A Knockvicar native has won a national travel journalist of the year award for a programme she directed which featured Lough Key, King House and Boyle Abbey.
Mary Fanning directed the RTE Nationwide programme which broadcast in November last and featured many tourism gems in County Roscommon.
The programme highlighted a wealth of mythological sites, a journey off the wild Atlantic way into a county that boasts African drumming centres, a windmill in Elphin and some of the most important celtic royal sites in Europe including the location of Queen Maeve’s palace and Oweynagat cave believed to the entrance to the other world.
Mary Fanning researched, edited, produced and directed this programme and used Castlecoote House as a backdrop when work on restoring the original bridge began earlier this year.
She explored the Lough Gara Lake and Legend’s tour and spoke to the committee trying to fight back with tourism in a county that is sometimes forgotten.
Mary Fanning went to Kilmovee in Mayo where collaboration between the Lough Gara team and the Kilmovee Heritge centre is bearing fruits.
She also meets Barry 0’ Flanniath who brought African music to Roscommon with his drumming centre overlooking a lake that boasts the most populated crannog centre in Europe.
The programme also took a look at the Lough Key amenity park which is hosting millions of tourists and the restoration of King House and Boyle Abbey.
Mary, originally from Knockvicar outside Boyle is delighted with the success of the programme, where a panel of top national judges recognised Roscommon among 400 entries. Roscommon County Council worked with Mary in making this programme.
