Éanna Donohoe from Ballyleague, Co. Roscommon has been selected to feature in an exhibition of the judges’ 20 top-rated images, as part of the inaugural ‘Reach for the Stars’ astrophotography competition run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
The exhibition is running online initially, on the DIAS website, www.dias.ie. An outdoor exhibition at DIAS’s premises on Burlington Road is planned for the coming weeks, followed by an exhibition at DIAS Dunsink Observatory.
Éanna’s image ‘Gazing’ is a self-portrait in front of the comet Neowise, taken from the lane behind his house in Ballyleague. The image was taken in July 2020, during the time the newly-discovered comet reached its closest point to Earth. Neowise was one of the brightest comets to make an appearance in Irish skies in over a decade.
In addition to choosing the 20 exhibition images, the high-profile judging panel for ‘Reach for the Stars’ also selected the top three winning entries to the competition. Josh Mathews from Moyard, Co. Galway was selected as the overall winner for his image, ‘To the Waters and the Wild’. Ciaran P. O’Donnell from Newtownabbey, Belfast, Co. Antrim and Tom Hanlon from Tullamore, Co. Offaly were announced as runners-up, for their submissions, ‘Cygnus Mosaic in Hubble Palette’ and ‘North Star Jesuit House’ respectively.
