Harney presents farm journalists with awards

FOUR of the seven Guild of Agricultural Journalists awards, which Health Minister Mary Harney presented at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, were won by Irish Farmers Journal contributors.

Mairead Lavery and Con Hurley were chosen for the overall award for a series of articles, which highlighted the plight of some farm families indebted to moneylenders.

They also won the national print category award. Jack Caffrey won the photographic award and Darragh O’Keeffe took the young journalist award.

Helen Carroll, Ear to the Ground, RTE One (national broadcast), Majella O’Sullivan, Carlow Nationalist, part of the Thomas Crosbie Holdings newspaper group (local print and broadcast) and Gemma Gilligan and James Kelly, Agri Aware (targeted and technical communication) were the other category winners.

The awards were organised by a committee headed by Pat O’Keeffe, chairman, and sponsored by AIB. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges headed by Brenda Power.

Guild president Michael Miley said the awards are held every two years to encourage excellence in agricultural journalism.

Damien O’Reilly, of RTE, presided at the ceremony, during which Michael Dowling, head of agricultural strategy, Allied Irish Bank, made a special presentation on behalf of the bank to the Gaelic sports broadcaster Micheal Ó Muircheartaigh in recognition of his outstanding contribution to communications with rural Ireland over many years.