The IMRO Radio Awards 2021 shortlist has been revealed.
See the full list here or scroll down.
This year, 703 entries were judged across one week over Zoom. As this will mark twenty-one years of the awards running, organisers had called on stations to submit their biggest number of entries this year to celebrate.
The awards ceremony will take place on October 1st, 2021. It will be held virtually with Dermot Whelan hosting for a second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking about the shortlist and 21 st birthday year, Chair of the IMRO Radio Awards committee Chris Doyle said “The amazing number of entries shows how important the IMRO Radio Awards are to the industry. With uncertainty around physical events, the awards will be virtual again this year, but it promises to be an excellent show as always.”
Celene Craig, Deputy Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland commented “The annual IMRO Awards continues to showcase the breadth of talent and creativity in Ireland’s radio sector. Radio continues to play a crucial role in keeping audiences informed and entertained, especially in these challenging times, and the prestigious IMRO Awards recognises the dedication of station personnel in the production of high quality and diverse radio content.”
| Category | Station |
| A1 | |
| General Music Programme | |
| 98FM’s The Fix with Ciarán O’Connor | 98FM |
| Dermot and Dave | Today FM |
| Fergal D’arcy on Today FM | Today FM |
| iRadio in the Afternoon with Dave and Fionnuala | iRadio |
| The Zoo Crew with Jaz and Laura | SPIN1038 |
| A2 | |
| Specialist Music Programme | |
| Blas Ceoil | BBC Radio Ulster |
| Indie Disco with Clowd | SPIN1038 |
| Simply Folk | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| The Lyric Concert with Paul Herriott – Remembering JohnLennon | RTÉ lyric fm |
| The Tom Dunne Show | Newstalk |
| A3 | |
| Breakfast Programme | |
| 98FM’s Big Breakfast with Rebecca and Brendan | 98FM |
| FM104’s Strawberry Alarm Clock | FM104 |
| Fully Charged with Graham and Nathan | SPIN1038 |
| KC and Ross in the Morning | Cork’s 96FM |
| The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show | Today FM |
| A4 | |
| Music Special/Music Event | |
| iRadio’s Marty Mone Court | iRadio |
| Mise Freisin’ | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| RTÉ Choice Music Prize with Tracy Clifford | RTÉ 2FM |
| Sunday with Miriam – Christy Moore Special | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| The Singer and the Song | Ireland’s Classic Hits |
| A5 | |
| Irish Music Programme or Initiative | |
| 2FM Rising with Tracy Clifford | RTÉ 2FM |
| ATL Introducing | BBC Radio Ulster |
| Irish Beats | Beat 102-103 |
| SPIN ALT with Ray Wingnut | SPIN South West |
| Where Music Matters | BBC Radio Ulster |
| B1 | |
| News Story/News Event | |
| Abandoned – Ireland’s Eating Disorder Sufferers | Newstalk |
| Double Blow for Cork Traders | Cork’s 96FM |
| Section 252 – An Unspeakable Pain | Newstalk |
| Stephen Nolan Show | BBC Radio Ulster |
| Trouble at the Interface | BBC Radio Ulster |
| B2 | |
| News Programme – Full Service | |
| John Hume – The Funeral of the Ireland’s Greatest | Q Radio |
| Morning Ireland: Cyber Attack | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| The News at One | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| The Resignation of Arlene Foster – Evening Extra | BBC Radio Ulster |
| This Week | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| B3 | |
| News Programme – Local/Regional | |
| Extended News Bulletin | Cork’s 96FM |
| John Hume – The Funeral of the Ireland’s Greatest | Q Radio |
| News 30 | Shannonside FM |
| The Breakfast Show | BBC Radio Foyle |
| WLR News at 1 | WLR FM |
| B4 | |
| Current Affairs Programme – Full Service | |
| Drivetime | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Newstalk Breakfast | Newstalk |
| On the Record | Newstalk |
