As the days get longer and another semester at the University of Limerick comes to an end, so too does this edition of the Limerick Voice.
Over the last eight months, our team has reimagined what Limerick Voice could offer online, in print, over the airwaves and on your news feeds, and it is with heavy hearts but scores of knowledge and experience that we bid you farewell.
In that time, Limerick Voice has produced 313 original, well-researched and impassioned articles, 24 episodes of our three podcast series and 72 video packages covering everything from the hardest of local beats to dance festivals and rugby games.
Limerick Voice has never been so present on social media. It has been an honour to see our work received with such enthusiasm and enjoyment by the people of Limerick, to whom we are so thankful.
At the outset of this project, we promised that the Limerick Voice mission statement ‘The Talk of the Treaty’ would see us breathe youthful energy and an alternative style into Limerick city’s news output, and I believe we have done just that.
Our personal highlights include consistent coverage of the overcrowding crisis at UHL, shining a light on lesser-known sports such as Limerick Celtics wheelchair basketball and women’s powerlifting, as well as engaging the local community in discussions around climate change and economic concerns.
We have also found our newsroom producing an impressive number of breaking news stories, despite being made up entirely of students, and our acclaimed 32-page newspaper published with the Limerick Leader in March was a testament to the group’s diverse talents and hard-working character.
To conclude, we want to pay particular thanks to our mentor and course director, Kathryn Hayes, who has been a constant source of sound advice, encouragement and alternate headlines throughout the year!
To our readers and followers, from O’Connell Avenue to Sweden, Brazil and the US; know that choosing to get your news from Limerick Voice has given a brilliant team of budding journalists the opportunity of a lifetime, allowing us to hone our skills and build a Limerick Voice legacy that will support us as we go off into the world and embark on our careers.
Slán go fóill,
Rachel Petticrew, Digital Editor
Notes from the Editorial team:
I feel really proud of the work we did this year. We have printed and published some incredible and impactful stories this year, and we were able to bring together the online, print and podcast elements of Limerick Voice in a totally new way.
Ellen Gough, Deputy Editor
The Limerick Voice sports section thrived and I’m really thankful to all the writers that made it as great as it was.
James Roulston Mooney, Sports Editor
Limerick Voice has been a transformative experience. It was incredible to be able to come together as a team and represent the people of my native county of Limerick, telling the stories of their hardships as well as their moments of celebration.”
“Working on the podcasting team was easily the most enriching experience of my professional career. In my opinion, we were able to create an amazing audio experience that brought local news matters straight to the devices of our audience. Stories ranging from health to business, sports, entertainment and politics got to the core of the issues facing Limerick people, and my excellent deputy editors and hosts Liam Kelly O’Rourke and Rebecca Lennihan were crucial to that.”
Caleb Brennan, Podcast Editor
The Limerick Voice coming to an end is bittersweet. I’m delighted this year has seen unprecedented success across the board and that all of our hard work has paid off. This project has been a real bonding experience among the course; our college relationships were diminished by the pandemic, so it’s amazing how fast the team adapted to each other. I am ready to pass the torch on to the next set of students!
Aishlín Hennigan, Social Media Manager
I am so proud to have led the business and agriculture sections this semester. The team’s coverage in these two areas captured some of the most pressing issues of our time in both food security and climate change, alongside showcasing the resilience of industry here in Limerick.
Working with the team has been a brilliant experience and we have truly established not only fantastic connections that are about to pave their way in the media, but also forged amazing friendships that will last a lifetime!
Aislinn Kelly, Business & Agriculture Editor
