One overall winner and three runners-up have been selected in the ‘My Favourite Waterbody’ national photography competition that was run as part of the River Basin Management Service’s (formerly Local Authority Waters Programme) World Water Day celebrations.
The overall competition winner is Mark O’Connor, from Cliffoney in Co. Sligo for his photo of a humpback whale in Donegal Bay. Mark claims the top prize of a €550 voucher for Sheen Falls Lodge in Co. Kerry along with a framed print of his winning photo.
Limerick resident William Murphy’s photo of Beeves Rock lighthouse in the Shannon Estuary claimed a runners-up prize of a framed print of the photo. Other prize winners were:
Kevin Jones, with his photo of Lough Neagh in Co. Derry
Andrew Keane, with his photo of the River Nore, in Inistioge, Co. Kilkenny
From the 630 photographs submitted to the competition, an internal panel of staff from the River Basin Management Service selected a shortlist. The shortlisted entries were then judged by broadcaster and journalist Ella McSweeney, who was joined on the judging panel by Aisling O’Connor, a sixth-year student from County Limerick and an Irish Schools Sustainability Network Ambassador.
Speaking about the photo competition, judges Ella and Aisling said: “This year’s competition produced such an impressive and beautiful body of work showing just how lived-in and loved our rivers, streams, lakes and estuaries are around Ireland. The standard was high throughout, from technical confidence – balancing light, water and structure – to the more intimate images that found beauty in stillness, detail and serenity.
What unites them is a strong sense of relationship rather than mere observation.
Competitions like this build a constituency of care. When people spend time looking closely at a river, lake or estuary in order to capture it in a photograph, they become more attuned to its health, its changes, and what is at risk. It’s hard to love a place you’ve seen and not want to protect it, and if this competition nudges us to take a closer interest in our waterways, then it has done something valuable.”
On William’s photo of Beeves Rock lighthouse, the judges remarked: “Beeves Rock lighthouse sits alone in the middle of the mighty Shannon Estuary as the sun burns low on the horizon and floods the water with copper and gold. A vessel moves distantly in the background – evidence of human industry in a frame otherwise given over entirely to light and water.
The Shannon is woven into the Irish imagination as few rivers are – it is ancient, vast and carries the weight of history in its current – and this image honours that scale.
The lighthouse, lit from within as the sky burns bright around it, is both precise and quietly poetic: something built by human hands, holding its position against the immensity of the natural estuary. We owe our existence to the Shannon – the water of life.
This image is composed with confidence and technical accomplishment.”
Anthony Coleman, Director of Services at the River Basin Management Service said: “We are delighted to announce the winners of the ‘My Favourite Waterbody’ photo competition, which was launched in March as part of our World Water Day celebrations. We would like to thank all of the participants in the competition and congratulate our overall winner and three runners-up. The winning photographs captured not only the scenic splendour of Ireland’s waters but also the deep personal connections people have with these special places, highlighting the sense of tranquillity, enjoyment and wellbeing they provide and reminding us of the importance of protecting these environments for future generations.”
Winning and shortlisted photos will be featured in the River Basin Management Service 2027 calendar and winners will receive a calendar later in the year in addition to their framed photographs.
‘My Favourite Waterbody’ is a national photography competition celebrating the country’s rivers, streams, lakes, and coastal waters.
For more information on the work of the River Basin Management Service click here.
