Picture perfect, as Donegal photos make a splash in national contest

Two maritime photographs taken in Donegal have been highly commended in the 2026 Clean Coasts ‘Love Your Coast’ national photography competition.

The winners of the 2026 Love Your Coast contest were officially unveiled on Thursday, July 16th, by An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme at Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre.

Amateur photographers from across the country submitted over 1,100 photographs this year in the hope of achieving a coveted place among the final shortlist and ultimately to place in the top three of five distinct categories.

Celebrating the breathtaking beauty of Ireland’s coast and waterways, this year’s Clean Coasts photography competition encouraged photographers to consider the 2026 theme of ‘Impact’ when snapping their photos.

This year, Cork photographer Chris Martin’s photograph, ‘A Bit of a Pinch’, took home the top prize as overall winner of the Clean Coasts 2026 Love Your Coast photography competition.

Stewart Andrews was named a finalist in the ‘People and the Coast’ category for his image ‘Submarine at 90 metres’, taken 36 Nautical Miles North of Malin Head.

His striking image depicts divers visiting the wreck of the WWI British submarine HMS D6 off the Donegal coast.

“The British submarine HMS D6 is a very special wreck to dive – and it goes without saying that a diver needs years of specialised training to utilise closed circuit rebreathers and use trimix (including helium) to go to 90 metres,” Stewart said about his capture.

“The wreck came about as a result of a failed mission to sink a German U-boat in WWI and is an extremely rare sub-on-sub action. The ‘people’ part of this image, in ‘People and the Coast’, to me, are not just the divers in the image but the 24 unseen sailors who lost their lives defending Europe,” added Stewart.

Meanwhile, Michael Flanagan made the final in the ‘Source to Sea’ category with his image ‘Abandoned Trawler Sabrina’, which beautifully illustrates the abandoned trawler, Sabrina, in Milford, Co. Donegal.

“When I visited Mulroy Bay, Milford, to see the abandoned trawler named Sabrina, I spent a little time absorbing the loneliness and sadness of what was once a beautiful boat in its day. With the incoming tide gradually sneaking around the boat, giving lovely reflections and life all around,” Michael explained.

Tim Nuttall of the Department of Climate Energy and the Environment said: “The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment is proud to be part of An Taisce’s Love Your Coast photography competition, which features as one of the annual highlights of their Clean Coasts programme. The message of caring for our marine environment, along with the high-quality images themselves, which showcase the enormous range of marine biodiversity and seascapes, is one which we are more than happy to support.”

Bronagh Moore, Clean Coasts Programme Manager, added: “Every year we are reminded of how many talented and creative photographers we have nationwide, capturing incredible images of our beautiful island. We are so grateful and privileged to have them share their passion with us and, in turn, showcase Ireland’s stunning coast, waterways, and wildlife.”