Category Archives: In the News

Mark Condren Launches New Book On The NYPD

Photographer Mark Condren, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Sgt. Johnny Moynihan (NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force), at the launch of Mark’s photo book ‘NYPD’ – Behind the scenes with the men and women of the New York City Police Department. Picture: Caroline Quinn

An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, officially launched a new book by award-winning photographer, Mark Condren, in the 1837 Room at The Guinness Storehouse, Dublin on Monday evening last, 10th December 2018.

As its name suggests, the book, entitled NYPD – Behind the scenes with the men and women of the New York City Police Department, documents the day-to-day activities of New York’s Police Department. The photographs are candid and close up featuring a wide range of activities from community policing to armed actions and took Mark over two years to compile while embedded with the various units of the Department.

Gaining the requisite access to the world’s biggest Police Department began in 2011 when Mark published his first book, The Guards – behind the scenes with the men and women of An Garda Síochána, a photographic documentary of the Irish Police Force. Sold out within weeks of publication, this was a phenomenal success and became Mark’s business card when he floated the idea for the NYPD book to  NYPD Commissioner, James O’Neill.

“I showed him the book I did on the guards in Ireland and he said that we had to do one of those for the NYPD.  He was totally supportive of the project and what I needed to do to get it done,”  said Mark. So, with the door fully opened to him, Mark made sixteen, two-week trips to the Big Apple over the following two years gathering the imagery that fills the magnificent work that is his latest book.

A native of Castletownroche, Co. Cork, Mark worked with ‘The Corkman’ before moving to the ‘Sunday Tribune’ and then to his present position with ‘Independent News & Media’. He won his first P.P.A.I. Press Photographer of the Year award in 2009 and followed it up with two more wins in 2011 and 2013. In 2016, he took the title for a staggering fourth time which speaks volumes for the esteem in which his work is held.

Mark has been a good friend to East Cork Camera Group over the years and we wish him well with his new book which is already showing signs of the success of its predecessor. The new 208-page, full-colour book is an enthralling photographic work and can be bought at www.markcondren.com.

 

Success at the IPF Distinction Sitting at Thurles on 24/11/2018

Eileen Upton LIPF, Kevin Day AIPF, and Noelle Lowney LIPF

There was a strong showing from East Cork Camera Group at last Saturday’s Irish Photographic Federation Distinction Sitting in Thurles, Co. Tipperary with six members seeking Distinctions.

Kevin Day, Dave Harris, Fidelma Read, and John Tait were seeking Associateships while Noelle Lowney and Eileen Upton were seeking Licentiateships.  With a capacity entry, judging began at 10 am accompanied by the expected apprehension and expectation of those being assessed.

Kevin, Eileen, and Noelle were all successful while Dave, Fidelma, and John narrowly missed out but lived to fight another day. Well done to all.

– Anthony O’Connor

PPAI Exhibition Launch – 09/09/2016

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Presentation by East Cork Camera Group to PPAI Press Photographer of the Year 2016, Mark Condren. (l to r) John Tait, Mark Condren and Denis Barry

East Cork Camera Group is delighted to host the Press Photographers Association of Ireland Awards 2016 Exhibition at the Library, Main St, Midleton, the launch of which was held on Friday 9th September 2016.

In order to have the exhibition in the town centre for the annual Midleton Food and Drink Festival on Saturday 10th September, PPAI stalwarts, Robbie and Billy put in a superhuman effort in dismantling the exhibition at AIB, South Mall, Cork and erecting it again just a couple of hours later in Midleton all in time for the official launch at 7pm despite a wet Friday evening and its associated gridlock.

The launch was held in the library and was attended by Press Photographer of the Year 2016 and fourth time winner of the title, Mr. Mark Condren of the Irish Independent. A native of Castletownroche, Co. Cork, Mark cut his teeth as a photojournalist with The Avondhu and The Corkman newspapers before moving to the Sunday Tribune and then to the Irish Independent where he currently plies his trade covering news stories at home and abroad.

