scandinavian Gaelic Football Championships.
2012 National Media Award – Daragh Ó Conchúir
Daragh’s winning entry is a ‘good news’ story of Baltinglass and Wicklow footballer John McGrath’s recovery from leukaemia and his return to playing activity.
His vivid portrayal of the emotional turmoil for John and his family and the ultimate triumph of life evoke a ready-made response from the reader and distinguish it from the mainstream stories which feature in the sports pages of newspapers.
Gradaim na Gaeilge 2012 – Spórt an tSathairn; Raidió na Gaeltachta
Bíonn clúdach cuimsitheach ar imeachtaí spóirt ar fud na tíre, agus níos faide ó bhaile chomh maith, ar an gClár “Spórt an tSathairn” ar RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta idir 14.00 – 18.00 gach Satharn ó cheann ceann na bliana.
Bíonn faisnéis, anailís, agallaimh, torthaí, tuairiscí agus tráchtaireacht bheo ar an gclár a chuireann Seán Bán Breathnach i láthair, agus éagsúlacht thar cuimse sa gclár. Pé scéal tugtar tús áite do na cluichí Gaelacha, peil, iomáint, camógaíocht agus liathróid láimhe.
2012 Hall of Fame Award – Tom O’Riordan
Tom O’Riordan, a successful athlete and Irish Olympian, penned articles for the Irish Independent since 1964 and for the next 38 years worked a staff journalist covering both Gaelic games and athletics.
A Kerry native, he had a bird’s eye view of his native county’s four in a row success and covered games the length of the breadth of the country, inspiring a love of journalism in his son Ian, who is a staff reporter for the Irish Times covering the same sports in the main.
Tom retired from his staff role in 2002 but continued in the years that followed to work as a freelance journalist and he retains a strong passion for Gaelic games.
