From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Jacob's Award |
 |
| Jacob's Television
Award |
| Awarded for |
Outstanding contributions to Irish TV and radio |
| Presented by |
National newspaper TV and radio critics |
| Country |
 Ireland |
| First awarded |
1962 |
| Last awarded |
1993 |
The Jacob's Awards were instituted in December
1962 as the first Irish television awards. Later, they were
expanded to include radio. The awards were named after their
sponsor, W. & R. Jacob
& Co. Ltd., a biscuit manufacturer, and recipients were
selected by Ireland's national newspaper
television and radio critics. Jacob's Award winners were chosen
annually until 1993, when the final awards presentation took
place.
Winners of a Jacob's Award include Fionnuala
Flanagan (1965), Gabriel Byrne (1979), and Brendan Gleeson
(1992). The record for the most awards won is held by Gay Byrne, who was honoured
six times between 1963 and 1981.
History
Telefís Éireann was
launched as the Republic of Ireland's first
indigenous television station on 31 December 1961. Three months
later, it was announced by W. & R. Jacob & Co. Ltd. that
they intended to sponsor an award for outstanding contributions to
the new medium.[1]
On 4 December 1962, the first awards ceremony took place at the
sponsor's headquarters in Dublin. There were nine winners, chosen by a
panel of national newspaper television critics. Each winner
received an award designed by the artist, Richard Kingston. This
consisted of a silver St. Brigid's
Cross mounted on a base of bog oak and Connemara marble.[2]
The Jacob's Awards honoured teams of programme makers as well as
individuals. For instance, in 1962, Telefís Éireann's Sports
Department won an award for its general coverage during the
station's first year of broadcasting. In 1965, a limit of eight
annual awards was set, and the critics also decided not to confine
themselves to fixed categories in making their selections.[3]
A special "Golden Trophy" was introduced in 1966 to recognise
exceptional performance. This was awarded every five years although
it was dropped in the mid-1980s.[4]
In 1969, the number of awards was increased to a maximum of
thirteen in order to incorporate radio. A separate panel of
national newspaper radio critics was formed to choose recipients of
the new award, a highly-polished, white metal cylinder designed by
Robert Costelloe. This was replaced in 1981 by a trophy comprising
a painted canvas mounted on a stainless steel background, designed
by Theo McNab.[5]
For most of their history, Jacob's Awards were awarded to
programmes broadcast on RTÉ because the national state broadcaster
held a monopoly in Ireland. However, in 1989,
commercial radio was introduced and RTÉ's monopoly in sound
broadcasting was broken.[6] The
critics responded by widening the scope of the awards to include
the new local stations. RTÉ did not face indigenous competition in
television until the advent of TV3 in 1998, by which
time the Jacob's Awards had ended.
Awards
Ceremony
In the 30 years of its existence, compères of the annual Jacob's
Awards event included Hilton Edwards and Frank Hall. Winners were presented with
their awards by a senior member of the Irish Government,
sometimes the Taoiseach
of the day.
Due to the "economic circumstances of the sponsoring company",
the 1983 and 1984 awards were presented at a single event, which
took place on February 22, 1985.[7]
What turned out to be the final awards ceremony took place in
Dublin on 11 November 1993. Presenting the awards on that occasion
was Michael D. Higgins, then Minister for Arts, Culture and the
Gaeltacht.[8]
No formal announcement was made by the sponsor subsequently as to
the future of the Jacob's Awards so the reason why they were
terminated remains a mystery. However, the death of Frankie Byrne
shortly after the 1993 event may have been a factor.
