'Irish Examiner' photographers honoured at press awards ceremony in Dublin

Pictures of the International Draghunt in Watergrasshill, Co. Cork taken by Irish Examiner photographer Dan Linehan.

Irish Examiner photographers have scooped two prizes at the prestigious AIB Press Photographers of the Year awards in Dublin.

Veteran staff photographer Dan Linehan won the inaugural Irish Country Life Award for his image ‘Authority triumphs at Watergrasshill’, which captured the owners and participants of an international draghunt in Watergrasshill in Cork. Judges said it encapsulates “an aspect of country life not often seen”.

His colleague, Chani Anderson, won second prize in the multimedia category for her short film The Toy Collectors,which explored three of Cork’s largest private toy collections.

That category was won by Bryan O’Brien of the Irish Times for his short film, A Good Dog is Everything, based on sheepdog trainer and shepherd, Paul Walker, in Newport, Co Mayo.

Renowned sports photographer James Crombie of Inpho Photography won the coveted AIB Press Photographer of the Year trophy for the third time.

Perhaps best-known for his phenomenal image of a murmuration of starlings in 2022, the Westmeath photographer's entry in this year’s competition again featured wildlife but judges said it was his “sensitively planned” image for Pieta’s Darkness Into Light campaign, which also featured on the award catalogue cover, that confirmed Crombie's great technical and artistic skill and adaptability.

President of the Press Photographers Ireland CLG, David Branigan, said: “As the age of Gen AI and online fakery gathers pace, the images by our members that will now tour Ireland are a tonic for truth in our time."

Irish Examiner photographers Larry Cummins, Chani Anderson, Jim Coughlan, Aoife O'Regan, Dan Linehan and Denis Minihane. Picture: INPHO/Arthur Carron

The AIB Sustainability Award was presented to Mark Condren of Mediahuis Ireland for his image, Wading High, which captures Irish National Stud gardeners removing pondweed from one of their park lakes, while the new Best Use of Technology Award was presented to Niall Carson, PA Images, for his drone image, Holy Island, from the funeral of the late Irish writer Edna O’Brien.

This was the first year of the awards under the Press Photographers Ireland CLG title - the new name for the Press Photographers Association of Ireland.

All 110 winning and short-listed images will now tour the country, opening at dlr LexIcon, Dun Laoghaire from March 12.

See the full list of winners below:

Daily Life & People category 

• 1st Mark Condren of Mediahuis Ireland 
• 2nd Mick O'Neill, Irish Daily Star/Irish Mirror 
• 3rd Nick Bradshaw, The Irish Times 

Sports Feature 

• 1st David Fitzgerald, Sportsfile 
• 2nd James Crombie, Inpho 
• 3rd James Crombie, Inpho 7

Arts & Entertainment 

• 1st Tom Honan, The Irish Times 
• 2nd Mark Stedman, Mark Stedman Photography 
• 3rd Domnick Walsh, Eye Focus

Politics 

• 1st Nick Bradshaw, PA Media 
• 2nd Gerry Mooney, Mediahuis Ireland 
• 3rd Alan Betson, The Irish Times 

Sports Action 

• 1st Ramsey Cardy, Sportsfile 
• 2nd James Crombie, Inpho 
• 3rd David Fitzgerald, Sportsfile 

Public Relations 

• 1st Dan Sheridan, Inpho 
• 2nd Andres Poveda, Andres Poveda Photography 
• 3rd Keith Wiseman, Freelance 

Reportage 

• 1st Liam McBurney, Razorpix 
• 2nd Justin Kernoghan, JKFotoPress 
• 3rd Chani Anderson, Irish Examiner 

Nature & Environment 

• 1st Conor McKeown, Conor McKeown Photography 
• 2nd Domnick Walsh, Eye Focus 
• 3rd Alan Betson, The Irish Times 

Portrait 

• 1st Michael McLaughlin, Freelance 
• 2nd Gareth Chaney, Freelance 
• 3rd James Crombie 

News 

• 1st Niall Carson, PA Media 
• 2nd Brendan Gleeson, Freelance 
• 3rd Michael Chester, DMG Media Ireland 

Multimedia 

• 1st Bryan O'Brien, The Irish Times 
• 2nd Chani Anderson, Irish Examiner 
• 3rd David Branigan, Oceansport 

Sustainability Award 

• Mark Condren, Mediahuis Ireland 

Irish Country Life Award 

• Dan Linehan, Irish Examiner