Marie's perfect ewe view is Picture of the Year

OUR readers have made their minds up: The Southern Star Reader’s Picture of the Year for 2015 is that of Marie Goggin of Adrigole, Beara.

At the end of last year, an internal panel of judges picked their top monthly choices for 2015 and they were published in the first edition of January, inviting Southern Star readers to vote for their top three of the year in order of preference. Looking at the two-page spread of the best photos of last year, one could not but have been impressed by the standard of the photographs taken by readers with a keen eye for a good picture.

These photos covered a wide variety of subjects, from our spectacular West Cork scenery – which is a regular star of our readers’ pictures – to seasonal weather and close-up spottings of some of the many wildlife creatures that are in our midst. The Southern Star Reader’s Picture of the Week is still as popular a feature now, more that five years since its inception, and the high quality of the submissions remains constant.

Since it started, the quality of photos that can be taken on mobile phones has improved so much, making it easier for people to capture images on camera when the opportunity arises. Readers wishing to submit photos for consideration for our weekly Reader’s Picture of the Week slot should email them as high-resolution jpg attachments (at least 1Mb in size) to [email protected] by midday on Mondays, with a detailed caption and their contact details.

The 2015 Picture of the Year was April’s winner, depicting a perfect view for the ewe, photographed by Marie Goggin on a beautiful day at the Healy Pass, overlooking Glanmore Lake and Kenmare Bay. In fact, it was taken during what was probably our ‘summer of 2015’ as we did not get one when we should have.

Marie, lucky enough to live on the scenic Beara Peninsula, has a keen eye for a good photo that captures a moment in time and regularly submits them to us and her pictures have been featured numerous times over the years. She will receive a €100 prize plus a specially-framed copy of her winning picture. The winner of the €100 prize for voters in the 2015 Reader’s Picture of the Year is Joan Hennessy of Ahamilla, Clonakilty.