The University of Limerick has announced today (Wednesday, February 13) that it is to honour the memory of the late Kerry’s Eye founder and renowned Tralee-based photographer and journalist Padraig Kennelly with the inauguration of a Journalism award in his name.

The ‘Padraig Kennelly Cup’ will be presented annually to the top graduating student from the prestigious BA Journalism and New Media programme, for an investigative series of articles focusing on regional journalism. The perpetual Cup will be presented for the first time in April this year.

Director BA Journalism and New Media programme Tom Felle said: “Padraig Kennelly’s contribution to recording the first rough draft of Ireland’s, and Kerry’s, history through his own lens, and through the pages of his newspaper, is unrivalled. I can think of no greater honour for any young journalist than to be the recipient of such a prestigious prize.  We are delighted that the Kennelly family have kindly agreed to allow us to remember their late father in this way.”

Padraig’s son Jerry Kennelly, founder and CEO of tweak.com said: “Throughout his long career, Padraig Kennelly recognised the importance of regional journalism, and always encouraged, guided and advised young journalists as they began their own careers.”

“As someone whose motto was ‘People Power’, he would have been delighted that the Padraig Kennelly Cup, which highlights the value of investigative reporting, will help continue that legacy into the future,” he said, on behalf of the Kennelly family.

Padraig Kennelly and his wife Joan were photojournalists for print and TV from 1953 to the 1970s offering international media coverage of Ireland with picture transmission from major news and feature events. A collection of 160,000 of their images and background stories is available online at The Kennelly Archive (kennellyarchive.com) and was published in 'Eyewitness' a bestselling book published in 2009. An exhibition of their work over this 20 year period is now permanently housed at the Kerry County Museum in Tralee.

The University of Limerick launched its journalism programmes in 2008, and the BA Journalism and New Media degree is one of the most popular in the country according to CAO figures. The University of Limerick also awards the ‘Vincent Doyle Award for Investigative Journalism’ and ‘The Irish Times Award’ to graduates of its undergraduate journalism programme annually.