Tipperary men's stunning pictures reach the final of national photographic competition

He has travelled as far as Killarney to indulge his passion for wildlife photography. 

But it was a picture taken in his back garden in Clonmel that has qualified Phil Greaves for the final of a national photography competition.

From a total of more than 7,000 entries, Phil’s photo has been chosen as one of the 12 finalists in the Eye On Nature competition, in which RTÉ joined forces with the National Botanic Gardens. 

The winner will be announced today, St Patrick’s Day, on the Today Show on RTÉ One television from 1pm.

He will be joined in the final by another Tipperary man, Larry Doherty from Thurles, whose image of an orange ladybird was taken at Cabragh Wetlands in Thurles last April. 

Above: This image of a ladybird taken by Larry Doherty in Thurles has also reached the final

Phil Greaves took the photo of the bee in the back garden of his home at St Oliver Plunkett Terrace, Clonmel, on May 29 last year, during the first lockdown.

The picture shows a female leaf cutter bee returning with a freshly cut leaf to line the nesting chamber in the bee hotel that he made from an old bird box in the garden to help with the conservation of wildlife.

“As a person who used to be afraid of bees and wasps this has completely changed my outlook on the lifestyle of these wonderful creatures,” says Phil, whose picture was taken with a Nikon d5200 and Sigma macro lens. 

Above: Phil Greaves, Clonmel has reached the final of Eye On Nature, the national wildlife photography competition

Larry Doherty says he used an Olympus Em5mkii mirrorless camera with an Olympus 60mm macro lens to take his photo. A  flash on the camera was also used with a DIY diffuser to soften the light.

"I do a lot of insect macro photography and love being out in nature searching for different species of insect to photograph, and showing people the diversity of insect life we have in Ireland," he says. 

"Some species are easily found and more take a bit more effort to find. I love seeing the details on the different species I  photograph, one being the orange ladybird I entered in the competition. 

"These ladybirds are only approximately 5 mms in size and are just one example of the beauty of Ireland's wildlife." 

The overall winner will receive a cash prize of €1,000 and the 12 finalists’ photographs will be exhibited at the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin from mid-March. 

The finalists will also receive an annual family pass to all OPW attractions.

The finalists and winners have been chosen by a panel of three judges: award-winning wildlife and nature photographer Sheena Jolley, Niall Hatch from Birdwatch Ireland and Dr Matthew Jebb, director of the National Botanic Gardens. 

The full online gallery of the 12 finalists can be viewed on the website RTE.ie/eyeonnature. 

The finalists were also interviewed on the Mooney Goes Wild show on RTÉ Radio One last Monday.

For more Tipperary news see  Convicted killer and son appeal sentence for assault and burglary