Edenderry man and Communications Officer take the plaudits as Offaly GAA wins prestigious digital award

OFFALY GAA has won a prestigious award for their digital coverage of gaelic games in the county.

The County Board are among the winners in the McNamee's Awards, the GAA's annual National Communication and Media Awards, named for Padraig McNamee, a former president of the GAA and member of the RTE Authority.

They are presented annually in recognition of outstanding contributions made by individuals and Association units in the area of media and communications.

The Offaly County Board will be presented with their best digital impact award at a function on November 1.

The award is a recognition of Offaly's very impressive digital strategy as they have developed one of the best social media presences in the country.

The communications team is headed up by County Communications Officer, Padraig O'Meara from Clara but the award also owes a huge amount to the work by a talented young Edenderry man, Mark Forde. His videos as Offaly won the All-Ireland U20 Hurling Championship in 2024 captured the imagination of so many people and gained a huge volume of hits in the various online forums, transforming the county's digital presence.

A son of Edenderry GAA chairman, Willie Forde, Mark's work has won him admirers far beyond the confines of the GAA and his services has been in demand by sports organisations outside of Ireland.

An innovative, imaginative young man, he liaised closely with Padraig O'Meara and others and their stunning work greatly enhanced the enjoyment of some of Offaly's great successes in recent years.

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The baton has been taken on now by Ballinamere man, Ken Molloy. A son of Offaly GAA hurling championship hurling sponsors, Donal and Dolores Molloy of Molloy Environmental Systems, he produced an excellent short film capturing the excitement, joy and ecstasy of the Senior Football Championship final between Tullamore and Ferbane.