County Wicklow Photographer Wins Major National Prize

Amateur photographer Colum Dalton scooped a major prize yesterday in the ESB Environmental Photography Awards and received a cheque for 2,500 Euro and a trophy. It was this Arklow man’s first time to enter the competition and he never expected that his entry, a photo of puffins on the Saltee Islands, would win.

Colum Dalton in the WicklowToday.com Office

Colum Dalton is a founder member of Arklow Camera Club and he is the third person associated with the club to take a prize in the ESB competition. Richard Redmond is a previous winner while Garrett Byrne received a runner-up prize in the past.

The competition, which is run in association with the Irish Professional Photographers Association, has five categories and Colum decided to go for the `Animal Wonders’ section.

`I am delighted with my success and will probably spend a lot of this week recovering from hangovers but I own a lot of the success I have gained from being a member of Arklow Camera Club and I thank all the members sincerely’, he added.