IRISH News sports journalist Neil Loughran has scooped a major national honour in the prestigious MacNamee Awards for 2016, in recognition of a revealing two-part feature on former Down player Peter Withnell.
Withnell came from relative obscurity to form part of a fearsome forward line that brought Sam Maguire back to the Mourne county for the first time in 23 years, and enjoyed a colourful – if all too brief – career in the red and black.
In declaring Neil the winner of the ‘National Media’ category, the committee described the interview as “a revealing and fascinating account, published over two days and notable for the depth of detail on both his sporting prowess and his philosophical approach to life.
“The writer’s interviewing technique and the excellence in which he presented Withnell’s narrative made for an absorbing story, expertly told.”
Part one: Remembering Peter Withnell - the man who came from nowhere to help Down land Sam
Part two: Peter Withnell was 'like a meteorite going across the sky' reflects Pete McGrath
Irish News sports editor Thomas Hawkins said: “I'm delighted for Neil. The MacNamee Awards are very prestigious and much prized among GAA journalists.”
John McIlwaine won ‘Best Photograph’ for a superb “ghostly image” taken at a hurling match played in falling fog, and Linwoods Armagh TV was chosen as the ‘Best New Digital Initiative’.
