Dublin author and tree surgeon Clare O’Beara has won a national award for photojournalism.
Clare was studying Journalism at Dublin Business School (DBS) at the time of creating and publishing the piece, which was part of her thesis project website. She has since graduated with a first-class honours degree. The article documents and celebrates people taking their permitted exercise in local parks during the Pandemic lockdowns, often accompanied by dogs. The photojournalism article can be viewed here.
The awards ceremony took place in person for the first time since restrictions were imposed, on 28th April at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The students were addressed by Dee Forbes, Director-General of RTE. Ray Darcy was among those presenting Tipperary Crystal trophies. The SMedia Awards, known as the Oscars for students, were created and introduced by Colman Doyle, and are hosted by Oxygen.ie.
Clare O’Beara is studying Data Visualisation at postgraduate level at the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT). Clare is an independently publishing author, who has previously won awards for blogging and for writing fiction and journalism. Her books of Young Adult (YA) fiction, science fiction and crime are available from Amazon in Kindle and paperback. The recent Irish Lockdown series for YA readers includes A Pony For Quarantine, which went to No. 6 in the Amazon store for fiction relating to disability, and A Dog For Lockdown.
About A Dog For Lockdown:
Dermot Greaney turns thirteen on the day schools in Ireland are closed due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. The Dublin boy tries to get on with life, coping with online school, his mother battling a pre-diabetic condition and the community lockdown. When the senior man next door is taken ill, Dermot promptly volunteers to care for his large dog, which might be the best decision he ever made.
In the lively dog Sheila, Dermot finds a friend at last. Someone to be on his side, even when his mum insists on serving him salads and the class hooligans start cyber-bullying him. In return for his care, Sheila teaches him responsibility – but will he learn in time? Sometimes our own actions cause us trouble. And sometimes we’ll find happiness unexpectedly.
This informative, positive thinking story for young people is packed with dog lore, photos and a recipe.
Illustrated with photos by the author.
Second in the ‘Irish Lockdown’ series.
Another atmospheric story of young adults and challenges from the No.1 Bestselling author of RODEO FINN and A PONY FOR QUARANTINE.
Order your copy online here.