Photographer Condren is Cork’s person of month

Award-winning photographer Mark Condren has been named Cork Person of the Month for March.

Mr Condren has been recognised for his achievements in press photography, having recently won the AIB Press Photographer of the Year award for a record-breaking seventh time.

The Castletownroche native began his career in local journalism at The Avondhu, before moving to The Corkman and the Sunday Tribune.

He joined the national stage with the Sunday Independent and Irish Independent, where his work has become a staple of visual storytelling.

The judging panel for his recent photographer of the year win praised his work as “iconic”, noting that his ability to capture “human suffering and human joy elevate the work of this press photographer beyond the immediate and the graphic”.

His photography has taken him to all four corners of the world, covering a vast range of topics such as famines in Ethiopia and South Sudan, the aftermath of earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal, and war zones in Syria, the Gaza Strip, and Western Sahara.

Some of his notable works include a striking portrait of actor Patrick Bergin at his home in Tipperary and a poignant image of Ibtisam, a Palestinian mother evacuated from Gaza to Dublin.

Awards organiser Manus O’Callaghan said Mr Condren is “a master of his craft”.

“He has an incredible gift for finding the extraordinary in the ordinary and the humanity in the headlines,” said Mr O’Callaghan.

Mr Condren’s name will now go forward for possible selection as Cork Person of the Year at the annual awards in January 2027.