Photograph of Lough Neagh fisherman shortlisted for major prize conveys 'tangible sense of loss'
Stewartstown native Joe Laverty has been shortlisted along with 25 other artists for the AIB Portrait Prize at the National Gallery of Ireland with his photograph Declan, Lough Neagh Fisherman.
Joe is a photographic artist and filmmaker having completed an MFA in Photography at Ulster University, Belfast in 2022.
His work explores place and our human interaction with it, specifically focusing on marginal or overlooked areas within both urban and rural contexts.
Talking about his photograph Declan, he said: "Lough Neagh is dying right in front of us. It is fighting a perfect storm of largely man-made conditions that threaten to kill off its ecosystem entirely.
"Decades of pollution from intensive farming and industry, a shambolic waste water management system and industrial sand dredging, coupled with the invasion of zebra mussels and the Lough's naturally shallow waters have resulted in an annual bloom of toxic blue green algae, which is currently chocking the Lough and appears to be worse than ever in 2025.
"This mismanagement of what should be the jewell in the crown of Northern Ireland's natural heritage has resulted in an environmental catastrophe, causing a dramatic loss of habitat and species around the Lough while also precipitating a loss of heritage, tradition and livelihood for many people around Lough Neagh’s shores.
"Photography, at its best, is about storytelling and I really believe there is a story worth telling about Lough Neagh.
"The portrait of Declan conveys this tangible sense of loss. Declan cares deeply about the Lough and has, along with all the other Lough Neagh fishermen, had to abandon eel fishing for the season. Just this week, desperate eels writhed for oxygen on top of the toxic sludge; a foreboding reminder of Lough Neagh’s fragile outlook."
The AIB Portrait Prize shortlist includes paintings, video and photography by artists from across the country. The winner of the AIB Portrait Prize will receive a cash prize of €15,000 and will be commissioned to create a work for the National Portrait Collection, for which they will be awarded a further €5,000. Two additional awards of €1,500 will be given to highly commended works.