Feature on hurley making scoops top award for young Limerick journalist

A 500-word feature on hurley making has won the Con Houlihan Young Journalist Award for Cormac Thompson from Shanagolden.

The competition, run by Listowel Writers Week and sponsored by The Kerryman, is open to young journalists under 25 years of age but Cormac hasn’t even sat his Junior Cert yet and is looking forward to being 15 this August.

He was, he acknowledged, a “a bit surprised” to hear his name being called out as the winner on the opening night of Listowel Writers Week. “The lad who won last year was studying journalism,” he said by way of explanation. “I got a bit of a shock.”

But, he admitted, he has already spent his €500 prize money on new golf clubs.

The son of Sgt Gary and Michelle Thompson, Cormac is the eldest of three boys and is a student at Scoil Mhuire agus Ide, Newcastle West.

He loves sport and is an active golfer, soccer player and hurler but also likes both greyhound racing and coursing. And it was a piece he wrote about a greyhound competition which first got him published in the Weekly Observer.

He has written several pieces since about the competition and this summer, while on holiday, he will be contributing articles on different matches. His take on this Monday’s soccer clash between Ireland and Gibralter? “They (Ireland) struggled to break down a bad team. They are not very good up front.”

“I am not sure yet,” came his reply when asked if he was interested in pursuing a career in journalism. “It could be an interesting path.”

For the competition, Cormac had a choice of a feature piece or a report and opted to write about hurley making, based on hurley maker Tadhg Flynn in Kerry. “I like hurling and it was interesting,” he said about his choice. On awards night he met internationally renowned authors Colm Tóibín and Joseph O’Connor both of whom began their working lives as journalists.

“They said to keep at it, keep practising,” Cormac said. “And they were encouraging me to read and to keep reading.”

He also met author, columnist and publican Billy Keane who gave him a signed copy of his newest book.