Tabloid and agency news photographer Ciaran Donnelly has died suddenly at the age of 74.
Belfast-born Donnelly spent most of his career in Scotland where he was a hugely popular character.
He started work in his native Northern Ireland, then moving to Europe and England, before settling in Scotland.
He had an enviable career as a newspaper photographer, recording life’s drama and entertainment, as well as bearing witness to some major moments in global history.
He worked for the Daily Star before setting up Caledonia Press, a photographic agency that serviced most Scottish outlets. He was also picture editor for the Scottish Sun.
Later, Donnelly and his wife of over 30 years, Lesley Donald – herself an award-winning photographer – set up Forth Pictures, servicing television stations and news outlets.
Andy Lines, chief reporter of the Daily Mirror said: “Ciaran was a fantastic photographer and a fantastic colleague as well.
“He really was a one-off. For 40-plus years he was a true great of Scottish journalism after his brave earlier work in Belfast.
“When you were sent on a job with Ciaran you knew you were going to work hard and play hard.
“I can still hear him singing ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ by the Eagles in a posh hotel in Inverness to American tourists when the band didn’t turn up. He got a standing ovation.”
Most recently, Ciaran worked at Edinburgh’s criminal courts, where he was popular with court officials, journalists, and legal professionals alike.
A long-time resident of North Queensferry, and before that Cairneyhill, was born in Belfast and brought up in Holywood, County Down,
He held his family dear and was the life and soul at family gatherings. He is survived by wife Lesley and elder son Aaron, (while his younger son Matthew pre-deceased him).
Ciaran Donnelly: 15/06/1950 to 29/04/2025
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