Tag Archives: Dermot Hogan

A CLARE Champion journalist hopes her award-winning article on a farm tragedy will help to increase public awareness of workplace risks and reduce further loss of life. Nicola Corless scooped a Local Ireland Media Award for writing the best Feature Story of the Year at a presentation ceremony in Tullamore last week. Her story, titled When all changes in an instant, was widely praised for its sensitive telling of how a family coped with the death of a husband and father. “There have been five farming-related fatalities this year to date and we aren’t even into the busiest time yet. I hope the award will mean that more people read the article and carefully consider whether or not the time saved by taking a risk is worth what could ultimately be lost. “I am glad to see voluntary organisations, like Embrace FARM, providing some support to farm families who have lost a loved one or been injured in a farming …

Unremarkable as it was in many ways, the U-21 Leinster hurling match between Offaly and Westmeath recently was unforgettable for one family. Offaly made it through to the provincial semi-final on a score of 2-15 to 1.10. Earlier that evening, Eugene Hogan set off from his home in O’Briensbridge, met his brother Kevin and his parents, Kieran and Margaret, in Tipperary and the family made their way to O’Connor Park in Tullamore. It was their first car journey together since last July. “It was a fantastic night. It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a match that will be remembered for the rest of the year in hurling but, for us, it was a huge one. Offaly got a victory and my father at the end of the match was in with the players in a huddle and it was a lovely, emotional moment for our family to see him there getting a big lift,” Eugene says. “From the …