My favourite story of the year from Limerick is...

I HAVE been really lucky during my almost 17 years at this newspaper to witness many historic moments in Limerick's story.

From Munster's Heineken Cup win in 2008, to our fantastic hurlers laying the ghost of 45 years of pain to rest a decade later - setting up an unprecedented spell of success.

Away from the sporting arena, I've also been privileged to witness lots of local history in the local political world.

Last summer, the world of sport and politics collided to give us an unforgettable few days of firsts in Limerick.

On Friday, June 7, 2024, Limerick went to the polls to vote for a directly elected mayor for the first time anywhere in Ireland. Not only voting in this election, but also playing a part in the build-up, and a mammoth effort to cover the count in the Limerick Racecourse, was quite inspiring.

We were witnessing history here - and none of us really knew what to expect, and how the vote would pan out.

The election ran on the same weekend as the Munster Senior Hurling Championship final, where Limerick triumphed over Clare to win an unprecedented sixth title in a row.

As us news reporters were covering the local election count, which took place prior to the mayoral election, we were unable to be there in person to witness history unfolding.

But we kept abreast of developments at Semple Stadium, thanks to a variety of laptops around the count centre, where we were camped out for the weekend.

And we produced two Limerick Leader front page covers for the ages - in our Monday edition, then our weekend paper - to celebrate our weekend of Historic Firsts in Limerick.

It just serves to show how vital a role newspapers still play in capturing history in the making, and keeping it recorded for posterity.