Anglo Celt's Paul Fitzpatrick named Sports Journalist of the Year

The Celt's Paul Fitzpatrick has been named Sports Journalist of the Year for 2024.

It was the third time that Paul had been shortlisted as a finalist for the top honour at the Local Ireland Awards for local newspapers and the regional news publishing industry.

Interviews with the Cavan football manager Raymond Galligan; legendary athlete Catherina McKiernan and a piece documenting Arva's rise to claim the All Ireland Junior title won him the accolade. You can read these articles here:

https://www.anglocelt.ie/2023/09/14/the-fire-burns-for-galligan-as-he-takes-on-new-challenge/

https://www.anglocelt.ie/2023/04/12/if-you-want-it-you-can-do-it-catherina-takes-a-different-path/

https://www.anglocelt.ie/2023/11/29/if-we-went-any-lower-wed-have-fallen-out-the-bottom-of-the-celt/

The judges described Paul as "a scribe whose love of all things Cavan keeps him sharpening his quill on the local circuit".

The remarked: "It is testament to Paul that he has not only maintained his previous high standards but honed and enhanced his methods of producing absorbing articles on the most everyday of subjects. "His three entries this year take his readers by the hand, allowing them to experience the sporting - and at times personal - insights, which his penmanship conjures up."

The panel were particularly impressed by Paul's piece de resistance - 'Rise, Her Arva' - which they hailed as "a master's painting of a GAA club's struggle and ultimate victory in coming up through the ranks".

Paul was delighted with the recognition. "I wasn't expecting to win it because there were some brilliant journalists on the short list but I was delighted and honoured. I'd just like to thank Ray, Catherina and the Arva footballers for being interviewed, all the readers and especially my editor Linda O'Reilly and our CEO Frank Mulrennan for their brilliant support and advice always."

Celt Editor Linda O'Reilly said she wasn't surprised with Paul's selection, saying the award was "long overdue". "Paul is a brilliant sports journalist and indeed a talented writer in any field. He has an ability to put you right at the heart of the action and to capture the emotion and passion from the pitch, on the sideline and from the stands, which flows from the pages of the Celt every week.

"As well as expertly crafted match reports, analysis and interviews, Paul, through his love of Cavan and his talent with a pen, has a way of painting the bigger picture - the part that teams and clubs play in their local communities, the pride of the parish and just how much it means to win."

It's not Paul's first time to named the best among his peers in news publishing - he won Columnist of the Year in 2022 for his popular Cavanman's Diary series. Paul and the Celt were among the big winners revealed on the night in the Local Ireland Media Awards at a gala event in the Mullingar Park Hotel last Thursday.

The Celt was a finalist in four other categories - Best Supplement for its 'In Our Hands' environmental publication, which went across the wider Celtic Media Group; shortlisted twice in the Best Initiative category for the Cavan Business & Tourism Awards and also our supermarket price news series; Best Advertising Campaign for the Cavan Crystal Hotel and Best Headline 'From Boom to Bust' about the opening of a new lingerie shop in Cavan Town.

Chair of the judging panel, author, journalist and broadcaster Alison O’Connor said: “Where would local communities be without the efforts made in newsrooms all over the country? “It is not an easy task to pick winners when there is so much good work to choose from. These awards are about recognising the very best of what local newspapers do.”

Joining Alison O’Connor on the judging panel were journalist and broadcaster Dearbhail McDonald; Emeritus Professor at TUD Michael Foley; Dawn Wheatley of DCU School of Communications; Managing Director of Kinetic Ireland, Andrew Sinclair; photographer and former Irish Times Picture Editor, Frank Miller; broadcaster and writer Valerie Cox; journalist and author PJ Cunningham; novelist and newspaper columnist, Dr Martina Devlin; Policy Editor of the Business Post, Daniel Murray and Deputy Night Editor of the Irish Sun, Gerry McCarthy.

Nineteen awards were presented in total, including a Lifetime Achievement award for Kieran Walsh of the Munster Express, whose family have been associated with the Waterford-based newspaper for more than 130 years.

President of Local Ireland and Head of Irish Times Regionals Dan Linehan said: “It was a great event and I want to thank the judges for all their work and the National Lottery for their support, which has been invaluable. We had nearly 600 entries and the standard of journalism was first class.”

CEO of the National Lottery Cian Murphy said: "We are delighted to once again sponsor the Local Ireland Media Awards, celebrating the exceptional work of local journalists and regional newspapers across the country.

“Their dedication to informing and connecting our communities mirrors the National Lottery's commitment to supporting Good Causes, making a positive difference in the lives of people throughout Ireland."

The event was hosted by RTÉ presenter and Eurovision commentator Marty Whelan.

Executive Director of Local Ireland Bob Hughes said: “This year’s awards were the biggest yet with new categories for Diversity, Sustainability and Best Headline. We are hoping to introduce even more categories next year.”