Limerick Leader wins news story of year at Local Ireland media awards

THE Limerick Leader newspaper has won best news story of the year at the Local Ireland Media Awards.

The paper and journalists Aine Fitzgerald and Alan Owens won the award for the sensitive coverage of the tragic death of Cranberries frontwoman Dolores O'Riordan. 

The paper also won the award for community series of the year, which was presented to reporter Nick Rabbitts.

The awards, which recognise the best in local journalism nationwide, took place in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Athlone this Thursday night.

It follows a hatrick of awards at the second staging of the event last year, while The Leader also took home a number of awards at the inaugural event in 2016.

Tonight's ceremony was hosted by Marty Morrissey.  

The Limerick Leader had three nominations at the awards, sponsored this year by the National Lottery, for Best News Story of the Year - Áine Fitzgerald and Alan Owens - for Best Community (Get Involved) Series of the Year – Nick Rabbitts - and for Best Digital Content, a category the paper's website won in 2016 and 2017.

Eugene Phelan, editor of the Limerick Leader and Limerick Chronicle, said the awards were “a great indication of the quality of journalism we produce in the Limerick Leader”.