Frankie
Byrne
From the inception of the Jacob's Awards, each of the annual
presentation events was promoted by public relations consultant and
radio broadcaster, Frankie Byrne. However, according to former
Jacob's chairman, Gordon Lambert, Ms. Byrne actually
started the awards in 1962 and her role in their eventual longevity
seems to have been crucial. This is borne out by the fact that no
further awards ceremonies took place following Frankie Byrne's
death in December 1993.[9]
Recalling her role five years after her death, television critic
Tom O'Dea summed up Frankie Byrne's unique contribution:
"I think it is no skin off anyone's nose to accord her the
distinction of giving the awards night the character it had,
wheelchairs for the irretrievably drunken, and all."[10]
Controversy
The 1970 awards were attended by some controversy. Eoghan Harris
refused to accept an award for his production of the Irish-language
current affairs programme, Féach. In a statement issued on
the day of the awards ceremony, Harris criticised RTÉ for its involvement
with commercial sponsorship.[11]
However, five years later his attitude changed and he accepted a
second award for a special report on 7
Days.
Also in 1970, guests arriving at the awards ceremony were
confronted by a picket of 50 female employees of W. & R. Jacob
who were protesting against the cost of the banquet. One picketer
carried a placard bearing the legend: "Only room at the inn for the
in-people".[11]
In 1990, RTÉ
threatened to pull out of its longstanding practice of broadcasting
the awards ceremony because of the involvement of Tánaiste, Brian
Lenihan. Lenihan had been invited to present the awards in his
capacity as Tánaiste and Minister of Defence.
However, in the meantime, he was chosen by Fianna Fáil as
that party's candidate in the forthcoming Irish presidential
election. RTÉ claimed that going ahead with its planned
broadcast would give unfair additional publicity to Lenihan,
leaving the station in breach of its own guidelines on election
coverage. After a brief stand-off, Lenihan agreed to withdraw from
the awards ceremony. He was replaced by Minister of Labour, Bertie Ahern.[12]
Winners - multiple
awards
Six
- Gay Byrne (1963,
1970, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1981)
Four
- Mike Murphy (1978, 1979, 1980, 1988)
- Andy O'Mahony (1969, 1981, 1986, 1989)
Three
Two
- Tony Barry (1970, 1990)
- John Bowman (1970, 1981)
- Anne Daly (1980, 1989)
- Norris Davidson (1973, 1974)
- Derek Davis
(1983, 1991)
- Donall Farmer (1969, 1978)
- Brian
Farrell (1968, 1977)
- Pat Feeley (1977, 1979)
- Alan Gilsenan (1989, 1990)
- Frank Hall (1966,
1975)
- Shay Healy (1984, 1989)
- Michael Heney (1990, 1992)
- Eamon Keane
(1966, 1971)
- Joe
Lynch (1962, 1977)
- Muiris Mac Conghail (1967, 1985)
- Ciarán Mac Mathúna (1969, 1990)
- Ian McGarry (1975, 1981)
- Joe Mulholland (1977, 1979)
- John O'Donovan (1970, 1974)
- Kevin O'Kelly (1969, 1980)
- Cathal O'Shannon (1976, 1978)
- Eoin Ó Súilleabháin (1965, 1974)
- James
Plunkett (1965, 1969)
- John Quinn (1988, 1993)
- RTÉ Sports Department (1962, 1966)
Winners -
full details
1960s
1962
Television
1963
Television
- Blaithin Nic Chaomhin (Best contribution in the Irish
language)
- Radharc (Most enterprising programme)
- Conor Cruise O'Brien (Best
original script for programme on Charles Stewart Parnell)
- Telefís Éireann's Sports Department (Best outside
broadcast)
- Cyril Cusack
(Best actor for Triptych)
- Gay Byrne
(Outstanding personality)
- Peter Collinson, (Best
producer for The Bomb)
- Monica Sheridan (Individual award for her cookery
programme)[13]
1964
Television
1965
Television
1966
Television
- Michael Viney (maker of documentary Too Many
Children)
- Frank Hall (editor
of Newsbeat)
- Lelia Doolan (producer of The Plough and the
Stars)
- May Cluskey (acting performance in Tolka Row and The Plough and the
Stars)
- Eamon Keane
(acting performance in When do you die, Friend?)
