Aspiring Limerick hacks scoop top award for best newspaper

THE NEXT generation of Irish journalism have this week been given top recognition at the annual national student media awards, also known as the Smedias.

A large cohort of students from University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology traveled to Aviva Stadium this Thursday, in the hope to scoop the most coveted third level media awards in the country.

And for the first time ever, the UL School of Journalism’s Limerick Voice—published with the Limerick Leader every December—took home Newspaper of the Year.

@LimerickVoice wins Newspaper of the Year at National Student Media Awards #smedias2018

— UL Journalism (@journalismatUL) April 19, 2018

UL Journalism student Mark Boylan took home Sports Writer of the Year, while LIT’s Katie Hughes won the Radio DJ of the Year accolade.

UL Head of Journalism Mary Dundon congratulated Limerick Voice editor Marisa Kennedy and all the students involved. “They were very lucky to have the guidance and direction of their lecturer Kathryn Hayes who was instrumental in our journalism students winning this award for the first time.”

Lecturer Kathryn Hayes said it was “a fantastic success” and a “huge statement about UL’s journalism programme”.

Margaret Harper, Head of School of English, Irish and Communication said: “Many congratulations to the students and faculty in Journalism. Yet again, you have demonstrated that UL is clearly the best place in Ireland for aspiring journalists. You create hope in a world that badly needs the first versions of history to be well made. We are all in your debt.”