| The Hard Shoulder | Newstalk |
| The Pat Kenny Show | Newstalk |
| B5 | |
| Current Affairs Programme – Local/Regional | |
| Death of a Hero | Shannonside Northern Sound |
| Deise Today | WLR FM |
| Let’s Talk – ‘In the Line of Duty’ | Shannonside FM |
| The Travelling Community – A Call for Change | South East Radio |
| Tipp Today | Tipp FM |
| B6 | |
| Sports Story | |
| Carrick to the Champs-Élysées | WLR FM |
| Giles at 80 – A Celebration | Newstalk |
| Jack Charlton – Player, Manager and Grandad | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| The Gordon Elliott Scandal | Newstalk |
| The Split Season | 98FM |
| B7 | |
| Sports Programme – Full Service | |
| Joey Dunlop – King of the Road | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Off The Ball | Newstalk |
| Pumped Up Kicks – Celebrating the life of Jack Charlton | Today FM |
| Rachael’s Day | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Sportsound Extra Time | BBC Radio Ulster |
| B8 | |
| Sports Programme – Local/Regional | |
| 740 and Counting: Collette O’Hagan, Marathon Woman | LMFM |
| Dublin’s Talking Sport | Sunshine 106.8 |
| Running For Our Lives | Ocean FM |
| The Covid Cup 2020 Championship | Shannonside Northern Sound |
| The Passing of Jerry Kiernan | Radio Kerry |
| C1 | |
| Documentary | |
| All About Autism | iRadio |
| Assume Nothing: Did the Right Man Hang? | BBC Radio Ulster |
| Documentary on One: A Very Irish Coup | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Documentary on One: The Grief of a Nation | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| My Name is Joe McDonnell | Ocean FM |
| All About Autism | iRadio |
| C2 | |
| Music, Arts & Culture Documentary | |
| Between Worlds – Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin | Clare FM |
| By the Lakes of Ponchartrain | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| COW | Red Hare Media for RTÉ Radio1 Extra |
| Evil Literature and Censorship by Regan Hutchins | Newstalk |
| The Music Biz | RTÉ 2FM |
| C3 | |
| Short Feature | |
| Big Breakfast Little Stories | WLR FM |
| CountryWide – Farm Diary from Hannah Quinn Mulligan | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Henry’s Scamdemic | Newstalk |
| The Midlands 103 Vault | Midlands 103 |
| The Power of a Phone Call | Radio Kerry |
| C4 | |
| Magazine Programme | |
| Alive and Kicking with Clare McKenna | Newstalk |
| iRadio’s The Hub | iRadio |
| Moncrieff | Newstalk |
| The John Toal Show | BBC Radio Ulster |
| The Ray D’Arcy Show | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| C5 | |
| Drama | |
| 98FM’s Aladdin Panto | 98FM |
| Belong by Daithí McMahon and Fred O’Connor | Newstalk |
| Drama On One: Quicksand by Elizabeth Moynihan | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| The Emperor’s New Duds | RTÉjr Radio |
| The Fabulous Doctor Singer | Newstalk |
| C6 | |
| Specialist Speech Programme | |
| Like Family | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| SPIN Ar Scoil | SPIN South West |
| The History Fix | KCLR |
| The Long and the Short of it | BBC Radio Ulster |
| The Poetry Programme: Poems in a Pandemic | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| C7 | |
| Craoltoireacht le Gaeilge | |
| Barrscéalta RTÉ Raidió Na Gaeltachta | RTÉ Raidió Na Gaeltachta |
| Blas | BBC Radio Uladh |
| Muintir na nDéise | WLR FM |
| Pop Raidió | SPIN1038 |
| Splanc | Newstalk |
| C8 | |
| Interactive Speech Programme | |
| Liveline: Breaking the Menopause Taboo | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| My Son Jason – Irelands Mental Health | Cork’s RedFM |
| Room104 | FM104 |
| Stephen Nolan Show | BBC Radio Ulster |
| The Opinion Line | Cork’s 96FM |
| D1 | |
| Community/Social Action | |
| 40 Days and Nights for Slav | LMFM |
| Brian Maher’s 24-Hour Runathon | 98FM |
| Darkness Into Light 2021 | FM104 |
| Moyross – The Forgotten Part of Limerick | Newstalk |