- Justin
Keating (writer and presenter of Telefís Feirme)
- Stuart Hetherington ("for his outstanding film work")
- Aindreas Ó Gallchóir (producer of On Behalf of the
Provisional Government)
Golden Trophy
1967
Television
- John
Cowley (acting performance in The Riordans)
- John Healy (scriptwriter for Headlines and
Deadlines)
- Telefís Scoile (factual programme)
- Muiris Mac Conghail (producer of 7
Days)
- Amuigh Faoin Spéir (wildlife programme)
- The
Forsyte Saga (BBC adaptation)[17]
1968
Television
1969
Radio
- Diarmuid O Muirithe (presenter of Idir Shugradh is
Dairire)
- Andy O'Mahony ("for his consistently high standard in
broadcasting and presentation")
- Noel O Briain (producer of Judas Iscariot agus a
Bhean)
- Maire Ni Mhurchu ("for the intuitive sympathy she shows towards
those to whom she talks and the manner in which she conveys her
enjoyment in broadcasting")
- Ciarán Mac Mathúna ("for his work in the
discovery and conservation of traditional Irish music")
- Mike Burns (news and current affairs)
- Dr. A. J.
Potter (composer of Sinfonia de Profundis)
Television
1970s
1970
Radio
- Rick Walshe
- John Bowman
- Pat Sweeney
- Rhoda Coghill
- P. J. O'Connor
- Aidan Grennell
Television
1971
Radio
- Eamon Keane
(radio drama)
- Liam Nolan ("for his achievement in improving the prestige of
sound broadcasting")
- Liam Hourican (reports on Northern Ireland)
- Sunday Miscellany (magazine programme)
Television
- Brian Mac Lochlainn (producer of A Week in the Life of
Martin Cluxton)
- Canon J. G. McGarry (contributor to Outlook, religious
series)
- Michael Ryan (presenter of Enterprise)
- Alpho O'Reilly (designer of 1971
Eurovision Song Contest)
Golden Trophy
1972
Radio
Television
- Pan Collins (researcher on The Late Late Show)
- Noel Smith (producer of Encounter)
- Rory O'Farrell (film editor of Belfast 1972)
- Mike Twomey (cast member on Hall's Pictorial
Weekly)
- Frank Duggan (cast member on Hall's Pictorial
Weekly)
- Paddy Gallagher (presenter of Report, current affairs
series)[21]
1973
Radio
- Roibeard Ó Faracháin (Controller of Radio Programmes for "his
defence of free speech since the early days of broadcasting and for
his aesthetic sense in encouraging programmes like the Thomas Davis
lectures")
- Kieran Sheedy (editor of Imprint)
- Tommy O'Brien (presenter of Your Choice and Mine)
- Olivia
O'Leary (news reporter)
Television
1974
Radio
- Eoin Ó Súilleabháin (acting performance in The
Father)
- Aine McEvoy (producer of Church in Action, religious
affairs programme)
- Norris Davidson (opera commentaries)
- Neassa Ní hAnnracháin ("for her outstanding contribution to a
distinguished company of actors")
- John O'Donovan (host of Dear Sir or Madam, listener
feedback programme)
- Joe Linnane ("long and meritorious service to
broadcasting")
Television
1975
Radio
- Diarmuid Peavoy (Listen and See - programme for the
blind)
- Michael O'Callaghan (My Own Place)
Television
1976
Radio
- Gay Byrne (for
The Gay Byrne Show)
- Eavan Boland
(The Arts Programme)
- Tom McArdle (Knock at the Door - pre-school
programme)
- Padraic Ó Raghallaigh ("for the sustained excellence of his
interview series")
Television
- Cathal O'Shannon (documentary on Spanish Civil War, Even The
Olives Are Bleeding)
- John Kelleher (producer of The Greening of
America)
- Liam Ó
Murchú (presenter of Trom agus Éadrom)
- Eugene McCabe (writer of trilogy of TV plays
Victims)
- Tony Kenny (light entertainment)
- Pat Fergus (presenter of Landmark, agricultural
matters)
Golden Trophy
1977
Radio
- Jane Carty (for encouraging Irish musicians)
- Kathleen Kelliher (Helping Adults to Read)
- Albert Rosen (conductor of the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra)
- Pat Feeley (Coiciosan - new writing in the Irish
language)
Television
Radio
Television
- Gay Byrne (host of
live coverage of Rose of Tralee contest)
- Maeve Binchy
(writer of TV play Deeply Regretted By...)
