Celebrating Wicklow’s Rather Photogenic Coast

Adrian Fingleton: Milky Way (Brittas Bay)

s our annual Greystones Rocks competition has been proving for years now, we’re sitting very pretty along the Wicklow coast here.

And there’s beauty all the way down the line, of course, and around the entire lump of Planet Éire.

Something that those Clean Coasts kids felt was worth celebrating, by launching their 16th Love Your Coast photography competition.

Unsurprisingly, amidst all the beautiful entires for 2025, Wicklow featured heavily…

Speaking on his photo, Milky Way, above, snapper Adrian Fingleton explained, “I wanted to get a shot of the Milky Way in a ‘dark sky’ zone, and reckoned Brittas Bay was a good location, with the iconic lifeguard hut as the foreground.

“I went down in the middle of the night/early morning on April 5th and captured the Milky Way at 4am. Then the next day, Sunday April 6th, I headed back down again and with the aid of a very big moon I captured the beach hut just after dark. I combined the foreground from Sunday night with the Milky Way sky image from Saturday morning in Photoshop to create the composite image.”

Let There Be Light

Coming 1st in the Source To Sea Category with Let There Be Light, Helen Black said of her winning Glendasan photo, “I have been photographing Wicklow for many years it is just so beautiful.

I am really interested in shooting fog and mist for the wonderful atmosphere they create so I am always checking the weather forecast. This was one of those potential mornings and I set out in darkness from Dublin to get there for dawn.

I got so excited when I saw the conditions, set up my camera and waited for the light to break. What a spectacle, what a treat, nature is truly amazing!”

Lower Lake Aurora

Adrian Hendroff described the process behind capturing Lower Lake Aurora at Glendalough: “We were blessed with two strong aurora displays in 2024: this one was captured in October of that year, when I waited out the night in Glendalough with my friend James.

“The place was busy, but thankfully no one else was at the Lower Lake so we had the place to ourselves.

“To our delight, Lady Aurora showed up in the sky in an explosion of colour and as a bonus we also got reflections on the lake plus a slither of mist on its opposite end too.”

Beyond The Wall

Describing the process of taking Beyond The Wall at The Guinness Lake, Zoe Lynch revealed:

“This photo was taken through a small opening in an old stone wall overlooking Lough Tay in Co. Wicklow.

“I was drawn to the rich contrast between the deep blues of the lake and the rich greens of the valley that truly captures the essence of the Irish landscape.

“The wall acted as a natural frame and created a sense of separation, a timeless scene where land meets water.”

Beautiful Autumnal Waterfall

For Beautiful Autumnal Waterfall, taken at Glenmalure, Barry Murphy said:

“This photograph is about the river flowing through all the beautiful autumn colours.

“It was taken early morning, in late October after a few days of heavy rain.

“Using a slow shutter speed, the river and the waterfall, are wonderfully captured as they make the long journey from high in the mountains down to the sea.”

Sealed With A Kiss

In the Wildlife And The Coast section, Christopher Howes scored twice. Of Sealed With A Kiss – taken at Brides Head in Wicklow Town – he says, “This image took a lot of planning and time. The weather wasn’t the best but in a way it helped me so I wouldn’t get a lot of highlights blown out with the seal pup. I had set up early morning in behind a rock so I wouldn’t be seen and I was at a good distance away so I wouldn’t be disturbing them. It took a long day but to capture this beautiful moment was well worth the time.”

And as for Star Fisher at Arklow Town South Beach, Christopher said, “Star Fisher was taken during the Storm Eowyn; as I was taking images of the waves crashing against the pier in Arklow, I noticed the gulls started to appear on the beach as the waves rolled in the gulls were flying into the waves trying to catch the star fish. I was told this happened in Arklow but I’d never seen it before myself so as this happened, I gave up on the landscapes and concentrated on capturing the gulls. I was very happy to get this shot.”

Sweet as. You can check out all the winners of the Love Your Coast photography competition here, and jump back through the Greystones Rocks galleries over here.