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Connemara Community Radio wins 2003
New Adventures in Broadcasting Award
Connemara Community Radio winner of The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland's Best Programming Award 2003 for its Note Worthies programmes. Note Worthies contained almost ten hours of music documentaries produced by volunteers with Connemara Community Radio and supervised by broadcaster and record producer PJ Curtis.
In announcing the winners for 2003, the adjudicating panel made the rather unusual decision to grant the award to two stations, Connemara Community Radio and Clare FM.
For six months in late 2002, eleven station volunteers were engaged in developing music documentaries for the community station which broadcasts throughout north Connemara.
The documentaries cover a wide range of music forms, from Delia Murphy to punk, from early Irish recordings on 78rpms to Zydeco, and from '60s showbands to the well-known Connemara music family the Mark Coyne's.
"Winning this award provides recognition of the dedicated work done by volunteers at Connemara Community Radio. It clearly demonstrates that we have within our volunteer body very highly talented and creative programme-makers " said Mary Ruddy, co-ordinator of the documentary project.
The series of music documentaries has been supported by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI). It is regarded as an opportunity by Connemara Community Radio to both provide quality programming to its listenership but also to provide an opportunity to its volunteers to produce high-quality programmes under the supervision and guidance of an experienced broadcaster and music producer, PJ Curtis.
"We are delighted with the progress made by our volunteers in putting together such innovative and creative programmes. Having somebody of the calibre of PJ Curtis on board enables us to up-grade the level of skills within the station and we hope that this will be reflected in all future programmes" said Linda O'Malley, former manager of Connemara Community Radio.
This is the fourth time the BCI, formerly the IRTC, has supported the development of programme ideas under its New Adventures in Broadcasting Scheme. As well as providing financial assistance, the BCI appoint a panel to judge the supported programmes and provide an overall award for best programme broadcast on commercial or community radio in Ireland. Connemara Community Radio has been the recipient of the overall award on three of the previous four occasions.
Connemara Community Radio wins 2001
New Adventures in Broadcasting Award
At the IRTC Broadcasting Conference for the Presentation of the Award L-R Grainne O'Malley, Ita Kane, Conor Magure (Chairperson IRTC), Mary Owens, Mary Ruddy
In May this year Community broadcasters at Connemara Community Radio were over the moon at the news that they had won, for a second time, Ireland's most prestigious award for independent radio. The station competed with over thirty independent stations from every corner of the country to win this year's New Adventures in Broadcasting Award which is made by the Independent Radio and Television Commission. The Award scheme, which is aimed at promoting and recognizing innovation in radio broadcasting, is run by the IRTC. The station won the Award for a series of dramas and documentaries celebrating the art and craft of a new generation of storytellers in Connemara. It was presented to volunteers from the station at the IRTC's broadcasting conference in Dublin on 25th of May 2001.
The documentaries were Brendan O' Scannail's, 'The Lapwing's Lifeboat'. A drama documentary based on the actual story of a crew of survivors from an English merchant navy boat, which landed off the coast of Connemara during World War II. 'That Goldmine in the South of Galway Bay', a documentary made by Tomas Burke tracing the history of oyster fishing in South Galway and its links with the spailápin fanaigh of south Conamara. Ita Kane's music documentary was titled 'Rainey's of the Road'. This documentary explored the legacy of the Rainey's, a renowned family of traveling musicians who spent much of their time in Connemara. Mary Owens' documentary 'Rooting for Seán Sasta' was an exploration of what's involved in tracing your family history based on the experience of local woman Eileen Keane. And there was also a very creative comedy Christmas soap called 'Made in Heaven' by Debra Wallace and Gerry Mulkerrins.
Mary Owens, producer of one of the programmes and the co-ordinator of the 2001 New Adventures in Broadcasting project at the station said 'In all, more than a dozen volunteers were involved as actors, producers, presenters, organizers, researchers, technicians and script writers. We came together on a number of occasions over the winter months with the help of an experienced broadcaster, Maud Hand. Maud who acted as mentor, and as executive producer in some instances. She pushed us to the limits of our abilities and resources'.
Connemara Community Radio had won this award for Michael Gannons documentary on TB called "Captain of the men of death" in 1998. This years award to the station was £1,000 in prize money plus a exquisite bronze sculpture by Alison Ducker who is from Banty in West Cork.
Connemara Community Radio wins 1998
New Adventures in Broadcasting Award
Connemara Community Radio won the award for best programme in an award ceremony which took place in Dublin Ireland on the 18th of September 1998. The IRTC New adventures in Broadcasting award was made by well-known broadcaster Caimen Jones who chose Commemara Community Radio's 'Captain of the the Men of Death' as the overall winner.
Making the presentation Caimen Jones announced a short-list of five entries. Two of those came Connemara Community Radio volunteers. Mary O' Malley for a programme about the Clifden Disturbance, an incident which took place on Omey island after the famine and a programme from Michael Gannon entitled 'The Captain of the Men of Death', dealing with TB in the forties in the Connemara area. Others in the final selection included entries from Kerry FM, Clare FM and WLRFM.
Caimen Jones said the programme won for the sympathetic and honest interviews with people who suffered from TB. Paddy Kane, chairperson of Connemara Community Radio, accepted the award and the cheque for £2000 awarded to the station. Mary Ruddy the station manager, said "this is a major achievement for Connemara Community Radio, it reflects the quality of the programming made by volunteers on Connemara Community
Radio. For this award we competed with community and commercial stations from all of Ireland. We are proud that of the five short-listed two came from Connemara and of course the ultimate recognition was for Michael Gannon's programme which won the over all Award"
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