Best friends award for mum and son
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Bill Harrington with his mum Anna Cronin, who the Fisherman’s Friend Ireland’s Greatest Friendship photography competition with a photo of his mum and him. Photo: Joleen Cronin Joleen CroninImage 2 of 4
This photo submitted by Catharina Ward was one of the ten finalists in the competition. It shows her sons Shane, Michael, Jack and Jamie Ward stargazing.Image 3 of 4
Another finalist was Aisling Whooley whose photo shows her with her friend Shazia Waheed.Image 4 of 4
This photo submitted by Audrey Hastings shows her family Lily, Ben and Jake Anglim having friendly chats during the pandemic with their grandad Jim Hastings.A teenager from Cloghroe is celebrating after his friendship, portrayed through a photograph, won the title of ‘Ireland’s Greatest Friendship’.
The photo, which 14 year old Bill Harrington shot with a drone, captured an emotive moment between him and his mum, Anna Cronin - a GP practice nurse in Cork.
The black and white image of a son and his mother, two best friends, lying in the grass was beautiful on its own but the accompanying story made the image really come to life.
It was taken in Bill’s grandmother’s back garden a week after she passed away in July 2020, a garden which held happy memories for both mum and son, having spent much of their lives visiting and spending time there.
Following a nationwide search by Fisherman’s Friend for Ireland’s Greatest Friendship, individuals from across Ireland were encouraged to celebrate their friendships ‘through the lens’ and share photos that captured their friendships and what that bond means to them.
Out of hundreds of entries, 10 photos were shortlisted as finalists with Bill Harrington’s photo chosen as the overall winner. Finalists also included Catharina Ward from Bantry, Aisling Whooley from Glanmire and Audrey Hastings from Carrigaline.
Catharina Ward’s photo titled ‘Stargazing Brothers’ captured a moment with Catharina’s four sons lockdown stargazing, brothers Jack (age 16), Shane (age nine), Michael (age six) and Jamie Ward (age four).
The three younger boys go to Dromore National School in Bantry while Jack goes to school in Colaiste Pobail Bheanntrai in Bantry.
Aisling Whooley’s ‘Take Nothing for Granted’ photo shows a moment with Aisling and her best friend of 13 years Shazia Waheed.
Aisling said: “Recently Shazia was going through her photos and found this gem of a picture which I had taken with my drone. As I looked at it, it suddenly dawned on me how lucky we are to have nature in these strange Coronavirus times and how much we miss our day trips.
“We are in a social bubble and take walks in our local forest and parks which we almost took for granted. This photo will remind me not to take everyday things for granted and seize the occasion.”
‘Friendly Chats during a Pandemic’ by Audrey Hastings is of Audrey’s dad, Jim Hastings, playing it very safe during the Covid-19 restrictions chatting from a distance to three of his grandchildren over the garden hedge. He was not long after surgery after having a stroke in the height of the pandemic and was happy and relieved sitting in the warm spring sunshine having the chats. The children in the photo are Lily (age 14), Ben (age 12) and Jake Anglim (age 9).
Jon White, Regional Business Manager, Fisherman’s Friend: “We are thrilled to be running this competition for the third year, celebrating friendship through the art of photography – that moment caught in time that makes you smile. This past year has been particularly challenging for everyone; however, it has also demonstrated the immense community spirit that exists within Irish communities and we know that friendships have played a key role in this.”