A stunning shot of the dazzling fireworks display that lit up the night sky at this year’s Riverfest has claimed the inaugural Limerick in Focus amateur photographic competition.
A stunning shot of the dazzling fireworks display that lit up the night sky at this year’s Riverfest has claimed the inaugural Limerick in Focus amateur photographic competition.
Run by Whelan Cameras in association with Canon Ireland, Limerick City and County Council and Scouting Ireland, the competition was held as part of the Limerick 2020 European Capital of Culture bid process.
Entries were sought from photographs from across the Limerick St. Patrick’s Festival in March, the Operation Lelievlet/Scouting Ireland launch in April and the May bank holiday weekend Riverfest, and didn’t disappoint.
The winning photo was Nick McDonogh’s magically colourful shot from the Riverfest fireworks display at King John’s Castle, catching the reflection off the River Shannon and a spread of colours, from blue to magenta, in the night sky.
Nick walks away with a cash prize, with second place going to David Hayes for his black and white portrait of a face-painted child at the Limerick St. Patrick’s Day Parade and third to Alankriti Bajpai for her stunning perspective from her seat on a chain carousel running at top speed.
Photographic submissions were invited from the public, camera clubs and all third level photographic courses, with the cash prizes presented by Canon Ireland last week.
Commenting on the competition, Bryan Moore from Whelan’s Cameras said: “This inaugural competition was a huge success and illustrated some amazing amateur photographic talent. We were blown away with the standard of entries and it was one incredibly enjoyable competition to host. I would also like to thank the co-sponsors Canon Ireland for their role in judging this event.
Said Laura Ryan, Head of Communications/Marketing with Limerick City and County Council, “We were delighted to be involved with this competition. Competitors were asked to capture photos from a number of key cultural events in the city in the build-up to our Limerick 2020 bid and the entries did the competition and, indeed, the 2020 bid justice.
“As we enter the final stages of our bid to become European Capital of Culture 2020, we’re thrilled to be able to showcase these stunning images of our festivals, and key cultural aspects of our city on Limerick.ie and congratulations to all the winners in this inaugural event.”
The winning and highly commended images can be viewed at www.limerick.ie/limerick-in-focus.
