Tipperary-based photographer took time out from honeymoon to attend national final

A Clonmel-based photographer and his wife didn’t mind interrupting their honeymoon so that he could attend the final of the Eye on Nature RTÉ wildlife photography competition, which he reached for the second time in three years.

Philip Greaves was one of ten finalists from across the country who were shortlisted from over two and half thousand entries.
The final was held at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin.

The competition was won by Daniel Meehan from Limerick for his photograph of a rabbit.

Although his stunning picture of a red mason bee didn’t win, Philip said it was worth taking time out from his and his wife Mia’s honeymoon to travel from the west coast of Ireland to Dublin for the final, which was featured on RTÉ One’s Nationwide programme, presented by Anne Cassin and Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh.

“It was a great day out,” he says.

Originally from Birmingham, he moved to Ireland in 2020, having served in the Royal Air Force in England. He and Mia live in Oliver Plunkett Terrace, Clonmel.

He has been taking wildlife pictures for over 45 years. His interest in photographing solitary bees came about during lockdown. He was in his garden one day when “something small flew past him”.

This sparked his interest in macro photography and led to him setting up bee hotels, several of which he has around his garden.

He also reached the final of the Eye on Nature competition two years ago with a picture of a female leaf cutter bee returning with a freshly-cut leaf to line the nesting chamber in one of those bee hotels.

Eye on Nature is a partnership between RTÉ’s Nationwide, the Mooney Goes Wild programme on RTÉ Radio 1 and the Office of Public Works (OPW) at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland.

The photographs of the ten finalists and a further eight merit photographs will be displayed at an exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens.

The exhibition is scheduled to travel to other OPW sites later this year including Portumna, Athenry and Limerick, and the exhibition is also available online at RTE.ie/eyeonnature

The final ten photos and the winner of this year’s competition were chosen by the judging panel: Director of National Botanic Gardens of Ireland Dr Matthew Jebb, Niall Hatch from Birdwatch Ireland and award-winning nature photographer Sheena Jolley.