Domhnall O’Donoghue received the Travel Extra Journalist of the Year Award on January 24, 2025, during a ceremony at the Holiday World Show held at RDS Simmonscourt in Dublin.
The awards dinner took place at Thomas Prior Hall in Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge, sponsored by the Spanish Tourism Office and Costa del Sol Tourism.
Ten additional category winners were recognized on the same evening, highlighting the creativity and innovation within Irish travel journalism.
The event attracted leading Irish travel and tourism writers and broadcasters, with selections made by a panel of esteemed senior journalists in Ireland.
The category winners were:
- Travel Extra Journalist of the Year – Sponsored by the Spanish Tourism Office and Costa del Sol Tourism, Domhnall O’Donoghue, for a collection of work, published in the Belfast Telegraph, Ireland of the Welcomes, Woman’s Way. A unanimous choice for the breadth and excellence of his work, encompassing a variety of categories.
- Home Market (Ireland) – Sponsored by Fáilte Ireland, Pól Ó Conghaile, for a collection of work on Ireland, including Ireland’s Wild West: Why Connemara has such a hold on the Irish imagination (and our holidays)’, published in the Irish Independent’s Weekend magazine
- Northern Ireland – Sponsored by Tourism Northern Ireland, Isabel Conway, for ‘Derry Air has never sounded so sweet’, published in The Sunday Independent’s People & Culture magazine
- Long Haul – Sponsored by Cassidy Travel, Paddy Barry, for ‘Our mad drive to Mongolia’, a piece documenting a 15,000km journey several friends in their 60s, 70s and 80s undertook from Kerry in small, second-hand cars published in the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine.
- Short Haul (including Sun holidays & City Breaks) – Sponsored by Sunway & Constantinou Bros Hotels Cyprus, Conor Pope, for ‘Contrary Catalonia’, published in The Irish Times.
- Sustainable – Sponsored by Spanish Tourism Office and Andalucia Tourism, Catherine Murphy, for ‘Sustainable Algarve’, published in The Sunday Independent’s People & Culture magazine.
- Ski & Adventure – Sponsored by Topflight & Schladming Tourist Board, Austria, Melanie May, for ‘Lapland is for life, not just Christmas’, published in the Irish Daily Mail.
- Digital Media – Sponsored by Click&Go Holidays, Shane Cullen, for ‘Celebrity Ascent, First-Hand Look Onboard Celebrity Cruises’ New Ship’, published in Ireland’s Travel Trade Network.
- Broadcasting – National – Sponsored by TUI, Ed Finn, for his series ‘Ed Finn’s America’, broadcast on Virgin Media Television.
- Broadcasting – Local – Sponsored by UWalk.ie and Navan Travel, Fergal O’Keeffe, for several entries, broadcast on Clare FM Morning Focus Show.
- The Gerry O’Hare Memorial Award for Newcomer Journalist – Sponsored by Visit Malta , Mark Jackson, for ‘Guided through India’, published in the Irish Daily Mail.
