Pat McArt honoured for 'contribution and commitment to journalism'

Letterkenny native Pat McArt, the former editor of the Derry Journal, was accorded with a Civic Reception on Wednesday night.

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Sandra Duffy, hosted the function at the Guildhall.

Mr McArt was honoured for his contribution and commitment to journalism in the city and district.

He joined the Derry Journal in 1981 and worked for the paper until his retirement in 2014.

Living in  Burt, he helped to strengthen the Journal’s presence in Inishowen and he steered the paper through some of the darkest days of the Troubles.

Pat was joined by his wife Rosie, family members and former colleagues for the function.

In 2022, writing about the 250th anniversary of the inception of the Derry Journal, Pat said that the Troubles ‘did totally over-shadow my entire editorship’.

He wrote: “And I am not going to gloss over it and say they were the good old days – they weren’t. They were tough, they were demanding and many were the nights I lay awake into the wee small hours worrying.

“But here’s the thing: Would I do it all again? Absolutely, in a heartbeat….”

He also recalled how, during his time as editor, Journal ‘provided the grounding for some truly wonderful journalists many of whom later went on to become household names locally’, including the likes of the BBC’s Martin McGinley, Keiron Tourish, Paul McCauley, Dessie McCallion, Garbhan Downey and Joe Doran, UTV’s Mark McFadden, the Irish Times’ Freya McClements’.

He now writes a column for the Mirror and has been hosting a podcast with Jude Collins for several years.