Offaly photographer features in new Guide for Wetlands Communities

ONE of Offaly’s best known nature photographers features in a brand-new Guide for Wetlands Communities involved in creative projects, in a bid to engage and enthuse local people to get involved in the protection and preservation of the country’s rich wetlands.

Tina Claffey, from Birr is an award-winning Irish nature photographer and author of 'Tapestry of Light - Ireland's bogs & wetlands as never seen before’ and ‘Portal - Otherworldly Wonders of Ireland’s bogs, wetlands and eskers’ .

‘A Guide for Wetlands Communities Engaging in Creative projects’ is an innovative publication by the ‘Communities Wetlands Forum’, established to promote our wetlands and peatlands, some 13,000 of which are dotted throughout Ireland, through community collaboration and integration, and through the provision of a platform for local people to get involved in the many conservation projects in their areas.

The compilation of the ‘Guide for Wetland Communities Engaging in Creative Projects’ is a seen as a major step forward in bringing Offaly’s wetlands communities together in shared purpose that has important ecological, societal and cultural benefits.

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Tina says “It is wonderful to be included in a book that celebrates our wetlands and our artists. The fusion of art and ecology is powerful. Art is a powerful medium for raising environmental awareness and encourages individuals and communities to reflect and deeply engage with their own wetland wilderness. Bogs are magical places that defy any distinction between land and water. They are the last true wildernesses in Western Europe and are home to extraordinary plant and animal species that have adapted in this unique environment to survive”.

Much of Tina’s work centres on the unspoilt raised bogs and wet woodlands that are synonymous with the midlands.

An Honorary Member of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Tina’s work has been featured on global online platforms including the Wildlife Habitat Council US Online Conference and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26), highlighting the Irish bog wilderness.

She has exhibited her work in the US, Botswana, Zambia, the Netherlands, and Ireland. She has received awards from major competitions such as the International Photography Awards, Fine Art Photography, Big Picture, Close Up Photographer of the Year, and IGPOTY Macro competition.

Her art is included in several collections, notably in the permanent collection at Aras an Uachtaráin.

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