- Mike Murphy (presenter of Murphy's
America)
- Peter McNiff ("for his courageous handling of issues on
Newsround")
- Donall Farmer (acting performance in Deeply Regretted
By...)
- Cathal O'Shannon ("for his sympathetic interviewing style" in
Emmet Dalton
Remembers)[28]
1979
Radio
- Morgan O'Sullivan (presenter of Late Date)
- Marian
Finucane (presenter of Women Today)
- Dan Treston (producer of The Secret Garden)
- Pat Feeley ("for his programmes on Irish social history")
Television
1980s
1980
Radio
- Kevin O'Kelly (presenter of Addendum - religious
affairs series)
- John Skehan
(presenter of Play It Again, John - extracts from the
radio archive)
- Anne Daly (reporting of Archbishop
Romero's funeral)
- Dave Fanning
(disc jockey)
- Mike Murphy (for his early morning radio
show)
Television
- John Lynch (producer of The Law Courts edition of
Insight series)
- Frank Cvitanovich (producer and director of Murphy's
Stroke - documentary on the Gay Future betting coup)
- Frank Grimes (acting performance in Strumpet
City)
- John McColgan (producer of Hunky Dory - musical based
on songs by Dory
Previn)
- Robert Kee (writer
and presenter of Ireland - A Television History)
- Barry Cowan
(presenter of Today Tonight - current affairs series)[5]
1981
Radio
- Harry Bradshaw (presenter of Folkland and The Long
Note)
- Andy O'Mahony (presenter of Page by Page and The
Church in Action)
- John Bowman (presenter of
Day by Day)
- Pat Kenny (for
"evidence of unusual versatility" as presenter of Saturday
View on RTÉ
Radio 1, The Kenny Report and The Outside
Track, both on RTÉ
2fm)
Television
- Forbes McFall (reporter on Today Tonight)
- Bernard McLaverty (author of TV play My Dear
Palestrina)
- Godfrey
Graham (lighting cameraman on Eugene McCabe's play Winter
Music)
- Ian McGarry (producer/director of the TV coverage of the 1981 Eurovision Song
Contest)
- Tish Barry (reporter on edition of Today Tonight
dealing with victims of the The Troubles in Northern
Ireland)
- Twink (performer
in the Christmas Light Entertainment Special on RTÉ Two)
Golden Trophy
- Gay Byrne ("in
recognition of his outstanding broadcasting achievements on both
radio and television")[30]
1982
Radio
- Donal Flanagan (producer of Introspect series)
- Ray Lynott (presenter of A Traveller's Tunes)
- Des Kenny (presenter of Ask About Gardening)
- William Styles (producer of radio adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses)
Television
1983
Radio
- Jim Fahy ("for unearthing treasures from our tradition in
Looking)
- Mark Cagney (RTÉ 2fm disc jockey)
- Caroline Murphy (sports commentator)
- Betty Purcell (presenter of Talk Back)
- Venetia O'Sullivan (In Love with Ireland - documentary
on Arnold Bax)
Television
1984
Radio
- Siobhan McHugh/Shay Healy (producer and presenter of
Strawberry Fields Forever - documentary series on the
1960s)
- Padraic Dolan (documentary maker You Can't Live on
Love - programme on unemployment)
- Julian Vignoles ("for demonstrating the creative role which the
producer can play in many areas on radio")
- Michael Littleton (for development of The Thomas Davis Lectures)
Television
- Bob Quinn (scriptwriter and
director of Atlantean)
- Ciana Campbell (presenter of Access)
- J. Graham Reid (writer of The Billy Trilogy)
- Joe O'Donnell (creator and producer of Bosco)[7]
1985
Radio
