Irish Media Team wins four awards in New York – including Gold for Lockout documentary

Athena Media first Irish independent to win four awards at 2014 New York Festival Radio Awards

Therese McIntyre of Athena accepts Award on Behalf of Company in New York

Four Athena Media radio projects have brought home awards from this year’s prestigious New York Festival Radio Awards, winning two Gold, one Silver, and one Finalist award. Herosongs, our history meets song series (RTE Radio 1/BAI), won Gold in the best educational programming category; Citizens: Lockout 1913-2013, our landmark history series (RTE Radio 1/BAI) won Gold in best history programming; and our science series Science is Everywhere (Newstalk/BAI) won Silver in best science and technology programming. Our project James Joyce: The Dead, an illustrated reading by Barry McGovern, was also a Finalist in the best narration craft category.

Athena Media is the first Irish independent production company to have won four awards for multiple projects at the New York Festival Radio Awards.

Athena Media MD Helen Shaw said:

“It’s humbling to get such a response from an international jury of radio peers. It’s a fantastic tribute to the whole Athena Media team and to the support of the BAI Sound and Vision Scheme and UCD in supporting our work. We are delighted to make history as an Irish independent production company in the New York Festival Radio Awards and thank our broadcasters RTE Radio 1, RTE Lyric FM and Newstalk for their collaboration in the success of this work.”

Presenter of Science is Everywhere, Dr Lara Dungan said:

“I’m delighted Science is Everywhere has been recognised with this award. My passion in life is to share the way science works. We wanted to create a series that surprised and intrigued people by showing the science behind everyday things like water, sport, love. Thank you to the Athena Media team and to Newstalk, our broadcaster, for all their hard work in making the series a success.”

Speaking from New York, presenter of Herosongs, Thérése McIntyre, said:

“It was an honour to be in New York and pick up the award for Herosongs last night, and to be among such talented peers. Herosongs was a labour of love for me as both a researcher of traditional Irish culture and a traditional singer. Thank you to our fantastic team, to our broadcaster RTE Radio One, and to BAI for all their support.”

The awards ceremony for the international radio awards festival was held in New York last night, and is considered to be the ‘oscars’ of radio.

Read what RTE and Radio Today had to say about the awards.

Listen to full episodes of Herosongs, Citizens: Lockout 1913-2013, Science is Everywhere and James Joyce: The Dead online. An episode of Herosongs is now available on iTunes as an iPad application, full details here

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