FOUR CLARE REPORTERS have been shortlisted for the Law Society of Ireland’s Justice Media Awards.
Outstanding journalism that contributes to the public’s understanding of justice, the legal system and legal issues is recognised in the Justice Media Awards.
Dan Danaher of The Clare Champion is shortlisted in the local category for print and online journalism on the back of his report ‘Coercive Control and the Justice System’. This report heard calls from South Galway woman, Sourney Linnane for the Minister for Justice to change the law on protection and barring orders to safeguard people who have suffered abuse.
A native of Limerick, Dan has been a senior staff reporter with The Clare Champion since November 1996. Based in Killaloe, he has scooped numerous awards during his career including a Local Ireland Media Award in in 2017 for a ten-week series on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which examined the environmental compliance of 17 local companies who deal with various different types of chemicals and hazardous waste. Last year, he won the prize for Best Community Story at the same awards, this was for covering the plight of residents of Springfield, Clonlara, where people have been forced to live with a constant threat of flooding to their homes. He also serves as the paper’s South-East correspondent and is the Champion’s primary reporter on health matters.
Competing against Dan in the same category is Ennis native, Siobhán Cronin. In March of last year, she became the first female editor in the 132 year history of The Southern Star. Her work has also appeared in The Irish Examiner and The Irish Independent.
Siobhán’s report on the work of West Cork Protective Service Units based in Dunmanway made the shortlist, in it she detailed the training required by Gardaí to work in the PSU, the common issues they have encountered, the reasons behind the need for PSUs and ways in which the public can make a report to the PSU.
Ennis native, Brian O’Connell is also in contention for an award. His report ‘Domestic Violence during COVID’ which was broadcast on RTÉ Radio One’s Today with Claire Byrne is among four nominees in the Broadcast Journalism (national radio) category.
Like Siobhán, he is also based in the Rebel County. In a twenty year career, Brian has won multiple awards for his work, including the John Healy Award, two radio PPI Awards, four New York Radio Festival Awards and a Justice Media Award. Since 2013, he has been a reporter on RTÉ Radio One, first on Today with Pat Kenny, then Today with Sean O’Rourke and now the slot held by Claire Byrne.
After scooping Gold at the IMRO radio awards in October as News Reporter of the Year, John Cooke of RTÉ Radio One is in with a shot of adding to the growing list of accolades at the family mantlepiece. He is shortlisted in the Court Reporting (broadcast) category for his handling of the Golfgate trial in Galway District Court over the Oireachtas Golf Society event in August 2020.
Originally from Roscommon, John lives with his family in Ennis. He joined RTÉ Radio One’s news team in 2015 after than more a decade in local radio including Clare FM and North West Radio in Sligo. His time as presenter of Morning Focus saw him collect multiple different awards down through the years.
Former Clare FM sports journalist, Kevin McGillycuddy who is now the News Editor with Shannonside FM is shortlisted with the Shannonside news team in two categories. Their report ‘Making and Breaking the Law’ is included in the local radio category while they are also in the running for the Court Reporting (broadcast) section for ‘A Week in Longford District Court’.
