Cork student scoops prestigious Press Pass award for climate change article 

An upbeat and well researched look at what’s being done to combat climate change both here in Ireland and internationally has earned a Cork secondary school pupil the title of Student Journalist of the Year in the annual Newsbrand ‘Press Pass’ competition for those in the Transition Year.

Grace O’Leary, who attends St Aloysius College in Carrigtwohill, won the overall award for her opinion piece headline ‘Climate Change: It’s not all doom and gloom’.

According to the judging panel chair, Michael Foley, Professor emeritus of Journalism at Dublin City University, the winning article was written by someone who understood that journalism should be ‘accessible and assessable’ and described the piece as well-written, sourced and smart.

“Climate change can be overwhelming,” said Professor Foley. “Does the little we can do actually make a difference?

“Yes, according to the winning piece and in so giving us the good news about climate change she encourages us all to do more, a sort of reverse psychology.”

Ella Healy, a St Mary’s Secondary School student, secured a much sought after journalistic scoop by landing an interview with performer of the moment, Bambie Thug, a past pupil of the school. This exclusive interview earned her second place in the Features competition.

Since the arrival of Bambie Thug, who identifies as ‘non-binary’ and uses ‘they/them’ pronouns, on stage at the National Song Contest during The Late Late Show in early February, they have been constantly in the public eye.

But you will find out in Ella’s article that the elaborately costumed singer played Cinderella while in first year in St Mary’s.

The Ursa-Times, the newspaper produced by Transition Year students in the Ursuline Convent in Cork was awarded the title of the Student Newspaper of the Year while the St Mary’s Chronicle compiled by the Transition Year class in St Mary’s Secondary School in Macroom finished third in the category.

Keirsha O’Hare, also from St Mary’s, was awarded third prize in the News Reporter competition while her fellow student from the Macroom academy, Ava McSweeney, won second place in the Sports Journalist category.

Dylan O’Driscoll, Pobalscoil na Tríonóide, Youghal, was awarded first prize in Features category for his article recalling his great grandfather’s fishing days on the Blackwater. In the photojournalism category, Maria Weroniecka from St Aloysius College in Carrigtwohill, won third place for her beautifully framed view of a stream through a round hole in a stone wall.

The winning entries in the competition can be viewed via the Newsbrands website.