The dedication to his craft of the murdered journalist Martin O'Hagan was recalled at the ESB National Media Awards yesterday.
Speaking to the assembled journalists before she presented the awards, the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, said the Sunday World journalist, "never flinched from writing what he saw and what he knew".
His murder by loyalist paramilitaries in Co Armagh last month was "a timely reminder that your profession is not just a difficult and complex one but one that demands courage and sacrifice", she said.
Twenty-eight journalists were honoured at the Mansion House in Dublin. Irish Times writers won three of the awards.
The newspaper's Agriculture Correspondent, Seβn MacConnell, was named News and Current Affairs journalist of the year in the print category, for his coverage of the foot-and-mouth crisis earlier this year. Miriam O'Callaghan of RT╔ described him as "the one journalist who made the running in the story".
Also of The Irish Times, Maev-Ann Wren won in the Analysis and Comment category for her series on the health service, Unhealthy State, while Eileen Battersby was named Arts Journalist of the Year, for the third time, for her work as Literary Correspondent with The Irish Times.
Matt Cooper, editor of the Sunday Tribune, was named as Journalist of the Year for his articles detailing the relationship between Fine Gael and Esat.
Accepting the award, he said: "These are tough times for the media . . . there will be much restructuring and I hope that whatever restructuring there is happens intelligently."
He called on Irish media organisation to support each other. Any media organisations which might come from abroad "would not show the same interest in Irish affairs as we do", he said. "When we gather again next year, let's hope we can reflect on a year which sees us all continuing in good shape."
Mark Little and Eddie Doyle were named jointly as Television Journalist of the Year for their Prime Time documentary on Afghanistan, screened in May.
Little thanked RT╔ for supporting the programme. He hoped the award underlined the importance of having an Irish media presence on the international stage, "no matter what the balance sheet of our [media] organisations".
The award for Print Journalist of the Year went to Miriam Lord of the Irish Independent. The Radio Journalist of the Year Award went to Teresa O'Malley and Liam MacNally of Mid West Radio for their investigation into the running of Knock airport.
The Young Journalist of the Year is Carl O'Brien of the Irish Examiner.
Other awards in the print category went to Jody Corcoran of the Sunday Independent and Fergal Bowers, editor of IrishHealth.Com for Social and Campaigning issues; Niamh Kavanagh of the Irish Independent for Features; Ursula Halligan of Magill (now Political Editor of TV3) for Business and Finance; Martin Breheny of the Irish Independent for Sport and to Tony Galvin of the Tuam Herald in the Provincial Press category.
In television, all awards went to RT╔.
Colm Murray won for Sport, Tony Connelly won for Campaigning and Social issues, Angela Daly and Mike Milotte won for News and Current Affairs with Niamh O'Connor and Fiona McCarthy winning in the Features and Documentaries category.
In radio, awards went to George Jackson of RT╔ for News and Current Affairs; Tim Lehane of RT╔ for Features and Documentaries; Joe Duffy of RT╔ for Campaigning and Social Issues; Des Cahill and Adrian Eames of RT╔, for Sports and the Local Radio award went to Paul Maguire, of LM/FM Radio.
