Munster Express journalists Robyn Power and Aaron Kent have been nominated for an award in this year’s Local Ireland Media Awards.
Aaron Kent has been shortlisted in the ‘Feature Journalist of the Year’ category while Robyn Power has been shortlisted in the ‘National Lottery Best Community Story’ category for her story ‘Over €10k raised for local legend in battle against MND’.
“I’m delighted to be nominated in the Best Community Story category at this year’s Local Ireland Media Awards,” said Robyn.
“I wrote about a fundraiser that was set up to support Kilmacthomas man Billy Joy in his fight against Motor Neurone Disease in 2025. Billy was described as a ‘local legend’, and it was clear that he was so well loved by everyone in the town, from his work as a painter and involvement with Kilmacthomas GAA. They came together to give back to him in his time of need, and raised €13,170 in total, which was a great example of community support.”
Robyn added: “I’d like to thank everyone at The Munster Express, particularly Doreen Connolly and Paul Mooney, for their help and support over the past year. Local journalism is so important, and it’s great to be recognised alongside talented reporters from other regional newspapers across the country”.
Aaron said it was great to be nominated in the category of Feature Journalist of the Year.
“In this job you’re always onto the next story so it’s nice to look back and take stock of some of the interesting situations and people that you get exposed to,” said Aaron.
“I’m proud to be nominated for a national award and I look forward to reading the other entries,” he added.
The nominations for this year’s Local Ireland Media Awards were announced last week and they have received another record number of entries. A total of 727 entries were made across 19 competitive categories.
This will be the 11th year of the awards and the ninth to be sponsored by the National Lottery. The awards are also supported by the media commission, Coimisiún na Meán.
President of Local Ireland and Managing Director of The Southern Star Seán Mahon said: “It’s great to see these important awards continuing to thrive”.
“The evidence is clear – this year saw the highest number of entries we’ve ever received across all the different categories.
“However, they all share one thing in common, the vitally important role we have in serving local communities by communicating the news that matters to our readers’ lives. Thank you to everyone who entered and good luck to those nominated as finalists,” Mr. Mahon added.
The awards include a Lifetime Achievement award that is presented on behalf of the Local Ireland committee and there is also a Best Community Story award, selected by a panel from the National Lottery.
National Lottery Head of Corporate Affairs Jennifer Crowe said: “This year’s shortlist for the National Lottery Best Community Story reflects the strength and spirit of communities across Ireland”.
“Through the lens of local journalism, we see people coming together, supporting one another, and making a real difference in the lives of those around them.
“Local journalism plays a vital role in helping to uncover these stories and ensure the people behind them are recognised. It’s an honour to help celebrate their impact,” Ms. Crowe added.
Chair of the judging panel Dawn Wheatley of Dublin City University School of Communications said: “Once again, the quality of entries this year has been exceptional. Our judging panel had a genuinely difficult task narrowing down the shortlist, with several categories more competitive than ever”.
“It’s a real credit to the reporters, photographers, editors, production and commercial staff involved that standards continue to rise year on year. These entries are proof that trusted, on-the-ground journalism still matters enormously to the communities it serves, holding power to account, telling the stories that matter, and giving an essential voice to their readers,” added Ms. Wheatley.
The award winners will be announced at a gala event at the Mullingar Park Hotel on 17 September with host, RTÉ Lyric Fm presenter Marty Whelan.
Paul Mooney
