The intention of Irish Examiner Readers’ Photography Competition was to promote and encourage the readers with a passion for Photography; to give them a forum where their work can be expressed and shown to a wide audience, and to reward them for their talents. 

That same ethos prevails today, said Jim Coughlan, Visual Media Manager, Irish Examiner. With the introduction of smartphones and affordable high-end cameras, anyone who loves photography has the technology available to take great images without breaking the bank. Of course, the technology and equipment is only half the battle when taking a really stunning photograph. It is all about creativity, dedication, hard work, patience and many attempts too.

The Irish Examiner received over 3,700 entries for this year competition. Each one a testament to the great talent they had for photography in Ireland. The overall winner of this year gets €1000 and €250 goes to each of the two runners-up.

Overall Winner:

John Mulvany’s photograph was the overall winner who captures a lightning storm over the 12 Bens in Connemara in Galway. He took the photo on June 14 2020. Mr Mulvany snapped this mesmerizing image on Truska beach while facing north-west.
He had travelled from his home in Dublin to Connemara for a staycation just as the first lockdown was lifted. He says the picture was ‘pure chance’. You could just see the storm rolling on over the mountains; I just set the camera up and let it go.

Runner Up-1:

Nuala Corkery from Killorglin in Kerry is one of our two runners-up. She was out for a walk and snapped a rower surrounded by clouds, which were a reflection on the River Laune, in Killorglin in Kerry. “I think I took the picture last June. We have a good rowing club here. Two of the girls in the club will compete in the Olympics.”

Ms Corkery is speaking of Monika Dukarska and Aileen Crowley, who qualified to compete in the Women’s Pair in the Tokyo Olympics, which was supposed to take place in 2020. Ms Corkery says she spends a lot of time in the area, walking her dog and her ‘grand dog’, which is her daughter’s dog.

If I get a decent photograph, it’s an accident. I was lucky this time around. I am sure I had lots of competition too, she said.

Runner Up-2:

The another runner-up in the competition was William O’Reilly from Carron in County Clare. His winning image depicts the Clare Ladies footballer Niamh O’Dea with Laois’s Clodagh Dunne, in the LGFA Intermediate Football Championship.

Mr O’Reilly says getting the picture was ‘pure luck’. It’s not what normally happens, I just clicked at the right time. Mr O’Reilly says he would often take photos of local matches, and his daughter used to play for the Burren Gaels Ladies Football Club.

Announcement:

The Irish Examiner team announced the 2021 Readers Photography Competition; it is now open and ready for entries. To enter and submit your photographs, Photos.irishexaminer.com