{"id":544933,"date":"2026-07-11T19:57:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T19:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/544933\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T19:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T19:57:13","slug":"why-a-german-photographer-fell-for-letterkenny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/544933\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a German photographer fell for Letterkenny"},"content":{"rendered":"

A German photographer who is writing a book about Letterkenny says he has fallen for Donegal’s people, places, and pubs.<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9 Kranert is back in Letterkenny this week to photograph people and places for a book with the working title ‘Letterkenny – where Ireland deeply touched my soul’.<\/p>\n

The book, which he began working on in February, tells the story of how Andr\u00e9 first came to Letterkenny through the town’s twinning arrangement with his hometown of Rudolstadt<\/a>. That first visit sparked a desire to celebrate Letterkenny as a place of warm welcomes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not just the twinning itself,\u201d he tells Donegal Daily. \u201cIt is the people here, the kindness of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9\u2019s connection with Letterkenny began in 2017, when Rudolstadt Castle<\/a> was lit green for St Patrick\u2019s Day as part of the town twinning links.<\/p>\n

Last September, when his wife Andrea joined a delegation trip to Letterkenny, Andr\u00e9 decided he was coming too.<\/p>\n

The day he fell for Donegal came during a visit to Glenveagh National Park.<\/p>\n

Standing in the wind and rain, looking out over the lake and hillside, Andr\u00e9 said the beauty of the landscape overwhelmed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe weather was so intense \u2013 the wind, the rain, the lake and the hillside,” he recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stood there and broke down in tears.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9 Kranert looks through photographs of Glenveagh National Park taken during his first trip to Donegal. Photo: Rachel McLaughlin<\/p>\n

The moment later inspired the opening verse of his song Good Old Donegal.<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9 has so far written two songs inspired by the county. Good Old Donegal tells of Donegal\u2019s wild landscape, the welcome in the pubs, music late at night and the feeling of having to leave a place he knew he would return to.<\/p>\n

When asked how he sees Letterkenny through a creative visitor\u2019s eye, Andr\u00e9 says he is drawn first to the town\u2019s buildings and colour.<\/p>\n

But what catches his eye most often are Letterkenny\u2019s pubs, which he sees as part of the town\u2019s character.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is so typical of Irish life \u2013 or maybe what we, as Germans, would think of as typical Irish,” he said.<\/p>\n

Back home in Rudolstadt, there are only a couple of pubs. In Letterkenny, he was amazed to find \u201cten or twelve places where you can go, drink a beer, and sometimes there\u2019s music in every bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n You may also be interested in\n <\/p>\n

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\"Donegal<\/p>\n

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\"Lauren<\/p>\n

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While the landscape and local life have made a powerful impression, it’s the people that Andr\u00e9 returns to.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Photographer Andr\u00e9 Kranert visits Letterkenny to continue working on his book – July 2026. Photo: Rachel McLaughlin<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Blake’s Bar, one of the vibrant Letterkenny streetscapes by Andr\u00e9 Kranert<\/p>\n

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St Eunan’s Cathedral, by Andr\u00e9 Kranert<\/p>\n

During his visits to Letterkenny, Andr\u00e9 has met musicians, community figures and local characters who have helped him see Letterkenny beyond the usual visitor\u2019s view.<\/p>\n

In Rose\u2019s Bar in Creeslough, he first met Anne Nicholls and Margaret Rowland, choir members of C\u00f3r Ailigh, during a music session.<\/p>\n

Before long, Andr\u00e9 was joining in with classics including Country Roads, alongside other German visitors.<\/p>\n

It’s people like Anne and Margaret who have made Andr\u00e9 feel at home. Through those friendships, he has joined concerts, shared dinners and learned local traditions, including how to make St Brigid\u2019s crosses.<\/p>\n

This time in Letterkenny, Andr\u00e9 has been photographing people connected to the town, from musicians to business owners, craftspeople and photographers to civic figures including Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh<\/a>, who has been a key part of the Rudolstadt twinning.<\/p>\n

Before becoming a full-time photographer, Andr\u00e9 spent almost 17 years with the Th\u00fcringer Police, where his eye for detail was shaped by photographing crime scenes and evidence. He has also enjoyed meeting local Garda\u00ed at Letterkenny Garda Station while working on the book.<\/p>\n

His Letterkenny book will combine environmental portraits, street scenes, personal memories and writing about the moments that have stayed with him since his first trip. The result will be more personal than a guidebook or tourist brochure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I was here alone, in February, I have to say, I have never felt so welcome anywhere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was absolutely great.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why it is a lot of fun to do the book here.\u201d<\/p>\n

See more:<\/a> Rudolstadt’s love for Letterkenny grows as locals line up for 2027 trip<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Errigal Mountain, by Andr\u00e9 Kranert<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Muckish Mountain in July. Photo by Andr\u00e9 Kranert<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A German photographer who is writing a book about Letterkenny says he has fallen for Donegal’s people, places,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":544934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-544933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=544933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/544934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=544933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=544933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=544933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}