Midlands 103 presenters win honours at IMRO Radio Awards
Midlands 103 is celebrating its biggest-ever success at the All-Ireland IMRO Radio Awards.
The Midlands Today Show won Radio Moment of the Year – only the second local radio programme ever to receive the honour.
The winning entry featured grieving mother Chelsea Brereton, who told presenter Will Faulkner how her wishes were not honoured following her son’s postmortem, despite her refusal to consent to the retention of his organs.
The team also took Gold for News Story of the Year, overcoming both local and national competition for their in-depth and sensitive coverage of the Justice for Joe Drennan campaign.
Joe, a Laois student, was killed in a hit-and-run incident in October 2023. His sister, Sarah Drennan, has since called for mandatory consecutive sentencing rather than lenient concurrent terms. The station also attended a public march in Camross, where hundreds of people gathered to support the family’s campaign.
Journalists credited for the winning coverage include David Hollywood, Sinéad Hubble, Courtney Callaghan, Caoimhe Killeen and Will Faulkner.
Midlands 103 also celebrated individual success; Courtney Callaghan received a Silver Certificate for Newcomer of the Year, an award named in honour of the late Gay Byrne.
The station continues to lead in talent development, as David Hollywood took silver in 2023 and Tara McCormack took gold in 2021. In the last decade, Ben Finnegan and Michael Brophy have also been recognised.
Ann Marie Kelly maintained her record of an unbroken run of shortlists every year since 2018 in earning her 11th IMRO nomination.
There was also success for sister station South East Radio, where Alan Corcoran received silver for Local/Regional Speech Broadcaster of the Year.
Rebecca Donnelly, group operations director, said: “These awards mean so much because they recognise the heart of what local radio is about – telling people’s stories with care, shining a light on issues that matter, and being there for our communities on their toughest days. I’m so proud of our teams and grateful to our listeners for trusting us with their stories.”
The IMRO Radio Awards are the biggest night of the year for the Irish radio industry, celebrating excellence across stations in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. The 2025 ceremony took place at the Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny.