The winners of the 2019 and 2020 MacNamee Awards were tonight honoured in Croke Park.

The GAA National Communication and Media Awards are named after the late Pádraig MacNamee, former President of the GAA, Chairman of the GAA Commission (1969-1971) and member of the RTÉ authority.

They are presented annually in recognition of outstanding contributions made by individuals and Association units in the area of media and communications. .

Uachtarán CLG Larry McCarthy offered his congratulations to the winners. He said: “From its earliest days the GAA understood the importance of communication with its membership and the power of being able to tell and share its story far and wide.

“The GAA’s MacNamee Awards allow us to recognise those individuals who have performed exemplary work in this field and whose contribution to GAA communications is of the highest standard.

“Congratulations to all of the winners. The diverse range of awards reflects the fact that communication is ever evolving and we remain committed to ensuring that Gaelic games remains seen and heard in this busy landscape."

The winners of the 2019 MacNamee Awards are as follows:

2019 Best Website – Ballycrann – http://ballycran.down.gaa.ie/ **

The St. Joseph’s GAA Club, Ballycrann website is a great example of what a GAA club website should be. Informative and engaging, the website is clearly laid out and simple to navigate. The most important club information is easily accessible, and the menus are logical and well structured.

Integration of social channels ensures that the club website is a consolidated source of news for members. Fixtures and Results are very well presented and important reference material is available through the ‘Club Policies and Procedures section’. The club featured articles, particularly with members who have travelled overseas, are excellent.

2019 Provincial Media Award – ‘Mayo GAA – A Decade in Review’ by The Western People

Mayo’s search for Sam Maguire remains one of the great Irish sporting stories. The past decade brought so many promising and subsequently painful days which are recalled with sheer passion in a comprehensive 124 page Western People review. The Green and Red didn’t claim the All Ireland Senior Football Championship in this spell, but it was a thrilling adventure.

2019 National Media Award – Keith Duggan, The Irish Times “Summer of 69”

Keith Duggan's feature 'Summer of '69: When the city boys from Belfast brought All-Ireland glory to Antrim' is a beautiful piece of sports-writing.

Telling the story of the Antrim team that won the 1969 All-Ireland U-21 Football Championship, it brings their unexpected triumph back to shimmering life. Duggan unspools the narrative deftly as Andy McCallin, Michael Colbert, Liam Boyle, Gerry McCann, and Seamus Killough reminisce colourfully on a time, and Belfast, long gone.

'Summer of 69' has a great emotional range. There are moments that make you chuckle and others that hurt the heart, most especially the tragic fate of the late Din Joe McGrogan. By the end you're left with a real sense of a particular time and place, and also of the passing of time itself.

2019 Best Programme GAA – Meath Senior Football Championship Final Programme

There was definite purpose behind the planning, styling, make-up and production of this programme. Extending to 130 pages, the contents are plentiful, easy to find and to read. It is refreshing that so much of the editorial, statistics and imagery relate directly to the fixtures, yet some space was found to promote other aspects of GAA games development.

The clear, light-touch approach to graphic design and layout gives a clean space to display the varied contents. A wonderful memento and terrific value for every Meath Gael.

2019 Best GAA Related Radio Programme – Radio Kerry - ‘Terrace Talk – Kerry’s Golden Years’

This programme celebrated the best Gaelic football team of all time and indeed Kerry’s Golden Years. The show was lively, informative, entertaining and inclusive from start to finish and kept the listener enthralled.

Several players are interviewed included Eoin ‘Bomber’ Liston, Ambrose O’Donovan, Denis ‘Ogie’ Moran, Jimmy Deenihan, Ger Power, John Kennedy, Jack O’Shea, Mickey ‘Ned’ O’Sullivan and Pat Spillane. An emotional and informative interview with Mick O’Dwyer was one of the highlights of this show, which included a mix of chat and commentary – helped along by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable presenter.

2019 Gradam Gaeilge (Irish Language Award) – ‘An Síol a Cuireadh sa tSneachta’ - in eagar ag Seán Mac an tSitigh

An bhliain seo caite rinne Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta ceiliúradh ar chaoga bliain a bhunaithe. Tá cuntas ar bhunú agus ar stair an chomórtais sa leabhar seo ag tosaí leis an gcaoi ar thug buíon peileadóirí as Corca Dhuibhne an turas fillte 650 míle go Gaoth Dobhair i lár an tsneachta ar an 4ú Eanáir 1969 gur chuireadar an síol as ar tháinig ceann de na comórtais is tábhachtaí dá bhfuil againn.Cuntas den scoth atá ann agus cur síos freisin ag an 50 club as na Contaethea Gaeltachta, as Bleá Cliath, Béal Feirste agus as Londain ar an gceangal atá acu leis an ócáid.

