by Alan Jacques
TWENTY six heritage sites in Limerick have been included in the world’s biggest photography competition — Wiki Loves Monuments.
Initiated by Wikimedia, the movement behind free encyclopaedia Wikipedia, the competition aims to raise awareness of Ireland’s national monuments and create a crowd-sourced bank of quality photos that will be free to use for education.
Amateur and professional photographers are invited to photograph the national monuments in their locality and upload their photos to www.wikilovesmonuments.ie before September 30.
King John’s Castle, The Hunt Museum, The Treaty Stone and the O’Connell Monument are among the Limerick heritage sites featured in the competition. Other local sites include Askeaton Abbey, Desmond Castle, Curraghchase and Carrigogunnell Castle.
This year the list has been expanded from 503 locations to 970 and now includes historic houses and graveyards nationwide. Entries will be judged by a three-person expert panel and the winners will be announced on November 1. The top ten Irish images will then be entered into the international competition.
“Anyone can take part, so we’re calling on amateur and professional photographers across Ireland to visit the national monuments in their locality, take their best shots and upload them,” said Rebecca O’Neill of Wikimedia Ireland.
For full details of the competition see www.wikilovesmonuments.ie.