The event was well attended with all present very impressed by the high standard of work on show. Following some brief words by ECCG Chairman, Denis Barry and Chamber of Commerce President, Seamus Cunningham, Mark spoke of his work as a press photographer over 20 years in exciting and sometimes dangerous places, as far afield as Syria, Nigeria, Haiti, Gaza and the Middle East as well as at home. “The really big news stories of our time are rarely recalled by the written word”, he said, “but we all remember the images”. He instanced the destruction of the Twin Towers, the recovery of the body of three-year-old Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi, drowned in the Mediterranean, the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the Black Power Salute at the Olympic Games in 1968 as images that are ingrained in our memories courtesy of the news photographers of the day. He complimented the work of his colleagues on display in the exhibition and exhorted all present to study the images and think of the unique stories behind each one.

To commemorate winning the title and the exhibition’s first time in Midleton, Mark was presented with a framed image from East Cork Camera Group’s recent Cruise Liner / Lusitania Exhibition. Depicting the reenactment of the return to Cobh of the flotilla of small craft carrying casualties and debris from the site of the sinking of RMS Lusitania, the image was made by ECCG member, John Tait.

The exhibition runs at the Library, Midleton for two weeks and is well worth a visit. Thanks to Ann-Marie Kenneally and the staff of Midleton Library for having the exhibition and to Wallis’s, Midleton and Day’s of Whitegate for supplying refreshments for the launch Thanks also to Mrs. Ursula O’Tuama for providing the musical backdrop that was woven delicately throughout the evening’s proceedings and, finally, thanks to Mark Condren and the PPAI for bringing the exhibition to Midleton and in time for the Food Festival’s main event.

Click here to see a gallery of images from the launch night.
Click here for the PPAI website.

Enjoy!

 

Exhibition Official Opening – 02/07/2016

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The ECCG committee with Minister of State, Mr. David Stanton TD: Kevin Day, Denis Barry, Noelle Lowney, Minister Stanton, Anthony O’Connor and James Brady.

On Saturday 2/7/16, Minister of State at the Dept. of Justice and Equality, Mr. David Stanton TD, performed  the official opening of our Cruise Liner / Lusitania Exhibition at the Cobh Maritime Building at Cobh Rail Station.

The exhibition is the culmination of a project to photograph all the cruise liner visits to Cork harbour during the 2015 season which amounted to 33 ships and 57 visits. Added to this was a number of images from the Lusitania Centenary Events that were held in May of the same year.

A gallery of images from each visit was posted to the project webpage which by the end of the project contained over 1,000 images. Ideas for an exhibition soon began to emerge and when the idea was initially suggested, the Port of Cork’s Mr. Michael McCarthy responded positively and made the Cobh Maritime Building available to us for the month of July 2016.

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The Exhibition Book on display at the Cobh Maritime Building

Planning soon got under way resulting in 46 frames containing over 100 images which were expertly printed, mounted and framed by Don Magee and his staff at Art and Frame, Model Farm Road, Cork. Added to this was a companion exhibition book available in print and as an e-book along with a free Exhibition App for mobile devices – all available from the club website.

In keeping with the maritime theme of this exhibition, we are delighted to make the Royal National Lifeboat Institution a beneficiary of the event and encourage all people visiting this free exhibition to make a donation in the RNLI collection box provided.

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The exhibition exists because of a lot of good will, a lot of hours spent on it and a big commitment from a lot of people. Thanks to the ECCG committee as well as the members who contributed to the projects from the submission of images and dealing with the logistics of actually putting an exhibition like this together. Particular thanks is due to Finbarr O’Shea and Eileen Upton who actually put the exhibition in place.

Thanks to Mr. Michael McCarthy of Port of Cork, Cork County Council’s Cobh and East Cork Municipal Districts, Ben and the staff at the Maritime Building and all our sponsors (see the exhibition webpage for a full list), without whom, the exhibition could not have happened.

Finally, thanks tro our caterers, Days of Whitegate and our pianist, Ursula O’Tuama, who added a real sense of occasion to the opening.

Click here to see a gallery of images from the event. Enjoy!

 

Finbarr O’Shea LIPF

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IPF President, Michael O’Sullivan FIPF, FRPS, presenting the award to Finbarr O’Shea LIPF.

ECCG member, Finbarr O’Shea, was awarded a well deserved Licentiate of the Irish Photographic Federation at the IPF Distinction Sitting at the Dunamaise Arts Centre, Church St, Portlaoise on Saturday 5th March 2016.

Well done Finbarr!

Click here to see Finbarr’s successful L-panel.