Changes in my circumstances coupled with the bout of horrific storms and flooding that hit Ireland over the last two months have kept me above ground for far too long. Further to this, my trusty Sigma 10-20mm wide angle lens finally succumbed to dust damage in Teampall Shetric cave.
However, there is also some good news! I expect to return to caving soon and a new lens will be an absolute must. I’ve also had some success in promoting my photos. Most significantly, in December I won First Prize in the Geological Survey of Ireland’s annual Du Noyer Photographic Competition. With so many fantastic photos in the competition I was delighted that a personal favourite photo of one Fermanagh’s best caves, Pollnatagha, won. The image, which can be seen below as well as here on the GSI’s competition page, depicts a caver descending into the massive 60m long x 40m wide pot 60m below the boggy surface of East Cuilcagh:
In October I also won two Merits in the highly contested UK Hidden Earth Caving Forum. Considering the very tough international competition, I was delighted to have the following two shots awarded. The first is also from Pollnatagha while the second is from County Tipperary’s Pollskeheenarinky Cave:
Finally, another photo taken recently in Marble Arch cave, was one of twelve winning shots that will feature in the Geological Society of London’s 2016 calendar. A news article about this was featured on the BBC the GSL‘s websites.
All this would not have been possible without the constant help I receive from the caving community. Heres to another year of more of the same!
Caves Of Ireland 