- P. J. Curtis (presenter of His Kind of Music)
- Hilary Orpen (producer of Liveline)
- David Hanley (presenter of Morning Ireland)
- John Caden
(producer of The Gay Byrne Show)
Television
- Muiris Mac Conghail (for Oileán Eile - documentary on
the Blasket
Islands)
- Michael O'Connell (producer of Shadows - series on Victorian
Ireland)
- Niall Mathews (producer of Live Aid for Africa)
- David Shaw Smith (film-maker and producer of English
Silk)
- Nuala
O'Faolain (producer of Plain Times)[33]
1986
Radio
- Andy O'Mahony (presenter of Books and Company)
- BP Fallon (presenter
of The BP Fallon Orchestra)
- Colette Proctor (acting performance in The Far Side of the
Moon)
- Brendan
Balfe (presenter of The Spice of Life documentary
series)
- Larry Gogan
(presenter of Ireland's Top Thirty)
Television
1987
- no awards listed[35]
1988
Radio
- John Quinn (series on Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger)
- Martha McCarron (The Sad, the Mad and the Bad - series
on institutional life in Ireland)
- Colm Keane (American Profiles)
- Myles Dungan
(14-part series Vietnam)
- Treasa Davison (presenter of Playback)
Television
1989
Radio
- Anne Daly (reporter on Worlds Apart)
- Andy O'Mahony (presenter of The Sunday Show)
- Bill Long (producer of Singing Ark, Flowering Flood -
documentary on Dylan
Thomas)
- John McKenna (How the heart approaches what it
yearns)
- Eamonn Ó Muirí
Television
- Zig and Zag ("for keeping the
children of the nation happy")
- Alan Gilsenan (documentary on Irish emigrants)
- Colm Connolly (writer and presenter of The Shadow of Béal na Bláth)
- Bernard Loughlin (narrator of The Border - The Great
Divide)
- Shay Healy[37]
1990s
1990
Radio
Television
- Michael Heney (for a series of documentaries on public
issues)
- Bill
O'Herlihy (presenter of Network 2 coverage of 1990 World
Cup)
- Alan Gilsenan (director of documentary on AIDS)
- Tony Barry (director of TV adaptation of Somerville
and Ross' novel, The Real Charlotte)
- Mary Raftery (reporter on edition of Today Tonight
dealing with Patrick Gallagher's property empire)
- Stella McCusker (acting performance in Dear Sarah)[38]
1991
Radio
Television
- list incomplete (see Talk Page)
1992
Radio
Television
1993
Radio
Television
See also
References
- ^
The Irish Times, "Firm to sponsor TV awards", March 7,
1962
- ^ a
b
The Irish Times, "BBC wins award for Hancock series in
first T.E. critic's selection", December 5, 1962
- ^
The Irish Times, "Jacob's Television Awards", October 12,
1965
- ^
The Irish Times, "Television awards presented", December
8, 1966
- ^ a
b
The Irish Times, "Kee wins award for TV history of
Ireland", April 11, 1981
- ^
Wikipedia
article: Radio in Ireland
- ^ a
b
The Irish Times, "Jacob's prize producer leaving for
Australia", February 23, 1985
- ^ a
b
The Irish Times, "Higgins warns of threat to service",
November 15, 1993
- ^
The Irish Times, "Frankie Byrne dies after long battle
with illness", December 13, 1993
- ^
Irish Independent, "Frankie: we did it her way", December
21, 1998
- ^ a
b
c
The Irish Times, "Controversy is indication of RTÉ's
success, says minister", December 11, 1970
- ^
The Irish Times, "Lenihan pulls out of Jacobs show", 4
October 1990
- ^
The Irish Times, "Presentation of television awards and
citations", December 4, 1963
- ^
The Irish Times, "Television awards presented", December
