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DUBLIN PHOTOGRAPHER MARIA Quigley has been named the overall winner of the 16th Clean Coasts photography competition.
Titled ‘Embrace the Water’, the photograph was taken in Dalkey and won Quigley both the overall title of photographer of the year in the competition and first place in the Connecting with the Coast category.
The photograph of a man called Bobby was taken at sunrise on a “freezing January morning” at Coliemore Harbour in Dublin, and is said to immortalise “a moment that radiates both the sting of cold and the calm release of a daily ritual”.
Quigley said of the photograph: “I took this photo on 9 January 2025, when the sea was 7°C and ice covered the slipway.
“Bobby swims daily in the morning time all year round, usually at Coliemore Harbour, his favourite spot. He says that missing a swim ruins his day. I was lucky to take the photo as the sun was rising at that time.”
This year, over 560 photographers entered a total of 1,178 photos.
The five categories this year focused on showcasing the “interconnectedness of Ireland’s waterways and how people, place and nature all connect with our vital blue spaces, be it by the beach, lake, or river.”
Sean Bruen’s photo ‘Balbriggan Lighthouse Blowing a Gale’ came first place in the ‘Coastal Landscape’ category, capturing one of the iconic storms experienced in January of this year at the Lighthouse in Balbriggan.
Helen Black’s Photo ‘Let there be Light’, taken in Glendasan in Co Wicklow, came first place in the Source to Sea Category.
Mark O’Leary’s image entitled ‘The Giants’ took first place in the ‘Underwater Category’, which captured Basking Sharks quietly passing by at Loop Head in Clare.
Tom Ormond’s photo ‘Humpback Whale’ came in first place in the ‘Wildlife and the Coast’ category, taken at Donegal Bay. It is a rare capture of the marine mammals at sunset.
Clean Coasts, which is part of An Taisce, is supported by local authorities around the country to keep Ireland’s coastline free of litter
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