In pictures: Donegal shows well at the Love Your Coast Photography Competition

An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme has announced the winning photographers of the 15th edition of the Love Your Coast photography competition, held in Richmond Barracks, Dublin. Please click on the arrows to see the Donegal entrants

With a prize fund of €5000, the competition has attracted hundreds of amateur photographers from around Ireland this year, each with their own unique way of capturing stunning photographs of Ireland’s beautiful coastline.

William Murphy won the overall ‘Photographer of the Year’ title as well as first place in the ‘People and the Coast’ category in the Clean Coasts 2024 Love Your Coast photography competition with his photo ‘An Fear Marbh agus an Fear ag eitilt’, taken at Slea Head Drive, Dingle, Co Kerry.

In Donegal, Gail Park’s photo “The Secret Fort by the Sea” taken in Portnoo, came in second place in the 'Heritage on the Coast' category as part of the 2024 Clean Coasts Love Your Coast Photography Competition.

"The Secret Fort by the Sea" captures Doon Fort on a calm December evening. Gail said about her photo, “Taken in late December, the setting sun lighting up the brown and red shrubs complimented with no wind, this was the most idyllic evening to capture Doon Fort. With Croagh Head and Aranmore Island sitting in the Atlantic behind it, it’s hidden away and not signposted on account of it being surrounded fully by private lands. As a result, this photo required my DJI Mini2 drone.”

Other shortlisted photos from Donegal included John Seager, “Stranded” taken at Marble Hill Strand, in the Coastal Landscape Category. Pawel Zygmunt, with “The Lighthouse”, taken at Fanad Head, in the Heritage on the Coast category. Sinead Mc Cahey, with “Mulroy Bouquet”, Woodquarter Mulroy Bay, in the Underwater Category, and Stephen Dunbar, with “The Corncrake”, taken at Tory Island. In the People and the Coast category, two shirtlisted photos were taken in Donegal, these were, Megan Gayda, with “Into the Vortex”, taken in Donegal Bay, and Aaron Van Haaster, with “Reading by the Coast”, taken at Tullan Strand, Bundoran.