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# Home and Away
From Doolin to Bali: Check out these breathtaking shots from Irish photographers
From a low springtime sun over a Clare village, to burnished sandscapes MUCH further afield…
HOLIDAY COMPANY TOPFLIGHT has been searching for Ireland’s top travel photographers.
And they haven’t been disappointed.
There were over 4,000 entries to the company’s Travel Photographer of the Year competition.
24 were picked to be exhibited in the Gallery of Photography in Dublin’s Temple Bar until the end of this month.
Five of the 24 shortlisted photos were taken in Ireland, and here they are…
This image captures the picturesque village of Doolin, Co Clare in all its glory. Seán Haughton’s photo of his home village scooped joint-second place.
“I had been hoping to get this particular photo for some time,” said Seán. “The window of opportunity is small due to the sun’s location at this time of year. But on St Patrick’s Day 2016 everything came together perfectly.”
Ian Hennessy snapped this puffin in the Saltee Islands, off the coast of Wexford.
He visits the islands every year, he said – but this particular photo was taken in July 2015, when the puffins were flying in with their beaks full of fish to feed their young.
Another shot from the Saltee Islands that caught the judges’ attention was Andy McDonnell’s Gannets Playtime.
Andy took the photo in June 2010 and said that the two birds played with the feather for several minutes, unaware that they were being watched.
Martin Molloy captured this ethereal photo of Ballyalla Lake, just a short drive from Ennis, Co Clare.
The lake is located on the River Fergus and is often used for fishing and water-sports.
Gerry Enright captured this photo of what he describes as “three old pals having a dip on holiday in South Kerry”.
The rest of the top 10 short-listed photographs from around the world were also taken by Irish photographers…
Declan Keane, from Co Louth, was awarded first prize for his photo Stars Over Manarola.
The image captures the small fishing village of Manarola at night.
Shiva Sreenivasan captured this shot while on holidays in Trinidad and Tobago in December 2015.
The subject of the portrait was a vendor known locally as “Horsey” who was selling aloe vera massages.
“This photo depicts a young boy desperately collecting rain water in Stonetown, Zanibar” said photographer Robert O’Neill. The photo was taken at the start of the rainy season, after months with little rain.
“Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice, the reflection of the sunset against the icebergs resembles fire at a first glance” explained photographer Jason Keelan.
He took the photo in Iceland in April 2015.
Ger Power took this photo in August 2014 during a trip to Morocco. He came across a young woman observing a pre-wedding ritual of a bull being slaughtered and a crowd marking themselves with the blood.
This photo captures Brian Barry’s journey through the Sahara Desert on camelback. It was taken during Barry’s trip to Morocco in 2015.
This photograph of a Balinese lady working in a shack was taken in Balangan Beach on the Indonesian island.
“She had the look of someone who has seen a lot over the years” said Davey.
Read: The beauty of cities captured in a moment – The best National Geographic photos of 2016
Read: Look at these stunning images that capture Ireland in its glory – all taken by amateurs