2019 Best New Media – Roscommon Gaels All-stars

Any club that provides the kinds of services that Roscommon Gaels does through its All-Stars initiative deserves special recognition. However the Gaels’ clever use of social media and digital campaigns to raise awareness of their work and to ultimately fund it, through winning the TG4 / Subaru competition, deserves to be recognised through the McNamee Best New Media Award. Their campaign involved two separate digital initiatives - creating an excellent video describing the Roscommon Gaels All-Stars and then utilising social media to generate awareness and win votes for their competition entry.

2019 Best Photograph – Ray Ryan, The Tuam Herald

Carnmore minor hurling keeper Torin Finnerty is embraced by Dylan McLoughlin, a member of the management team, after they won their first ever Galway County Minor A hurling championship in Salthill.

2019 Best GAA Club Publication – ‘The Story of Brosna GAA”

The story of Brosna GAA is a wonderful history of the club over 130 years. A fantastic production, the hardback book has stunning photography on the front and back covers. The Club’s history is chartered through the book, decade by decade.

There are interesting stories from the early years of the club, the ‘Snippets from the past’ section are a great way of presenting these stories.

The book covers all activities of the club, which highlights the role the Club plays in their local community.

This book serves as a testament to the pride members have in Brosna and their parish.

2019 Best GAA Publication - ‘Forgotten Gaelic Volunteer” by Donal McAnallen

The book gives an insight into a part of the history of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael that had been left untold up to this time.

It is the story of those Ulster GAA members who fought in World War One, the context in which this came about and an explanation in to how they were ultimately overlooked.

It is a fascinating piece of research, a very well-crafted publication and a worthy addition to the history of the Association.

2019 Best TV Documentary – The Sunday Best – 40 Years of the Sunday

Described as "a cultural touchstone" and also as "one of the remaining rituals of Irish life" the Sunday Game has been an institution on Irish television and has played a crucial role in the coverage and popularity of Gaelic Games since it first aired back in 1979. The Sunday Best - 40 Years of the Sunday Game produced by Loosehorse for RTÉ was a wonderful, colourful, nostalgic trip down memory lane and an exploration of the key to the programmes success, and how it has developed over the decades. So much has happened over those four decades, yet with passion and skill it was all woven perfectly together to tell a brilliant story.

Hall of Fame – Martin Breheny

A native of Kilkerrin in Galway, Martin began his career in the Tuam Herald under Editor Jarlath Burke, who was a hugely respected figure in Irish journalism. He moved to Dublin in the late 1970s where he worked as a general sports reporter with the Irish Press Newspaper Group on Burgh Quay and reported at the Olympic Games staged in Moscow (1980), Los Angeles (1984), Seoul (1988) and Barcelona (1992) and travelled extensively as a boxing writer.

However, he was always synonymous with Gaelic Games and following the closure of the Irish Press Group in 1995, Martin would go on to cover the GAA for the Title and The Sunday Tribune before joining the Irish Independent in 2000 as Gaelic Games Correspondent and later becoming its GAA Editor. Over the course of his career he produced books in conjunction with some of the major figures in football and hurling including Cyril Farrell, John O’Leary, Mick O’Dwyer, Joe Kernan, Brian Cody and DJ Carey. He was also the co-author of the Ultimate Encyclopedia of Gaelic Football and Hurling published in 2001.

For over four decades he has covered to an exceptionally high standard the development and evolution of the GAA at national level, and with a passion for our national games hugely evident throughout.

The winners of the 2020 MacNamee Awards are as follows:

2020 Best GAA Publication – ‘Len Gaynor - Chiselled from Ash” by Shane Brophy

In a world flooded with sports biographies and autobiographies, Chiselled From Ash stands out as a very readable personal tale filled with emotion, humour and, above all, a love for the game of hurling. In this story of the life and times of Len Gaynor we learn about his journey to the top of his game, bear witness to some thrilling matchday memories and come to understand the importance of the GAA Club. Contributions from hurling legends and other prominent GAA figures add an extra depth to this book which is filled with real insights into the experiences of the flamboyant wing back. Chiselled from Ash also introduces us to some very memorable and uniquely hurling characters as Len looks back on seven decades of a love affair with the small ball.

2020 Best GAA Club Publication – Knockmore GAA Club 60th Anniversary

The Knockmore GAA Club 60th anniversary book is a wonderful retrospective of the story of the club. The club’s history is chartered chronologically through the book year by year with great taglines for each year by way of introduction.

The use of pictures throughout helps bring their story to life. The presentation is excellent- it is a substantial book, and the landscape design makes it accessible. The 2020 county senior football champions who have reached the 2021 decider at the time of writing, Knockmore GAA club was formed in 1958 but from the moment they won their first major title via a North Mayo junior crown in 1968 they have been a club wasting no time to make a big impact. Since winning senior status in 1972 they’ve won the senior crown nine times and counting with the club’s ladies' teams a beacon of inspiration also.

