They say a sibling is a ready-made friend for life, and this very much rang true at the final of Ireland’s Greatest Friendship, run by Fisherman’s Friend Ireland and the Irish Farmers Journal.
A picture entered by Claire Denk, of her daughters, the sister act of five-year-old Neala and three-year-old Anna, took home the top prize – a DSLR-style Sony A600 camera.
Neala and Anna wore matching outfits to the awards ceremony and exhibition of finalists’ photos, which took place on board a former tender ship, the MV Cill Áirne on the River Liffey. Everything was co-ordinated from their dresses to their hairbands.
Speaking to Irish Country Living, Neala said she and Anna’s favourite game to play together is hide and seek.
Their mother Claire said she was delighted that the girls won the competition, as they are very close and have a strong bond. “They have never been apart from each other, they are always together. I come from a big family and have two sisters.
“A sister is a friend you can never get away from. Friendships, they come in different shapes and sizes. But no matter what happens in life, you always have to forgive your sister. It’s the one friendship you can never get away from. It’s like a third arm.
Claire Denk with daughters Anna and Neala and Jon White of Fisherman's Friend.
“They are polar opposites, north and south. Neala is a very straight character, whereas Anna is more carefree. I think they kind of balance each other out, so it’s great. I think as you go through life it’s harder to make friends.”
As part of the nationwide search for Ireland’s Greatest Friendship, individuals from across Ireland were encouraged to share photos that captured friendship and provide a short description of what that relationship means to them.
Out of hundreds of entries, Claire’s photo of Neala and Anna was selected as the winner. The photo portrayed the two sisters’ friendship acutely and captured the judges’ hearts.
The judging panel was made up of editor of Irish Country Living Amii McKeever, Irish Country Living journalist Anne O’Donoghue, fellow of the Irish Photographic Federation (FIPF) and Dublin Camera Club member Gerry Andrews and area business manager of Fisherman’s Friend Jon White.
Speaking at the event, Jon, who travelled from his base in the US to be a part of the celebrations, said: “Strength is a cornerstone of what the Fisherman’s Friend brand stands for and we believe that there is strength in friendship, and that friendship should be celebrated and recognised. Often people are so busy building and getting on with ‘life’, that they rarely seek to give recognition to a close friend.
“It has been a privilege to judge this competition, in partnership with the Irish Farmers Journal, and to celebrate and recognise Ireland’s Greatest Friendships. The quantity and quality of the entries was very impressive, depicting an incredible diversity and range of interpretations of friendship.
“Claire’s photo, which stood out for all the judges, captured the friendship between her daughters and is a very worthy winner of the title of Ireland’s Greatest Friendship.”
A family-owned business that has been making much-loved lozenges for over 150 years, Fisherman’s Friend knows the importance of strong friendship. Through this national search a number of stories and images have been uncovered that capture what is at the heart of Irish communities – friendship.
The search for Ireland’s Greatest Friendship launched in October 2018. For more details on this year’s competition and to see the full range of finalists, visit the Fisherman’s Friend Ireland Facebook page.
They say a sibling is a ready-made friend for life, and this very much rang true at the final of Ireland’s Greatest Friendship, run by Fisherman’s Friend Ireland and the Irish Farmers Journal.
A picture entered by Claire Denk, of her daughters, the sister act of five-year-old Neala and three-year-old Anna, took home the top prize – a DSLR-style Sony A600 camera.
Neala and Anna wore matching outfits to the awards ceremony and exhibition of finalists’ photos, which took place on board a former tender ship, the MV Cill Áirne on the River Liffey. Everything was co-ordinated from their dresses to their hairbands.
Speaking to Irish Country Living, Neala said she and Anna’s favourite game to play together is hide and seek.
Their mother Claire said she was delighted that the girls won the competition, as they are very close and have a strong bond. “They have never been apart from each other, they are always together. I come from a big family and have two sisters.
“A sister is a friend you can never get away from. Friendships, they come in different shapes and sizes. But no matter what happens in life, you always have to forgive your sister. It’s the one friendship you can never get away from. It’s like a third arm.
Claire Denk with daughters Anna and Neala and Jon White of Fisherman's Friend.
“They are polar opposites, north and south. Neala is a very straight character, whereas Anna is more carefree. I think they kind of balance each other out, so it’s great. I think as you go through life it’s harder to make friends.”
As part of the nationwide search for Ireland’s Greatest Friendship, individuals from across Ireland were encouraged to share photos that captured friendship and provide a short description of what that relationship means to them.
Out of hundreds of entries, Claire’s photo of Neala and Anna was selected as the winner. The photo portrayed the two sisters’ friendship acutely and captured the judges’ hearts.
The judging panel was made up of editor of Irish Country Living Amii McKeever, Irish Country Living journalist Anne O’Donoghue, fellow of the Irish Photographic Federation (FIPF) and Dublin Camera Club member Gerry Andrews and area business manager of Fisherman’s Friend Jon White.
Speaking at the event, Jon, who travelled from his base in the US to be a part of the celebrations, said: “Strength is a cornerstone of what the Fisherman’s Friend brand stands for and we believe that there is strength in friendship, and that friendship should be celebrated and recognised. Often people are so busy building and getting on with ‘life’, that they rarely seek to give recognition to a close friend.
“It has been a privilege to judge this competition, in partnership with the Irish Farmers Journal, and to celebrate and recognise Ireland’s Greatest Friendships. The quantity and quality of the entries was very impressive, depicting an incredible diversity and range of interpretations of friendship.
“Claire’s photo, which stood out for all the judges, captured the friendship between her daughters and is a very worthy winner of the title of Ireland’s Greatest Friendship.”
A family-owned business that has been making much-loved lozenges for over 150 years, Fisherman’s Friend knows the importance of strong friendship. Through this national search a number of stories and images have been uncovered that capture what is at the heart of Irish communities – friendship.
The search for Ireland’s Greatest Friendship launched in October 2018. For more details on this year’s competition and to see the full range of finalists, visit the Fisherman’s Friend Ireland Facebook page.
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