Justice Media Award for Martin Conmey documentary
TG4’s documentary series ‘Finné’ has won the prestigious Human Rights/Social Justice Reporting category at the Justice Media Awards presented in Dublin today. The awards recognise outstanding print and broadcast journalism that contributes to the public’s understanding of justice, the legal system and legal issues.
Filmed over 12 months by Galway's Magamedia and presented by RTE's courts correspondent, Orla O'Donnell, ‘Finné’ revisits gross miscarriages of justice that have taken place in Ireland in the recent past.
The Human Rights/Social Justice Reporting Award was presented for the documentary from the series where Martin Conmey re-visits his wrongful conviction for the manslaughter of Una Lynskey in 1971 and his subsequent fight to clear his name. When his neighbour Una Lynskey went missing in Ratoath, Martin and two of his friends were chief suspects. They were convicted of manslaughter in 1972 and Martin served three years in prison. It wasn't until he saw the Guildford Four being released from prison in 1989 that he decided to start the 25 year campaign to clear his name.
TG4 Commissioning Editor, Proinsias Ní Ghráinne said: "TG4 congratulate Magamedia and everyone involved in this powerful series. We would also like to thank the Justice Media Awards for bestowing such an honour on the production. TG4 is delighted to be able to provide a platform for such contemporary narratives, which allow people like Martin Conmey to tell their stories, in their own words. We are delighted to say that there will be a new series of ‘Finné’ on TG4 this autumn, telling more of these stories for the first time. This approach is really at the heart of TG4’s ‘Súil Eile’, or ‘alternative view’, on Irish life".
The Justice Media Awards have been in existence since 1991 and are the longest continuously-running media awards in Ireland. They were presented at Blackhall Place, Dublin today.
All six episodes of ‘Finné’ are available to view at www.TG4.ie/finne.
The Martin Conmey episode can be seen here: https://bit.ly/2X59j39