| Stand Up Awareness Week | RTÉ 2FM |
| D2 | |
| On-Air Competition/Promotion | |
| FM104’s Guess Who’s at The Bar | FM104 |
| Gotta Get It Wrong with Graham and Nathan | SPIN1038 |
| SPIN’s €5k Phone Call | SPIN1038 |
| SPIN’s Beat The Bomb | SPIN1038 and SPIN South West |
| Waffle – The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show | Today FM |
| D3 | |
| Station Imaging | |
| 98FM | 98FM |
| FM104 | FM104 |
| iRadio | iRadio |
| SPIN1038 | SPIN1038 |
| Today FM | Today FM |
| D4 | |
| Entertainment Inserts | |
| Dermot and Dave | Today FM |
| FM104’s Strawberry Alarm Clock | FM104 |
| Fully Charged – Challenge Graham | SPIN1038 |
| Gift Grub – The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show | Today FM |
| iRadio’s Blender Bingo | iRadio |
| D5 | |
| Digital & Social Innovation | |
| #StopTheShame Campaign | Galway Bay FM |
| iRadio’s TikTok Mic Drop | iRadio |
| Mollie and Ollie’s Funday Quiz | Galway Bay FM |
| Shine Festival 2021 | U105 |
| Speak Up On Racism | SPIN1038 |
| D6 | |
| Radio Station Podcast of the Year | |
| Ecolution | RTÉ |
| GunPlot | RTÉ |
| Grief Encounters | Q102 |
| Show me the Science – Newstalk | Newstalk |
| Year 21 – The Yard | BBC Radio Ulster |
| E1 | |
| Music & Entertainment Presenter of the Year | |
| Dermot Whelan | Today FM |
| Jim-Jim Nugent | FM104 |
| Rachael Ryan | 98FM |
| Ray Foley | Cork’s RedFM |
| Sinead Brassil | LMFM |
| E2 | |
| Radio DJ of the Year | |
| Barry Dunne | 98FM |
| Brian McEvoy | iRadio |
| Lorraine Murphy | Cork’s 96FM |
| Marty Guilfoyle | SPIN1038 |
| Tracy Clifford | RTÉ 2FM |
| E3 | |
| Specialist Music Broadcaster of the Year | |
| Ann Marie Kelly | Midlands 103 |
| Claire Beck | Today FM |
| Ralph McLean | BBC Radio Ulster |
| Stephen Keogh | Tipp FM |
| Stuart Banford | Downtown Country |
| E4 | |
| News Broadcaster of the Year | |
| Anna Curran | BBC Radio Foyle |
| Carole Coleman | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Fionnuala Corbett | iRadio |
| Justin McCarthy | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Niall Colbert | Today FM |
| E5 | |
| News Reporter of the Year | |
| Aoife Kearns | WLR FM |
| Brian O’Connell | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| John Cooke | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Sarah McKinley | Downtown Radio/Cool FM |
| Sasha Wylie | Downtown Radio/Cool FM |
| E6 | |
| Sports Broadcaster of the Year – Full Service | |
| Eoin Sheahan | Newstalk |
| Joe Molloy | Newstalk |
| Marie Crowe | RTÉ 2FM |
| Michael McNamee | BBC Radio Ulster |
| Nathan Murphy | Newstalk |
| E7 | |
| Sports Broadcaster of the Year – Local/Regional | |
| Eric White | BBC Radio Foyle |
| Sean Mc Caffrey | Shannonside Northern Sound |
| Dave Hooper | Shannonside Northern Sound |
| Luke Liddy | Live 95 |
| Ruairí O’Hagan | Cork’s RedFM |
| E8 | |
| Speech Broadcaster of the Year – Full Service | |
| Ciara Kelly | Newstalk |
| Damien O’Reilly | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Matt Cooper | Today FM |
| Pat Kenny | Newstalk |
| Stephen Nolan | BBC Radio Ulster |
| E9 | |
| Speech Broadcaster of the Year – Local/Regional | |
| Damien Tiernan | WLR FM |
| Mark Patterson | BBC Radio Foyle |
| Niall Delaney | Ocean FM |
| Sally-Ann Barrett | Galway Bay FM |
| Sheila Naughton | Shannonside Northern Sound |
| E10 | |
| The Gay Byrne Award – Newcomer of the Year Award | |
| Cillian Doyle | Beat 102-103 |
| Emily Brew | Radio Nova |
| Jordan Humphries | Q Radio |
| Sarah Madden | Newstalk |
| Tara McCormack | Midlands 103 |
| Cillian Doyle | Beat 102-103 |
| F1 | |
| Radio Moment of the Year | |
| Drivetime – Sarah McInerney – Eoghan Harris interview | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| Katie Taylor surprises a fan | FM104 |
| Lynsey Bennett on The Hard Shoulder | Newstalk |
| Response to the murder of Sarah Everard | BBC Radio Ulster |
| Saved by an angel | LMFM |