WLR presenter Damien Tiernan has been shortlisted for three national IMRO Radio Awards, continuing an outstanding run of recognition for both Damien and Déise Today.
Now in his seventh year with WLR, Damien has been named among the finalists for Speech Broadcaster of the Year, one of the most prestigious individual awards in Irish radio.
Déise Today has also been shortlisted for Current Affairs Programme of the Year for its special programme on the fuel crisis, which examined the impact of rising fuel costs and pressures on households, businesses and communities across Waterford.
A third nomination comes in the Interactive Speech Programme category for a special Déise Today live outside broadcast from Tramore, which focused on the controversial Tramore Active Travel plans and brought the programme directly into the community to hear from local residents, businesses and those involved in the debate.
The three nominations add to an exceptional record of national recognition for Damien since joining WLR from RTÉ.
He won Gold for Speech Broadcaster of the Year in both 2020 and 2021, as well as Silver for News Reporter of the Year in 2020 and Silver for Speech Broadcaster of the Year in 2022.
Déise Today has also enjoyed major success at the awards, winning Gold for Current Affairs Programme of the Year in 2020 and 2023, along with Silver in the category in 2021.
Damien has also been at the heart of several other award-winning WLR productions, including the Climate Change Special, which won Gold for Specialist Speech Programme in 2022, while WLR’s School Autism Places coverage won Gold for Community/Social Action Programme of the Year in 2025.
WLR CEO Michael Byrne said the latest nominations reflected the consistently high standard of Damien’s broadcasting and the work of the wider Déise Today team.
“Damien has set an exceptionally high standard since joining WLR seven years ago. What makes him such a strong broadcaster is his ability to handle the biggest and most difficult stories while always keeping the people of Waterford at the centre of the programme.
“Déise Today is local radio at its very best. It can move from a major current affairs story to taking the programme out into a community and giving people a genuine opportunity to have their say. These three nominations recognise Damien’s broadcasting excellence, but also the work that goes on every day across the Déise Today, news, production and technical teams at WLR.
“Damien has already won some of the biggest awards in Irish radio, but to continue being recognised nationally year after year says a huge amount about the standard he continues to deliver.”
The IMRO Radio Awards recognise excellence across Irish broadcasting, with entries judged by industry professionals from across the island of Ireland.
The winners of the 2026 awards will be announced at the IMRO Radio Awards ceremony at the Lyrath Estate in Kilkenny on Friday, October 2nd.
Déise Today on WLR is brought to you by EirGrid and produced by Editor, Jennifer Long.
