Award winning Offaly photographer's exhibition opens at the Tullamore Tribune office

THE night sky has always held a fascination for Offaly photographer, Tom O'Hanlon. But what started as a general interest in astronomy for the Rahan native quickly became a passion when he ventured into the world of astrophotography.

The talented photographer's stunning photographs – many of them captured at Lough Boora Discovery Park – have been shorted-listed for numerous prestigious awards including the “Reach for the Stars” astrophotography competition and the Royal Museum's Greenwich “Astronomy Photographer of the Year”.

An exhibition of Tom's work is currently on display in the renovated offices of the Tullamore Tribune on William St in the county town. All photographs displayed are available for purchase and would make ideal Christmas gifts. The exhibition continues until Christmas and all are welcome to visit and peruse through the photographs.

Tom said he “got into” astrophotography during the Covid pandemic and revealed that many of his images had been captured in his own back garden.

He said it was a very lonely hobby at times but is often accompanied on his expeditions by his wife, Teresa and good friend and fellow photographer, Ger Rogers from Tullamore.

Patience and perseverance are key to capturing the perfect image and Tom often spends long hours waiting for that special moment, whether it's on Croghan Hill, Lough Boora, his own back garden or other places in the wider midlands area.

As well as featuring in the pages of the Tullamore and Midland Tribunes, Tom's astrophotography images have also been published in the national press including The Irish Times and Irish Independent: last year his amazing image of the aurora from Lough Boora was printed on the front page of the Irish Independent.

Late last year Tom mounted an exhibition at Birr library and the central library in Tullamore featuring his astrophotography images which captured the imagination of the public. It was appropriately entitled “The Sun, Moon and Stars” exhibition.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition in Birr, Sean McKenna, founder member of the Midlands Astronomy Club, said: “To be technically proficient as a professional photographer is essential but Tom brings an added ingredient to his work. He has the eye which enables him to size up a scene or event and capture the magic or excitement of the moment.

The speaker said that for him it was Tom's work in landscapes and astrophotography that excited him the most.

“Both styles frequently overlap and the result is a perfect example of how he manages to both capture the beauty of nature and induce a sense of wonder and awe about the universe around us. His imaging of the Aurora is particularly awe inspiring.”

Also last year Tom had his image of the moon rising over Hook Head Lighthouse in County Wexford shortlisted in the prestigious astrophotography competition, Royal Museum's Greenwich “Astronomy Photographer of the Year.”

In its 15th year, it is the biggest astrophotography competition in the world, and in 2023 received thousands of entries from 64 countries around the globe.

Tom's image, “Moonrise Over Hook Head” was displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime

Museum in London, alongside a selection of exceptional shortlisted images while also featuring in the competition’s official book, published by Collins.

Speaking at the time, Tom said “it's an incredible honour to be shortlisted amongst some of the world's very best astrophotographers, It's an image that took a considerable amount of planning and thankfully I was able to capture it exactly as I had planned. “

This stunning image was taken from Dunmore East Golf Club, in Co. Waterford in July of 2022, shooting at an incredible distance of 5.3 kilometres from Hook Head Lighthouse, Co. Wexford.

Also in 2023, Tom's photograph, “Night Train”, was selected to feature as part of the Reach for the Stars astrophotography outdoor exhibition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

The image was captured in Lough Boora and depicts the Milky Way core rising over the Sky Train sculpture at Lough Boora Discovery Park.

A setting crescent moon illuminates the foreground, and the astro-modified camera captures the detail of the Milky Way hydrogen-alpha signal.

The previous year Tom was runner-up in the inaugural ‘Reach for the Stars’ competition.

His image, “North Star Jesuit House”, was a series of stacked images, taking in The North Star, which demonstrates the Earth’s rotation, and was captured at Tullybeg House, the former Jesuit boarding school in Rahan.

The image was selected as a runner-up by an expert judging panel following a rigorous judging process of over 180 entries. Tom, who worked for five years as staff photographer with the Tullamore Tribune, said the award winning image took one hour and 15 minutes to capture.

Looking forward to the future Tom commented that “there is so much to look forward to, with the sun approaching Solar Maximum, increased auroral activity is expected, meaning the return of the night sky's greatest show, The Aurora Borealis”.

The front office of the Tribune is now available to artists, photographers and other for exhibition purposes. Anyone interested is asked to email editor@tullamoretribune.ie