Dundalk FM celebrates golden success at national Radio Awards

Dundalk FM celebrated a remarkable haul of honours at the national Community Radio Awards, with local poetry, culture, business and music programmes all recognised for their contribution to the community.

​The Dundalk Library Poetry Reading Group took centre stage, taking home two Gold awards for its Seachtain na Gaeilge programme, while Joanne Lavelle was honoured for her Families of Dundalk series and veteran broadcaster Joe Duffy received an award for his contribution to music programming.

The accolades, presented at the Craol / Community Radio Ireland Awards Ceremony in Athlone on July 16, highlight the breadth of talent and community engagement being showcased on the Dundalk airwaves.

Putting Irish language on the map during Seachtain na Gaeilge on the Dundalk Airwaves and winning a Craol Achievement Award for their efforts were the Dundalk Library Poetry Reading Group.

The group was founded in 2023 by Pat McKenna with just four members, who shared a love of poetry. Since then, the group has grown steadily to 14 regular members, becoming an important part of Dundalk's literary and cultural life.

Members meet to read and discuss the work of Irish and international poets, in a welcoming and supportive environment. The group has participated in community events, including heritage celebrations and broadcasts on Dundalk FM, helping to bring poetry to a wider audience.

In 2024 they recorded two shows, three in 2025 and two so far in 2026. The group has recorded approximately 75 poems and are starting to include their own pieces.

For the Seachtain na Gaeilge show, they read poems in Irish. The show production involved the readers timing their poems and song choices and Pat sending a running order to Alan Byrne, the producer.

One highlight of the 2026 SnaG programme was a rendition of Trasna na dTonnta with poetry reader Yvonne Bagnall bringing in an Irish language teacher and two musicians (fiddle and bodhrán) and a singer.

Yvonne also asked a friend, John Quinn, who had published a book entitled Léann and Lae if they could record 17 of his Seanfhocail sayings and broadcast them on Dundalk FM each day—and he agreed. Iryna from Dundalk FM typed out the sayings which were posted on the Instagram page.

Several members of the Group attended the Community Radio Achievement Awards in Athlone recently, reflecting the group's close links with Dundalk FM and its contribution to community broadcasting through poetry readings and cultural programming. The group netted two awards: a Gold in their section and a Gold overall award for their one-hour radio programme for Seachtain na Gaeilge.”

The members of the group are: Deirdre McDermot, Edna Light, Irene Maloney, Jervis Byrne, Michael Farrell, Loreto Byrne, Noel Sharkey, Patrick Bermingham, Pauline Holland, Sally Lambe, Yvonne Bagnal and Brendan Rooney.

The Craol judges said: “Well done, an excellent entry. You demonstrated great community participation, with a large number of volunteers involved. You reached out to your community and they responded in large numbers, which shows that you are providing an excellent opportunity for the people of Dundalk.”

Joanne Lavelle won a Gold award in the Irish Culture Showcase category. Joanne is a second generation business owner on Dundalk's high street and vice president of Dundalk Chamber of Commerce. Joanne joined as a presenter in 2025 and her entry was a six part series entitled ‘Families of Dundalk’ which she recorded and edited herself. Joanne felt that the series would highlight the importance of local business in Dundalk and the ways in which they contribute.

The interviews were recorded at the businesses (giving a sense of the tone of the premises). Joanne “visited local businesses to tell stories that go beyond commerce, exploring the history of family businesses and how the town has evolved over the years.

Joe Duffy was the recipient of an award in the Social Benefits Music category, with the judges saying: “Joe Duffy is a stalwart of community radio in Dundalk, has loyal listeners and has developed his programme over many years. He covers the Showband era and other interviews with the local community, demonstrating social benefits.”

Along with playing requests on the weekday Afternoon Show, Joe presents the Sunday lunchtime Showband Street programme.

Joe is a radio documentary maker with a series of shows about the Legend of Cúchulainn and an extended series recalling the History of the Great Northern Railway.

Dundalk FM manager Alan Byrne praised the award winners saying that while enhancing their media skills, they have contributed to an enhanced sense of cohesiveness and belonging, one of the founding values of the community radio service.