Kilkenny community group wins gold national award

It was another marquee evening for Community Radio Kilkenny City as they collected four major awards for their work over the past 12 months.

Manager Jackie O’Neill led a party of seven presenters and operatives to the Carrickdale Hotel in Louth for the Craol Annual Achievement Awards, the party travelling in hope that they would be in the winner’s enclosure. Joining O’Neill were chairman Maurice O’Connor, Mick Cummins, Don Devlin, Frank Tynan, Claire Henriques and Nicola Brennan.

O’Neill, who has been with the radio for the last few months, was expecting some good news. In a pre-event interview, she knew even with her short association with Community Radio Kilkenny City, that the entries were of a very high quality, and award-worthy.

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“We have a good team doing great work here,” she said. “If the reaction both verbally and through the various social media outlets, is a barometer by which we measure our popularity and support, then I can only say with more than a reasonable confidence, that we will bring home some gold.”

Chairman O’Connor was similarly optimistic.

“I would be quietly confident of our chances of doing well,” he said.

“Like Jackie, I too would be very much aware from conversations that our community appreciate what we are trying to do with the station.”

The auditorium in the Carrickdale was buzzing with excitement as the nominees waited for the announcements to begin.

The Kilkenny contingent got off to a great start when they scooped the award for the best commissioned programme.

The presenters of the marquee Kilkenny programme Birds on the Wire, Claire Henriques and Nicola Brennan, made their way to the podium with manager Jackie O’Neill to accept the Gold Award.

The weekly programme has a big number of volunteers on board including Tracey Millea, Caroline Lee, Cecilia Shefflin, Colette Shannon, Regina Blundon, Sinead O’Callaghan, Marion Gaffney, Maeve O’Flynn, Kevina Hayes, Karol Knox and Patsy Cummins, all of whom will celebrate the achievement with suitable aplomb.

That award was only the appetiser for further Community Radio glory. The next category, was about inclusivity, diversity, and access to the community served by the local radios and the contribution rendered by outside broadcast units. CRKC had a grand entry that ticked all of the boxes and it was no surprise when Kilkenny were nominated for yet another Gold Award.

The Kilkenny contingent were not finished yet. The Irish Language Award, Clár na gCairteacha ar Radio Pobail, which is presented by Tomás Morris on Thursday evenings, collected a Silver Award.

The most prestigious award of the evening, the Craol Achievement Award was given to Birds on the Wire. The main award of the night, the Kilkenny contingent were gobsmacked with it.

The ceremony was a great night for CRKC, the community radio which is presented by its own Kilkenny people, for its own Kilkenny people.