2020 Best Website – Blarney GAA Club – blarneygaa.ie

Blarney’s website has a very modern feel to it; a fresh design and good use of media. Lots of news, features and sub-sections which are up to date. Navigation across the site is clear, information is easily attained, and the search function performs well. Links to their social media sites are available and additional sections such as the galleries and ‘Blarney Quizes’ section adds further character to the site and is welcoming for members, both new and old. In addition, there are comprehensive sections on Child Safety & Wellbeing, which are so important in this day and age. Their Club History & Roll of Honour sections also caught the eye, with detailed information on the club, it’s vision and their teams. This site has something for everyone, catering to all within the Blarney GAA Community.

Digital Impact Award – Armagh GAA

The Armagh TV & PR Team are deserving winners of the 2020 MacNamee Award for Best Digital Impact. Their innovative and consistently excellent approach to engaging the Armagh GAA Community, both at home and overseas, ensured that Armagh GAA maintained, and indeed enhanced, its engagement with the GAA fraternity throughout the pandemic. The viewing and engagement statistics for their campaigns provide evidence that the content delivered was both relevant and unique and, no doubt, helped many Gaels through the tedium of lockdown. Providing access to the public to view the Club championships (in all codes) was done in a comprehensive and professional manner with excellent pre-match, post-match analysis and commentary. Similarly, being able to successfully deliver events like Club All-stars, inter-county Jersey launches and club draws in a virtual format is further testament the excellence of the digital team in Armagh.

Community Contribution Award – Beal an Mhuirthead GAA Club, Belmullet

The nomination came from an individual in the community that saw and highlighted the community impact from their own personal interaction with the GAA club community outreach program. The challenges faced by communities in rural Ireland was evident, in the distance the volunteers covered in deliveries of grocers and medicines. The GAA club planned, organised and went that extra mile to help and support their community daily.

There was a genuine sense of community spirit. The familiar faces helping each other, and the extra time spent to have a chat with members of the community who were very lonely during the lockdown months of the Covid pandemic were invaluable.

2020 Best Photograph – David Fitzgerald, Sportsfile

In the year that was COVID and multiple lockdowns, this image not only portrays the joy of the sport but the love of supporters. Rarely do you see an image where multiple faces tell the same story - a story of relief, excitement and the enthrallment of attending a sporting venue once again.

2020 Best GAA Related Radio Programme – Adrian Eames, RTE Radio Sport– Bloody Sunday Commemoration ’

Broadcast live from Croke Park during the Bloody Sunday Commemoration. This entry was selected for the manner in which it brought the commemoration of one of the most poignant days in GAA history to a worldwide radio audience, with a recap of the history of the day, mixed with live inserts of the pageantry, the laying of the wreath by an tUachtarán and the playing of the special musical composition commissioned for the occasion.

2020 Best Programme GAA – Armagh Senior Football Championship Final Programme

This production is contemporarily designed with excellently chosen content. The decision to focus attention on the fixture means that each editorial and statistics page has a refreshingly ‘easy on the eye’ look while holding the curiosity of the reader. There is a simplicity of design to the team pages and some very welcome info-graphs displaying interest-peaking information.

2020 Provincial Media Award – ‘Rubbing Shoulders with Giants’ – by Damian Dolan, The Irish World

The article is brilliantly researched, detailed and sets out the unlikely story of a multi-talented Dublin football team - on a quest to win the 2011 All-Ireland under Pat Gilroy - playing London club team Parnell's in May 2011 at Ruislip.

It's a brilliant local London look at an untold story of the part played by an under-strength London club side (whose best players were representing the county team that weekend) in Dublin's first All Ireland success for 16 years. The piece details Dublin's training camp in London and how they used London Irish RFC's ground in Sunbury as their base. An interview with Pat Gilroy - among many others - sheds great light into this trip. It's a wholly unique piece, entertaining, fresh, and a great piece of local journalism.

2020 National Media Award – Fintan O’Toole, The 42.ie “My grandfather, sporting memories and a Kerry team playing on All-Ireland Hurling final day”

If you were to really examine your love of Gaelic Games and try to pinpoint where it comes from, there's a very good chance it's all about family. The passion for club and county that was passed down, the trips to matches as a child with older relatives, the support of parents and siblings on the days you laced up a pair of boots yourself.

Fintan O'Toole's beautifully written article about his Grandfather Patie O'Sullivan is an elegy to how a love of Gaelic Games is what binds so many families together. It's full of wry humour, and the colourful picture it paints of a man who loved sport and family will feel universal for so many readers who inherited their own passion for Gaelic Games from those that went before them.

