SCARIFF BAY Community Radio and Raidió Corca Baiscinn both struck gold at the Craol annual achievement awards.
A total of five gold awards returned to Co Clare following the Craol Annual Achievement awards held at The Shamrock Hotel in Athlone last week with SBCR and RCB also winning standout submission awards. The awards celebrate the work of all community radio stations in Ireland highlighting the roles that community radio plays in promoting local voices and inclusion all over the country.
This year having recently been given a full ten year broadcasting license by Coimisiún na Meán, Scariff Bay Community Radio (SBCR) were eligible to enter three categories.
Under Social Benefit – Music Category the SBCR entry was a two hour live broadcast presented by Tulla’s Daragh Leamy from Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy. “I’m delighted to get recognition for talking trad, programme which is well liked by our listeners. Presenting live from the Willie Clancy Festival was a particular thrill and we had a wide range range of guests and musicians both young and old”.
Monthly Irish programme Gaeilge agus Fáilte presented by Bernadette Watson was nominated under the Irish Language Category and was the winner of a gold award. “Ni Heart go cure le cheile- Ta ríméad orm an gradam seo a bhuacaint. This programme was a very special edition as I was interviewing three women new to the country who were enthusiastically learning the language, all of whom have come to live in Clare from different corners of the world,” she stated.
An in-depth programme titled ‘Domestic Abuse – The Hidden Plague in our Society’ received gold in the Social Benefit: Talk category. It had a wide range of contributors of Social Workers and members of An Garda Siochana outlining the services available to victims and how to recognise the signs of Domestic Abuse. “It was amazing to win a gold award but to win a standout achievement award on top of that is the icing on the cake. Geraldine and myself both went way out of our comfort zone to research and make this programme. We wanted to have the right people to give the right information in a sensitive and accessible manner. Particular thanks to our guests on the programme and a big thank you to our station manager for allowing us to us to make this programme,” Feakle woman Marianne said.
Geraldine added, “This programme was a long time in the making. Our guests were specialists in their chosen fields and really the programme was steered by their input. To win an outstanding achievement award is a great recognition for the radio and the quality of programming that our volunteers produce on a weekly basis”.
RCB’s total tally of Craol awards has now jumped to thirty following their latest success. The two-part documentary, ‘In My Father’s House’ won gold in the Irish Culture Showcase category. Three generations of the Killeen family from Cree featured in the documentary. It examined the family history through song, poetry, dance and music over the past eighty years in West Clare through the voice of Francis Killeen who has lived in this area since he was born and has reared his family.
In the Social Benefit: Music category, RCB took the top prize for Viktotiia’s weekly playlist. This unique show is aimed at fostering community ties as well as celebrating diversity through music. It is Viktoriia’s way of connecting people through music and stories and turn an ordinary afternoon into a musical journey.
Station manager with RCB, Máiréad O’Higgins Finnegan said, “I am delighted that we have received two more gold awards, and it is a testament to the hard work of the wonderful and talented staff and volunteers here at Raidió Corca Baiscinn”. She added, “These awards recognise the valuable contribution everyone at the Station has made to our varied and wide programme of entertaining broadcasts over the last twenty six years”.
Jim Collins, co-founder and station manager of Scariff Bay Radio commented, “We are thrilled to win three golds and a standout submission award in our first full year as a fully licensed community radio station. These wins are a tribute to the 95 volunteers who contribute on a weekly basic and make Scariff Bay Community radio the success that it has become. We want to bring the best range of quality programming to our listeners and this year’s success is a sign that we are going in the right direction”.