2, 1964
- ^
The Irish Times, "Television awards presented", December
9, 1965
- ^
The Irish Times, "Television awards presented", December
8, 1966
- ^
The Irish Times, "RTÉ advised to fight defeatism",
December 7, 1967
- ^
The Irish Times, "Presentation of Jacob's TV awards",
December 12, 1968
- ^
The Irish Times, "Awards for radio and TV presented",
December 11, 1969
- ^
The Irish Times, "Radio and TV awards presented", January
31, 1972
- ^
The Irish Times, "Jacob's Awards presented", January 22,
1973
- ^
The Irish Times, "Radio awards presented by O'Brien",
February 25, 1974
- ^
The Irish Times, "Jacob award marks return of Peggy Dell",
February 24, 1975
- ^
The Irish Times, "Taoiseach presents radio, television
awards", March 1, 1976
- ^
The Irish Times, "Critics honour 'Olives' and 'Riordans'",
May 16, 1977
- ^
The Irish Times, "Decision to drop 'Spike' was correct,
says Lynch", March 13,
1978
- ^
"Jacob's Awards' winners
(1979)". Look and Listen. RTÉ. 1979-03-23. https://stillslibrary.rte.ie/indexplus/result.html?_IXFIRST_=6&_IXSS_=_IXFIRST_%3d1%26_IXINITSR_%3dy%26%2524%253dtheskeys%3dy%26_IXACTION_%3dquery%26%253cphoto_taken_date_earliest%3d%26%2524%253dsort%253d%2524%3dsort%2bdescending%2b%2524relevance%26%2524%253dkv2%253d%2524%3d%26_IXMAXHITS_%3d10%26%253did_ref%3d%26%252asform%3d%252fweb%252fsearch_forms%252fadvanced%26%257bSINGLE%257drte_programme%3d%26%2524%253dkv3%253d%2524%3d%26%2524%253dkf1%253d%2524%3d%26%257bSIMPLE%257d%257bSINGLE%257dcollection%3d%26%257bSINGLE%257dcontent_people%3d%26%253ephoto_taken_date_latest%3d%26_IXSESSION_%3do_wwf0CUZX4%26%2524%253dkf2%253d%2524%3d%26%252aiexe%2bSECURITY_filter%3d%252e%26%2524%253dkf3%253d%2524%3d%26%2524%253dkv1%253d%2524%3d%26%2524%253ds%3dpeter%2bmcniff%26%257bUPPER%257drte_programmetype%3d%26_IXFPFX_%3dtemplates%252ft%26%2524%253dsi%3dtext%26text_search_context%3dPeter%2bMcniff&_IXACTION_=query&_IXMAXHITS_=1&_IXSR_=NRugIrsE0zh&_IXSPFX_=templates%2ft&_IXFPFX_=templates%2ft. Retrieved
2009-02-26.
- ^
The Irish Times, "Jacobs present awards", March 31,
1979
- ^
The Irish Times, "RTÉ asked to portray N.I. culture",
April 12, 1980
- ^
The Irish Times, "Gay Byrne wins award", April 3,
1982
- ^
The Irish Times, "Nealon pledges local radio", March 26,
1983
- ^
The Irish Times, "Derek Davis among 11 RTÉ award winners",
March 7, 1984
- ^
The Irish Times, "Taoiseach presents Jacob's Awards",
April 10, 1986
- ^
The Irish Times, "TV and radio awards presented", June 6,
1987
- ^
The Jacob's Awards were subject to erratic scheduling, and there
were no awards made between June 1987 and October 1988. The 1987
awards ceremony is deemed to relate primarily to 1986 and, as the
subsequent presentation covered programmes broadcast in 1988, no
awards are listed for 1987.
- ^
The Irish Times, "Jacob's Award for McAnally", October 17,
1988
- ^
The Irish Times, "'Worlds Apart' may not continue",
October 16, 1989
- ^
The Irish Times, "Jacob's awards presented", October 15,
1990
- ^
The Irish Times, "6 out of 7 can't be bad", November 11,
1991
- ^
The Irish Times, "Household Games", November 12, 1991
- ^
The Irish Times, "Duignan named as new press secretary",
February 18, 1992
- ^
The Irish Times, "Winners of radio and TV awards",
November 16, 1992
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