2020 Gradam na Gaeilge (Irish Language Award) – Conall Ó Máirtín, BBC Uladh - ‘Domhnach na Fola’

Is don chlár faisnéise ‘Domhnach na Fola’ a craoladh ar BBC Uladh, a bronnadh Gradam na Gaeilge i mbliana. Caitear súil siar sa chlár seo ar Dhomhnach na Fola sa bhliain 1920 agus tríd an gceol, trí mhaisíocht fuaime, trí shuíomhanna éagsúla chomh maith le hagallaimh, tugtar ar aistear muid siar ar an méid a thit amach an lá tragóideach sin.

Clár siamsúil a bhí anseo ina ndearnadh sárthaighde ann. Bhí an méid a bhí ann suimiúil, ómósach agus thug sé ábhar machnaimh don lucht éisteachta. Léiríodh tuisicnt shoiléir ar ábhar an chláir agus ar an tionchar a bhí aige ar mhórphobal Chumann Lúthchleas Gael. Léiríodh agus cuireadh i láthair go han-éifeachtach é. Bhí an rogha ceoil an-fheiliúnach chomh maith leis an mhaisíocht fuaime agus luas an cháir. Lig sé sin don lucht éisteacha análú agus gach rud a pléadh a shníomh isteach.

The winner of Gradam na Gaeilge this year is the radio documentary Domhnach na Fola broadcast on BBC Uladh. The programme looks at Bloody Sunday in 1920 and through the use of music, sound effects, locations and interviews, we are brought on a journey showing us what happened on that fateful day.

This was a well-researched and entertaining programme. The content was interesting, respectful and thought provoking. There was a clear understanding of the topic at hand and the impact that it had on the GAA community and this was a well-produced and presented programme. The music choice was excellent as was the sound effects and the pace of the programme allowed the listener to breathe and take in everything that was being said.

Special Merit Award – Michael Foley, Sunday Times

In recognition of Michael’s extraordinary commitment to the telling of the Bloody Sunday at Croke Park story of 1920 and at ensuring that the memory of the 14 innocent lives lost at the stadium that day were appropriately remembered in the centenary year. His assistance in what has been the Bloody Sunday Graves Project is also recognised. Michael’s body of work across print, radio, tv, digital media, lectures and podcasts ensured that every possible medium was used in honouring the memory of those who died.

Hall of Fame – Seán Bán Breathnach

Bhí Seán Bán Breathnach i gcroí-lár go leor den chraoladh spóirt a rinne Raidió na Gaeltachta le beagnach 50 bliain anuas.

I dtús na 1970idí, dfhill an ‘Fear Bán’ abhaile as Sasana nuair a fuair sé beagán oibre ó Raidió RTÉ ag cur clár pop-cheoil i láthair trí mheán na Gaeilge, ach le teacht Raidió na Gaeltachta i 1972. D’fhill sé ar Chonamara.

Agus an eagraíocht sin ag leagan agus ag cur leis an gcraoladh spóirt a bhí uaithi dá lucht éisteachta, bhí Seán lárnach i dtráchtaireachtaí spórt ar Chluiche Idir-Chontae Chumann Lúthchleas Gael.

Ní raibh na raidióanna áitiúla ar an saol ag an am sin agus ba é Raidió na Gaeltachta a thug faoin gcraoladh ar chluichí na gclubanna – rud nár déanadh riamh roimhe. Bhí Domhnach stairiúíl faoi leith i bhFómhar ceann de na 1980idí nuair a chraoladar cluichí ceannais as cúig chontae faoi leith.

A chuid tráchtaireachta ba mhó a thuill clú do Sheán, ach bhí sé sáite freisin i gcláracha irise agus i sraitheanna leis na laochra móra as an am atá caite.

Tá dlúthbhaint aige le craoladh Chomórtais Peile na Gaeltachta le breis agus 40 bliain.

Thug teacht TnaG/TG4 breis deiseanna ina bhelach, ach is dóigh liom go n-admhódh sé féin gur sa raidió atá a chroí.

Seán Bán Breathnach has been at the forefront of Raidió na Gaeltachta’s coverage of sport for the best part of half a century. Having returned from England as a long-haired blonde hippy in the very early 1970’s, he obtained some part-time work from RTÉ Raidio presenting a pop-music programme ‘as Gaeilge’.

The advent of Raidió na Gaeltachta in 1972 saw him return to his native Conamara. As that organisation mapped the vision of its sports reporting Seán played a central part in commentaries of the GAA’s inter-county football and hurling competitions. Local radio was then still some way off, and Raidió na Gaeltachta pioneered the broadcasting of county championship matches, in all grades – covering 5 county finals on one famous Sunday in the mid 1980’s.

Seán is most famous for his commentaries, but his sports magazine programmes and his series of interviews with players of the past have earned great acclaim. For over 40 years, he has been closely associated with Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta.

The advent of TnaG/TG4 opened up another avenue for his talents and made the spectrum broader – but I think that he would admit himself that he is a ‘radio-head’ at heart.