A tired and emotional John Kennedy emerged triumphantly from last night’s Irish Internet Association’s Net Visionary Awards, clutching the gong for Technology Journalist of the Year.
Silicon Republic’s senior reporter has been writing about Ireland’s long-standing relationship with all things IT since the mid-Nineties. He began his career with Computer Publications Group before doing a four-year stint at Business & Finance where he was technology editor.
Kennedy joined Silicon Republic in 2002 to become the fulcrum of the company’s news service as well as a regular lead feature writer for Digital Ireland. His value to the Silicon Republic team has long been appreciated, but the award demonstrates wider recognition from the IT industry for a journalist who has tracked the highs and lows of the sector with unquenchable enthusiasm.
Switching roles for a brief moment, Kennedy had only one comment for the press: “About bloody time!”
Other winners on the night included: Social Contribution, John Breslin, Boards.ie; Innovation, Eamonn and Brian Fallon, Daft.ie; eGovernment, Alan Kelly, Failte Ireland; Internet Marketer, Conor Lynch of RaboDirect; Web Design, Lisa Westermann, Red Sky; Web Developer, Kevin Gill of NewAddress.ie; Online Trader, Des O’Mahony of BookAssist.com; Educational Contribution, John Hurley and Michael Hallissy of Teach Net/Digital Hub; Internet Entrepreneur, Brian and Eamonn Fallon, Daft.ie; Mobile Internet Application, Barry O’Neill of Upstart Games; and finally the board of the Irish Internet Association voted Brendan Rice of Aer Lingus as the overall Net Visionary of 2005.
By Ian Campbell
