Lifetime membership awards presented by NUJ at GPO in Dublin

RTÉ broadcaster Seán O'Rourke has requested that, when the time comes, he is buried with a copy of the Connacht Tribune newspaper. Reflecting on his good fortune in becoming a journalist, he said he learned as much in his brief time at that newspaper 40 years ago as he had since.

"If I had gone into banking or if I had gone into the civil service, I wouldn't be able to say what I am able to say now, I think I'm every bit as excited when I go up the steps of the RTÉ radio centre every morning as I was when I climbed the stairs at the Connacht Tribune, because we're still having great fun," he said.

Mr O’Rourke and a group of journalists had just been presented with lifetime membership awards at a National Union of Journalists ceremony in Dublin’s GPO last night. It acknowledged 40 years of union membership.

Recipients included Colm Boland, Eamonn McCann, Frank McDonald, Martyn Turner of The Irish Times, and Fergus Black, Tom Brady, Don Lavery and Tony O'Brien of the Irish Independent.

Other recipients included Pat Chatten of the Irish Press, journalist and DIT lecturer Francis Carty, Mary Curtin and former DCU lecturer Patrick Kinsella, both formerly of RTÉ, author and former BBC producer Gordon Snell. Other members to receive the award included Colin McClelland and Jimmy Wolfe. Mr O'Rourke is pictured with Ms Curtin, Mr Carty and Mr Boland.