Report of the I.P.F’s 29th National Audio Visual Championships & 3rd Open Audio Visual Competition
held in Āras Chrónáin Ionad Cultúrtha, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.
on 15th and 16th October, 2011.
By Lilian Webb, A.I.P.F.
This was a very successful weekend – not only for the prize winners but also a very social and sociable event on the I.P.F’s calendar of events. It was great to welcome our friends from north of the border once again and see some of them enter the Open competition.
The judge was Richard Brown, F.R.P.S., E.F.I.A.P., F.I.P.F., A.P.A.G.B., current winner of the UK National AV Championships, in Sutton Bonington in September. Richard had judged the championships in Galway in 2002 and had attended and won the 2nd open Audio Visual Competition two years ago. His comments, advice and constructive criticism were well received by the entrants and the spectators – and all learnt a lot from him. It was great to have an hour on the Sunday to see some of Richard’s prize winning sequences.
During the course of the weekend, Lilian Webb made a presentation on behalf of the I.P.F., Council to Frank Malthouse, L.I.P.F., of the Brendan Walkin medal for his services to the I.P.F., and in particular to his chairmanship of the I.P.F., A.V. Group Committee since its inception in May, 1999 to November of last year.
Brendan O’Sullivan, current chairman of the I.P.F., A.V. Group Committee welcomed all on the Saturday and there were two empty chairs at the front in memory of Kieran O’Loughlin, F.I.P.F., A.R.P.S., a member of the committee also since its inception and voted chairman just last November, who died in May of this year and to Peter Coles an eminent AV worker in the UK, who had judged in Shannon a couple of years ago and who died a couple of months previously.
In memory of Kieran O’Loughlin, Mary O’Loughlin was presented with the overall trophy, which had been won by Kieran more times than any other and a trophy was bought to be presented to the overall winner of the national championships – the Kieran O’Loughlin Memorial Trophy. During the Sunday afternoon, four of Kieran’s prize winning sequences were shown and it would have been possible to hear a pin drop as the sequences were watched. Kieran had a remarkable talent for all aspects of audio visual, which he readily shared with all and had only set up the Shannon Camera Club AV group earlier this year. As a tribute, members of Shannon Camera Club had seven sequences entered.
Palmerstown Photographic Society had their images on display over the weekend. The Royal Photographic Society Audio Visual Group again donated “The George & Doreen Pollock Medal” to the Championships for the best first time entrant, for which we were extremely grateful.
All twenty four sequences in the national championships were shown on the Saturday plus 8 of those entered in the Open section and the remaining 12 were shown on the Sunday morning – from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
However, it was not all serious competition as almost 30 sat down to a meal on the Saturday from Shannon, Waterford, Enniscorthy and the greater Dublin area – and the singing lasted into the early hours of the next morning! 20 had a meal on the Sunday again before dispersing to the same areas.
A questionnaire prepared by Alan Lyons, was included in the programme and these will be looked at in relation to venues etc., when the committee next meet.
Deirdre Gaffney, L.I.P.F., presented the awards in the absence of the President, who had sent a message from the Rockies to wish the weekend well – and may have a sequence in next year – and there is a promise of a sequence too from the National Secretary! So see you all next year!
On behalf of the IPF AV Group Committee of Alan Lyons, A.I.P.F., Hon. A.P.S.I., Marie McGuinness, Rita Nolan, L.I.P.F., Margaret Finlay, L.I.P.F., Pearl Walsh, L.I.P.F., Edwin Bailey and Brendan O’Sullivan A.I.P.F., (Chairman), thanks to all who contributed to the success of the weekend.
