Brendan Hoban, writer and broadcaster, is a regular contributor to the ptint and electronic media at local and national level and contributes widely to a number of journals and periodicals on Church affairs.

His weekly column for the Western People started in 1980, almost 45 years ago and in September 2024 he was awarded Columnist of the Year in the Local Ireland Media Awards 2023/24.

The judges' citation reads: "For almost 45 years, in his Just A Thought column, Brendan Hoban has challenged the conscience of a nation, compelling us to confront our responses to key issues of our time, including gender-based violence, climate change and the rise of racism. This contribution to local and national audiences is authoritave, without being didactic. He takes his readers on journeys into the darkest corners and the redeeming lights of our human experience".

A priest of the diocese of Killala, he now lives in retirement in Ballina.