The 26th National Audio Visual Championships were held in Shannon, Co. Clare on the weekend of 18th & 19th October 2008.

The venue was packed on both days for a great weekend of Audio Visual.  The judge for the event was Eddie Spence, FRPS, and over twenty sequences were entered in the various categories, Novice, Intermediate and Advanced.  There were also two successful applicants for IPF Distinctions in AV over the weekend.

The overall winner of the event was Kieran O'Loughlin, FIPF, ARPS, Shannon Camera Club, with his thought provoking sequence 'Where Rainbows Touch the Ground'.  Kieran's sequence also won the Audience Vote for the best show of the weekend.

Edwin Bailey, also of Shannon Camera Club, won first place in the Novice section, as well as the award for best first time entrant, his sequence was entitled 'Fenloe'. Noel Mahony, Celbridge Camera Club won the Intermediate section with his entry 'New Zealand - Land of Ice, Fire & Water'.  Geraldine Malthouse, Waterford Camera Club, won the prizes for best photography and best soundtrack for her show 'A Glimpse Of The Big South'.

Geraldine Malthouse was also successful in obtaining her IPF Licentiateship at the distinctions judging, while Raymond Huges, achieved his IPF Associateship.

Please read on for a full report on the weekend prepared by Lillian Webb.  Photographs by Sheamus O'Donoghue.

Report of the Irish Photographic Federation’s 26th National Audio Visual Championships. 

Thanks to Shannon Camera Club for hosting the above on 18^th and 19^th October, 2008.  The room in the Oakwood Arms Hotel was packed for each of the sessions, which was a great tribute to the Club and a great encouragement to the entrants and our judge.

We were delighted to have Eddie Spence, F.R.P.S., as our judge for the first time.  He is President of the Leeds Audio Visual Group, secretary of the Royal Photographic Society Audio Visual Group, judged regional and UK nationals and a multi prize winner in both analogue and digital sequences.  He came fresh from receiving the bronze medal at the RPS International AV Festival in Cirencester for his sequence, “Isadora’s Legacy”.

Eddie gave his comments following the showing of each sequence, highlighting their good points, where improvements could be made in his opinion and giving valuable tips.

The following received Commended and Highly Commended certificates:-

Section:           Author             Club                            Sequence

Novice                     Noel Doyle                  P.S.I.                          A Journey Down Memory Train

Francis Monahan        Celbridge C.C.            Pictures Of A Farm Protest

Intermediate             Tommy Kelly              Shannon C.C.              Journeys

Michael Doyle             P.S.I.                           A Celtic Klondike

Advanced                 Deirdre Gaffney         Malahide C.C.              Tuscany

Geraldine Malthouse   Waterford C.C.            A Glimpse Of The Big South

The winners were:

Novice:

Second:            Mary O’Reilly            Killarney C.C.             A Trip To Kerala, India.

First:                Edwin Bailey              Shannon C.C.              Fenloe

Intermediate:

Second:           Tommy Kelly              Shannon C.C.              Time Passages

First:                Noel Mahony              Celbridge C.C.            New Zealand – land of ice, fire &

                                                            Water

Advanced:

Third:              Patricia Ronan             Malahide C.C.             Howth Harbour

Second:           Alan Lyons                 P.S.I.                           Fragile Dingle

First:                Kieran O’Loughlin      Shannon C.C.              Where Rainbows Touch The

                                                                                                Ground.

Trophies:

Best Sound     Geraldine Malthouse   Waterford C.C.           A Glimpse Of The Big South

Best Photography

                        Geraldine Malthouse   Waterford C.C.           A Glimpse Of The Big South

Best Overall    Kieran O’Loughlin      Shannon C.C.              Where Rainbows Touch The

                                                                                                Ground

Best 1^st time entrant

                        Edwin Bailey              Shannon C.C.              Fenloe

In addition to the trophy, Edwin Bailey was presented with the “George & Doreen Pollock Medal”.  This was collected by me and presented by Sir George Pollock to Kieran O’Loughlin when we all attended the R.P.S. International A.V. Festival in Cirencester in September.  The Royal Photographic Society Audio Visual Group produced this special medal to help promote Audio-Visual especially amongst new or young workers.  The committee are extremely honoured that the IPF National Championships was one of the four major competitions that this was awarded to this year.

Raymond Hughes, D.P.A.G.B., A.I.P.F., on behalf of NIPA presented the championships with a medal for the Audience Vote and this was won by:  Kieran O’Loughlin’s “Where Rainbows Touch The Ground”.

The Distinctions Panel sat on the Sunday morning and the following applicants were successful and are congratulated:

Geraldine Malthouse, L.I.P.F.

Raymond Hughes, D.P.A.G.B., A.I.P.F.

Prior to the sitting of the panel, the audience were treated to the showing and introduction of his sequences by Eddie Spence.  These were - “Mary Myfanwy Evans”, “Sunday Morning Coming Down”, “What Colour Is The Wind?”, “Chief Dan George”, “Winter Love”, “Isadora’s Legacy” and “This Native Land”.

Audio Visual workers produce a camaraderie amongst themselves wherever they are in this country and abroad.  In the olden days – when single and twin projectors from many entrants were set up in a line across a hall with carousels and trays – help was always on hand from fellow competitors if a lead would not work etc.  Nowadays, this has all gone with the digital age, but the camaraderie is still there.  In the audience were people from Galway, Dundalk, Ballyclare, Leeds, Enniscorthy, Dublin, Kildare, Waterford, Mallow, Killarney as well as Shannon.  Over forty enjoyed a meal in the Oakwood Arms Hotel on the Saturday night when only Eddie, myself and the writer of the certificates, Mary O’Loughlin knew the results!

The AV Group committee thank Kieran & Mary O’Loughlin for hosting all of us as well as Janet & Eddie Spence.  Since returning home, I received a letter from Eddie saying: “Just a line to say thank you to yourself and the Irish Federation Committee for the friendship and hospitality you all extended to myself, and Janet over the weekend.  We had a wonderful time, which will stay in our memories for a long time to come.”

So, where else would you go for a weekend each year than to the IPF AV Nationals, wherever it is?  Where else would you be transported from ploughing to a train journey, to an early morning song, to India, to a Spanish wedding to Fenloe, to gold mining in Wicklow to New Zealand, to Smithfield Horse Fair to Tuscany, from Dublin to Dingle, or from rainbows to penguins, icebergs and seals – all in one day?  Mark the third weekend in October in your diary for 2009!

Lilian Webb, A.I.P.F., (Hon. Secretary/Hon. Treasurer) on behalf of the Irish Photographic Federation’s Audio Visual Group Committee of:- Alan Lyons, A.I.P.F., and Kieran O’Loughlin, F.I.P.F., A.R.P.S., (Technical Team) and Frank Malthouse, L.I.P.F., (Chairman).

Photographs of AV2008 by Sheamus O'Donoghue, Shannon Camera Club