Irish Times journalist Sally Hayden, who reports from across the continent of Africa for the newspaper, has been named journalist of the year at the 2023 Irish Journalism Awards.
Nine Irish Times journalists were honoured at Wednesday’s Irish Journalism Awards in Dublin’s Mansion House, walking away with 10 of the day’s 24 awards.
Hayden also received the award for best foreign coverage at Wednesday’s awards for Irish Times articles on famine risks in Somalia, Sudan’s pro-democracy movement and unrest in Sierra Leone over its cost of living crisis. She is the author of My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migration Route, which won the 2022 Orwell Prize for Political Writing and was named An Post Irish Book of the Year.
Irish Times health editor Paul Cullen was named news reporter of the year, while Malachy Clerkin received the award for broadsheet sportswriter of the year. Irish Times digital editor Paddy Logue and the newspaper’s digital team received the digital innovation of the year award, while Enda O’Dowd was awarded for the best use of video journalism for a feature on how anti-immigrant sentiment is emboldening Ireland’s far right.
Irish Times northern correspondent Seanín Graham was named broadsheet features journalist of the year, Keith Duggan received the award for arts journalism and criticism, and Justine McCarthy was named broadsheet columnist of the year. Reporter Shauna Bowers was named young journalist of the year.
This year’s awards were supported by Google News Initiative and held in association with Newsbrands Ireland. “It is crucial that we reward and highlight the work of journalists and news publishers particularly at a time when journalism is under pressure from multiple sources,” Ann Marie Lenihan, Newsbrands chief executive, told attendees at Dublin’s Mansion House.
Other award winners at this year’s 2023 ceremony included Donal MacNamee from the Business Post who won business journalist of the year and Mary Carr from the Irish Daily Mail who was named best popular columnist.
Paul Healy from the Irish Daily Star and Irish Mirror was named crime journalist of the year and Michael O’Farrell from the Irish Mail on Sunday won the award for campaign journalism.
The Irish Examiner won best front page; the Irish Daily Star won best headline; Stephen Milton was named best freelance showbiz journalist and Neil O’Riordan won best popular sportswriter.
John Mooney and Beau Donnelly from the Sunday Times received awards for investigative journalism and best scoop; Daniel Murray from The Business Post was named political journalist of the year; Ben Haugh from the Business Post Magazine received the award for magazine of the year and The Irish Sun won podcast of the year for their Kinahans podcast.
