Nina Finn-Kelcey with her photograph taken at Castlemaine Harbour, Cromane, Co. Kerry entitled “Brent Geese at Dawn” placed in joint third place in the ‘Wildlife and the Coast’ category of the 2026 Clean Coasts Love Your Coast Photography Competition.A TOTAL of eight photos taken in Kerry were shortlisted for the 2026 Clean Coasts Love Your Coast Photography Competition, with three taking top three positions across two categories.
The winners of the competition were officially unveiled on Thursday last, by An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme at Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre.
Now in its 17th consecutive year, the Love Your Coast Photography Competition showcased the Irish Coast in all its brilliance at this engaging and impactful awards ceremony to honour the 2026 finalists.
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Paul Flynn came first place in the ‘People and the Coast’ category with his photograph “In for a Dip” taken at Inch Beach, Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry. This image beautifully captures a pair of swimmers braving the October chill for a dip at Inch Beach.
Paul Flynn came first place in the ‘People and the Coast’ category as part of the 2026 Clean Coasts Love Your Coast Photography Competition with his photograph “In for a Dip” taken at Inch Beach, Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry.“This shot was taken on blustery October day at Inch Beach, Co Kerry. We stopped for a walk on the beach and as we arrived a car pulled up on the beach and a couple jumped out. They quickly ran to the waters edge and went in for a dip. The sky was full of drama and I like the way the two figures in the water gave a sense of scale to the scene,” Paul said.
Stephen Dunbar placed second in the ‘Wildlife and the Coast’ category of the 2026 Clean Coasts Love Your Coast Photography Competition with his photograph “Humpback in Dingle” taken at Dingle Bay, Co. Kerry of a humpback whale’s tale breaching the water’s surface.Stephen Dunbar placed second in the ‘Wildlife and the Coast’ category with his photograph “Humpback in Dingle” taken at Dingle Bay, Co. Kerry showing a humpback whale’s tale breaching the water’s surface. “Watching Humpbacks from Slea Head, we also even had an orca aquarius that day from headland. Was able to join Nick on his boat to see if we can get tail fluke images so we could identity the individual for the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group catalogue. The image shows Humpback 131”, Stephen said.
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Nina Finn-Kelcey’s photograph taken at Castlemaine Harbour, Cromane, Co. Kerry.Nina Finn-Kelcey’s photograph taken at Castlemaine Harbour, Cromane, Co. Kerry entitled “Brent Geese at Dawn” placed in joint third place in the ‘Wildlife and the Coast’ category. Her photograph depicts a flock of brent geese flying low across the Atlantic Ocean in the winter mist below the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks rising in the background.
“I live in Cromane right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and every year in the autumn, hundreds of small, light-bellied, brent geese fly 3000km from the Arctic Circle to spend the winter in our field. I love to listen to their gentle bickering as they feed on sea grass at the edge of the water. At dawn, one winter morning, I finally got to capture a photo of these beautiful birds as they flew across mists rising over the hills under the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks,” Nina said.
A further five images taken in Kerry obtained places in the shortlist across four categories.
Peter O’Connor’s image “Silhouetted Skelligs” is a finalist in the ‘Coastal Landscape’ category of the Clean Coasts Love Your Coast Photography Competition 2026.Peter O’Connor’s image “Silhouetted Skelligs” is a finalist in the ‘Coastal Landscape’ category, which captured spectacular views of the Skellig Islands.
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Felix Sproll’s image “Ireland’s Highest Lakes” is a finalist in the ‘Source to Sea’ category of the Clean Coasts Love Your Coast Photography Competition 2026.Felix Sproll’s image “Ireland’s Highest Lakes” was named as a finalist in the ‘Source to Sea’ category. His image depicts the view of Carrauntoohil, Lough Callee and Lough Gouragh and the rest of Kerry right down to the sea, from a hiker’s viewpoint in the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks.
Piotr Machowczyk’s image “Like a Tree in the Wind” was a finalist in the ‘Source to Sea’ category of the Clean Coasts Love Your Coast Photography Competition 2026.Piotr Machowczyk’s image was also shortlisted in the ‘Source to Sea’ category. Entitled “Like a Tree in the Wind” this image shows the tidal rivers in Ballylongford, Co. Kerry resembling a tree in the wind.
Bernard Patrick Fitzgerald is a finalist in the ‘People and the Coast’ category of the Clean Coasts Love Your Coast Photography Competition 2026Continued below…
Bernard Patrick Fitzgerald was a finalist in the ‘People and the Coast’ category with his image “Brandon Bay Run”. The image captures runners taking part in the Brandon Bay Run on Maharees Beach, Co. Kerry.
Steve Byrne’s photo taken in the Dingle Peninsula.Steve Byrne’s photo was a finalist in the ‘Wildlife and the Coast’ category, “Mother and Baby Dolphin” captures a dolphin and their young calf peacefully swimming together in the waters around the Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry.
This year over 390 photographers entered a total of 1,101 photographs in the hopes of achieving a place in the top three in one of the five categories, a shot at the coveted title of Photographer of the Year, the chance to have their images published in a national newspaper and of course a share of the €5,000 prize fund.
