Radio & Podcasting Course - Ballyfermot FET College
Ballyfermot Radio, Podcasting, Producing & Presenting Course Winners at IMRO National Radio Awards 2026
Ballyfermot College's Radio, Podcasting, Producing & Presenting Course Continues Strong Industry Track Record at IMRO Radio Awards 2026
Former students of Ballyfermot College's Radio, Podcasting, Producing & Presenting course featured prominently among the winners at this year's IMRO Radio Awards, held on Friday 2nd October 2026, the leading awards in Irish radio broadcasting.
One Class, Three Friends, Three Winners
One class in Ballyfermot College brought three friends together: Brendan O'Loughlin, Emma Carroll and Gavin Ward, who all started out in the same Radio Producing and Presenting class. They studied together, went off into radio together, and on the night they became three winners at the IMRO Radio Awards, the biggest night in Irish radio.
Brendan O'Loughlin, presenter with 98FM's Big Breakfast with Rebecca & Brendan, was among the winners in the Breakfast Programme category. Every weekday morning he's one of the voices getting Dublin up and out of bed, and this win is a brilliant recognition of one of the most familiar voices on Dublin radio. Huge congratulations, Brendan.
Emma Carroll, a Ballyfermot College Radio Producing and Presenting graduate, is a series producer of Newstalk's "Off The Ball", which shared in that programme's win in the Sports Programme category. Working at the very top of Irish sports radio, Emma is part of a winning team. Huge congratulations, Emma.
Gavin Ward, the Bauer Group Music Content Editor and a Ballyfermot College Radio Producing and Presenting graduate, had an extraordinary night. SPIN 1038 took Gold for Music Station of the Year, and as the person who shapes the music across Bauer's stations, Gavin was the driving force behind it. Many colleagues across SPIN 1038 and Bauer Media Audio Ireland contributed to the result, but this is an award that leads straight back to Gavin.
And it didn't stop there. 98FM took Silver and iRadio took Bronze, so Gold, Silver and Bronze all went to Bauer stations, and all three are stations Gavin has control over. He won the Gold, the Silver and the Bronze. That's something to be really proud of. Huge congratulations, Gavin.
Michaela Hayes of SPIN 1038 was a winner in the Radio Station Podcast of the Year category for "Mi Casa, Su Casa – A Love Island Podcast," a show that landed a scoop which made national media across Ireland and the UK. Michaela regularly returns to the course to run workshops teaching students how to be DJs and presenters, and a number of students who came through those workshops have gone on to work on SPIN 1038 as well as other stations across the Bauer Media Group and elsewhere. Huge congratulations, Michaela.
Keith Cunningham of RedFM Breakfast with KC was a winner for "Coffee Shop Rave" in the Community/Social Action category. Huge congratulations, Keith.
Francie Boylan, formerly a presenter of RTÉ's DEN TV, was a winner with Ocean FM in the Sustainability category for "What The Woods Told Me." Huge congratulations, Francie.
Matthew Mathews was nominated for the Gay Byrne Newcomer of the Year award while still a student at the college. He has since gone straight up to a nomination for Overall Radio DJ of the Year, a remarkable step and one that shows how quickly he is making his mark on Irish radio. Huge congratulations on the nomination, Matthew.
Molly Coleman produced the Niall Boylan Talk Show on Ireland's Classic Hits Radio while still studying radio in Ballyfermot College. Molly went on to win a gold award for her show Alternative Ireland at the Craol Awards, held a few months ago, and has just this week taken up a new role with Newstalk. Huge congratulations to Molly.
Congratulations to the senior producers Helena O’Toole and Claire Darmody for The Claire Byrne Show. Their creativity, dedication and quality of their work is a driving force behind the strength of Bauer Media Audio Ireland’s output.
About the Course Ballyfermot College's Radio, Podcasting, Producing & Presenting course trains students for careers in radio broadcasting, media production, podcasting, journalism, and on-air presenting.
The programme covers studio production, podcast production, on-air presenting, radio documentary making, media analysis, and the practical realities of working in a radio station or production company, from scheduling and content approval to health and safety on a broadcast floor.
Students also have the opportunity to go on Erasmus placements to music, talk and news stations across Europe, including in Marbella, Alicante, Finland, Malta, and other locations.
For anyone drawn to radio production, broadcasting, journalism, presenting, or media courses more generally, this is where that career path begins.
Students leave with real studio experience and genuine industry contacts, and go on to work across stations and platforms including RTE Radio 1, 2FM, RTE TV, Newstalk, 98FM, SPIN 1038, Today FM, FM104, Ireland's Classic Hits Radio, NOVA, Sunshine, Q102, East Coast Radio, KFM, LMFM, iRadio, Spirit Radio, Radio Maria, Midlands Radio 3, Dublin South FM, Liffey Sound FM, Nearfm, 92.5, Phoenix FM, Together FM, Dublin City FM, Raidió na Life, in roles spanning presenting, producing, podcast production and radio journalism.
Radio, Podcasting, Producing & Presenting students receive their own Portable Recorder and Accessories Kit Podcasting Studio Home Kit Full Membership to ACAST podcasting Adobe full suite package membership. Work placement in radio stations. Erasmus opportunities Fully Funded in Radio stations in Finland, Malta & Spain with spending money. Ongoing job offers, guest lectures and workshops.
Entry Requirements No portfolio required. Leaving Certificate / LCVP minimum of two H5 / O1 and three O6 / H7 grades or equivalent. QQI Level 5 award with a merit profile or BTEC National Diploma with a merit profile. Academic entry requirements may be waived for mature applicants (21+).
Contact Course Coordinator Bernard Evans [email protected] Direct line +353 (1) 629 8501
