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Peter Vandermeersch came first in the ‘Coastal Landscape’ category as part of the the 2023 Clean Coasts Love Your Coast photography competition with his beautfiful image ‘Horizon', taken in Bray, County Wicklow.
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FIRST PLACE 

COASTAL LANDSCAPE

Horizon

Bray

I’ve taken this picture in Bray, a late afternoon. Passing the little hut I did notice that the horizon was perfectly going ‘through’ the man made construction, while the canoe at the right was adding the perfect visual accent which the picture needs.

PHOTOGRAPHER: PETER VANDERMEERSCH

Piotr Machowczyk's image ‘Kilfarrasy Winter Session’ came second in ‘Coastal Landscape’ in this year's Clean Coasts LYC photo competition; it captures a dramatic sunset at the beach at Kilfarrasy, Co Waterford.

SECOND PLACE

COASTAL LANDSCAPE

Kilfarrasy Winter Session

Kilfarrasy, Co Waterford

Located in Co Waterford, Kilfarrasy Beach is a popular beach with golden sand, and a remarkable amount of cliffs inland that shelter the sand. The cliffs are really old (about 460 million years!). On both sides of the beach, there are bizarre formations and a rock island that attracts a lot of attention. I have visited this beach and rock formations many times, which inspire many photographers, including me, but I have never managed to take a photo there that I would be happy with. Therefore, the topic remained open and I tried my luck in this location once again. As you can see, my persistence was finally rewarded with a dramatic sunset that perfectly emphasized the atmosphere of this place.

PHOTOGRAPHER: PIOTR MACHOWCZYK

Peter Bijsterveld came third in this year's ‘Coastal Landscape’ category with this image, ‘Oyster Beds in the Morning’, capturing the large, flat beach at Woodstown Beach in Co Waterford.

THIRD PLACE

COASTAL LANDSCAPE

Oyster Beds in the Morning

Woodstown beach, Waterford

Woodstown Beach is a long sandy beach surrounded by private woodlands and located in the county of Waterford. It is a tidal beach which extends out around a kilometre at low tide, exposing a large and flat beach. It is perfect for oyster farming
Woodstock Beach is also very popular with families and is ideal for picnics and long walks. This picture was taken in a morning where the low tide and the sunrise were at the same time where the oyster bed make a beautiful point of interest.

PHOTOGRAPHER: PETER BIJSTERVELD

Adrian Hendroff was a finalist in the ‘Coastal Landscape’ category inn the 2023 Clean Coasts LYC photo competition. His image, ‘Sea, Cliffs and Stars’, was taken at The Cliffs of Moher, Co Clare.

Sea, Cliffs and Stars

Cliffs of Moher, Co Clare

Formed over 300 million years ago and rising straight up from the Atlantic for some 213m (700 feet), the Cliffs of Moher offers spectacular vistas along the Clare coastline and of the Aran Islands. I like it here at sunset when the crowds disperse, but at nightfall, the place takes on a special aura. No human voices, just waves crashing against the sandstone cliffs far below. One evening, I arrived to shoot the milky way. What bliss ... with just a soft breeze brushing against my forehead. I shot the foreground during the nautical twilight, to give it a warm, natural feel. Then slowly but surely, the dark canvas of the night sky was filled with millions of twinkling stars before the milky way edged into view from behind the cliffs. There was some green airglow too, which added to the beauty of the sky that night.

PHOTOGRAPHER: ADRIAN HENDROFF

Conor Corbett's beautiful image ‘Winter at Glassilaun Beach, Co Galway’ was taken at Glassilaun Beach, Co Galway; a finalist in the ‘Coastal Landscape’ category.

Winter at Glassilaun Beach. CoGalway

Glassilaun Beach, Co Galway

Glassilaun Beach is situated at the mouth of the Killary Fjord in the Connemara region of Galway. I had stumbled across this location by chance on a cold December day. The sun hadn’t quite set yet and low cloud was rolling in along the mountains. It was a real treat to capture this scene and one that I will no doubt visit again.

PHOTOGRAPHER: CONOR CORBETT

Myles Lambert's image ‘What Once Was’ captures the beauty of the early morning light in Connemara, Co Galway; a finalist in the ‘Coastal Landscape’ category.

What Once Was

Connemara, Co Galway

This image was shot close to Derreennawinshin near Silverstrand Beach Co Mayo on an August morning as the day began to warm up . Despite living all my life in Wexford for very many reasons my heart is firmly set in the West Of Ireland . The pace of life , the people , the welcome and the stunning rugged coastline make the West what it is .. From West Cork to Sligo and beyond - the photographic opportunities on any given day , Rain Hail or Shine you will find in these parts are incredible .. This image for me spoke volumes, which is why the title  " What Once Was " felt very apt. It was once a family home , a place of warmth and shelter , no doubt many a story of legends of the past were told here over a big turf fire. Despite the hard work from the land or the sea or both- it was at one time called Home ........

PHOTOGRAPHER: MYLES LAMBERT

Rob Plant's image ‘Waiting for the Tide’ captures beautiful patterns and colours at low tide at River Scorid entering Fermoyle Strand in Castlegregory, Co Kerry; a finalist in the ‘Coastal Landscape’ category.

Waiting for the Tide

River Scorid entering Fermoyle Strand, Castlegregory, Co Kerry

Some of the most beautiful coastal vistas are revealed by the shift of perspective that a drone offers. Here the patterns and colours as the Scorid River enters the sea at low tide are revealed by a bird's eye perspective, with two stranded boats dwarfed by the aerial viewpoint. 

PHOTOGRAPHER: ROB PLANT

Darragh Gorman was a finalist in the  ‘Coastal Landscape’ category of LYC 2023 with this striking image, capturing a remote beach as ‘Electric Sea’, taken at Donegal Bay, Co Donegal.

Electric Sea

Donegal Bay

Midsummer lightning storm over Donegal bay, looking North from Bundoran. This storm was absolutely amazing to witness I have never seen anything like it before or since. I was amazed when I saw the whole sky lit up with this huge fork of lighting and couldn’t believe my luck that I had managed to capture it on camera.

PHOTOGRAPHER: DARRAGH GORMAN

Darragh Gorman was also shortlisted in LYC's ‘Coastal Landscape’ category with ‘Northern Delight’, featuring a storm at Cliffoney Bay, Co  Sligo.

Northern Delight

Cliffoney Bay, Co Sligo

Heading to a remote beach at 1 a.m. in the winter isn't common, but when it's for a chance to see the Northern Lights, you go all out. I left home at 8 p.m., lugging heavy camera gear, and didn't get back until 4 a.m. It was crazy cold, and I had to walk forever. But I'm looking forward to the next time I can catch that incredible sight.

PHOTOGRAPHER: DARRAGH GORMAN

Zhi Jun Jin's image ‘Bád Eddie’ was taken at Bunbeg, Co Donegal; ; a finalist in the ‘Coastal Landscape’ category. The famous Bád Eddie shipwreck was named after the man who owned it.

Bad Eddie

Bunbeg, Co Donegal

The famous Bád Eddie shipwreck on below Errigal mountain on the beautiful coastline of Bunbeg, Co Donegal. Bád Eddie lies on Bunbeg's Magheraclogher beach, in Gaoth Dobhair (Gweedore), an Irish speaking area of the Republic of Ireland. Built in Brittany, France and originally named Ami Des Flots (Friend of the Waves), it was renamed Cara na Mara (Friend of the Sea), and later became known as Bád Eddie (Eddie's Boat) after the man who owned it. It came ashore for minor repairs in 1977 and has been stranded there ever since.

PHOTOGRAPHER: ZHI JUN JIN