Local “icon of broadcasting” inducted into Hall of Fame

The “captivating voice and compelling storytelling” of one of the best-known broadcasters in local radio, Joe Finnegan, was honoured last week when he was one of four new inductees into the prestigious IMRO Radio Awards Hall of Fame.

A broadcaster with over 34 years of experience behind the microphone, and a founding member of Shannonside radio, Joe Finnegan now joins such luminaries of the industry as Joe Duffy, Gay Byrne, Pat Kenny and Marian Finucane, all of whom are past recipients of Hall of Fame awards.

The hugely-popular broadcaster and presenter of the award-winning Joe Finnegan morning show on Shannonside Northern Sound since 1989, told the Westmeath Independent this week that what makes the IMRO award so special is that it is “a recognition by my peers, and that gives it an extra dimension.”

While admitting he had “no clue” that he was in line to be inducted into the Hall of Fame until he got a phonecall from the head of IMRO (the Irish Music Rights Organisation) “completely out of the blue” Joe says he still still regards his day job as “a labour of love.”

The county Mayo native admits to being “almost an accidental broacaster” as his ambition was to become a chef and eventually move into hotel management. He went to Killybegs Catering College for two years to train as a chef after leaving secondary school and then got a job working in a restaurant in Claremorris. When a community radio station started setting up right across the road he went across to “do a bit of work there, which was all voluntary” and he says he “hasn't looked back since.”

After a stint with Radio Mayo, Joe Finnegan went on to become one of the founders of what is now the biggest local radio station in the country, Shannonside Northern Sound, which broadcasts to five counties across three provinces. He was the first voice heard on Shannonside Radio when it was set up in 1989 and, as well as presenting a daily news and current affairs programme on the station since its inception, he has also worked as a journalist, director and station manager.

The citation from the adjudicating panel for the Hall of Fame Award described Joe Finnegan as “a highly accomplished broadcaster who has made an indelible mark on Irish radio for more than 34 years” and also said he was “a true icon of Irish broadcasting and a shining example of what can be achieved with hard work, talent and passion.”

At the Hall of Fame Radio Awards ceremony, which took place last week in Lyrath Estate in Kilkenny, Joe Finnegan spoke of what he described as ~”a recruitment and retention crisis” in the independent radio sector and said he looks forward to a time the journalists, broadcasters and researchers who work in sector will feel its “as good, if not better” than working for national broadcast organisations like RTE and Virgin Media.

Joe Finnegan was accompanied at the awards ceremony by his wife, Claire and son Jamie, while his other son and daughter, Joe and Tara, joined the ceremony via a live stream from Australia where they are both living and working at the moment, which was facilitated by IMRO.