A DOCUMENTARY FROM North Mayo has overcome strong competition to take home a top prize awarded by a prestigious European programme competition.

An Píopa (The Pipe) won in the Best Documentary category at Circom at a  meeting in Frederikstad, Norway, this weekend.

Circom, the European-wide federation of regional television broadcasters, has a membership of over 300 television stations spread across 38 states. Its programme competition aims to identify the “best and most original work” from its members, and is one of Europe’s most prestigious and keenly contested awards.

The documentary, directed Risteárd Ó Domhnaill, was commissioned by TG4 with funding from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and the Irish Film Board. It had previously taken the Best Documentary category at Circom and, this weekend, was also awarded the Grand Prix – the overall winner prize.

The film chronicles the story of the small community of Rossport, Co Mayo,  some of whom have taken on the might of Shell Oil and the Irish authorities.

The Pipe has won several other accolades after being released in December of last year, including the prestigious Audience Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary at the 2010 Galway Film Fleadh,  Documentary category at the 2011 Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTA) and Best Factual Documentary at last month’s Celtic Media Festival 2011 held in Scotland.

The documentary will be broadcast on TG4 on Saturday 14 May at 8.10pm.