Waterford journalist nominated for national prize 

Waterford News & Star journalist Shannon Sweeney was shortlisted for a Shine Mental Health Award.

The article she was nominated for was titled ‘The Waterford families sleeping on the streets just to stay together.’ 

You can read the article here.

Speaking to the Waterford News & Star, Shannon said, “I am delighted that my story was shortlisted for the Shine Mental Health Media Awards. People who sleep on the street are an underrepresented group in reporting. There are several reasons for that, but, nonetheless, the impact is that in both discussions on homelessness and mental health, this particularly vulnerable group of people tends to be talked about more than to.

“I am honoured that some of those people in Waterford trust me with their stories, and I hope that this nomination will highlight the daily struggle they have to endure. In highlighting that, I hope it brings about some change for those people and people like them.

“If you read the story today, and I hope that you will, I would ask that you follow that up by checking out Waterford Helping the Homeless, who are a local group supporting people on the ground of one of the country’s biggest crises. They are all volunteers and receive no state assistance for what they do. Despite that they are there in Waterford City every morning and sometimes afternoons and nights too.

“I know that any and all support, including raising awareness, is very important to them, and if you take anything from the stories shared in ‘The Waterford families sleeping on the streets just to stay together,’ that these are people who are doing their very very best to survive in a society that is not always as kind as it could be.” 

Shine’s Media Programme recognises excellence in Irish media coverage of mental health across all platforms. The awards celebrate journalists, producers, editors and content creators whose work improves public understanding of mental health, challenges stereotypes and fosters informed discussion.

Shine CEO Nicola Byrne said: “The public’s perception of mental illness is shaped, to a very large degree, by how it is portrayed in media. That is an important responsibility. With these awards, we celebrate outstanding journalism that improves understanding, challenges stereotypes, and fosters informed discussions about mental health. Congratulations to all those shortlisted.” 

Other shortlisted articles included: ‘Living with the trauma of war many miles from home’ by Richard Canny from the Roscommon Herald and ‘Why prison is no place for the mentally ill’ by Ann Murphy for the Irish Examiner.

Winners will be announced at an event in Dublin, on December 3, 2025.