A German photographer who is writing a book about Letterkenny says he has fallen for Donegal’s people, places, and pubs.
André 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’.
The book, which he began working on in February, tells the story of how André first came to Letterkenny through the town’s twinning arrangement with his hometown of Rudolstadt. That first visit sparked a desire to celebrate Letterkenny as a place of warm welcomes.
“It is not just the twinning itself,” he tells Donegal Daily. “It is the people here, the kindness of the people.”
André’s connection with Letterkenny began in 2017, when Rudolstadt Castle was lit green for St Patrick’s Day as part of the town twinning links.
Last September, when his wife Andrea joined a delegation trip to Letterkenny, André decided he was coming too.
The day he fell for Donegal came during a visit to Glenveagh National Park.
Standing in the wind and rain, looking out over the lake and hillside, André said the beauty of the landscape overwhelmed him.
“The weather was so intense – the wind, the rain, the lake and the hillside,” he recalled.
“I stood there and broke down in tears.”
André Kranert looks through photographs of Glenveagh National Park taken during his first trip to Donegal. Photo: Rachel McLaughlin
The moment later inspired the opening verse of his song Good Old Donegal.
André has so far written two songs inspired by the county. Good Old Donegal tells of Donegal’s 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.
When asked how he sees Letterkenny through a creative visitor’s eye, André says he is drawn first to the town’s buildings and colour.
But what catches his eye most often are Letterkenny’s pubs, which he sees as part of the town’s character.
“It is so typical of Irish life – or maybe what we, as Germans, would think of as typical Irish,” he said.
Back home in Rudolstadt, there are only a couple of pubs. In Letterkenny, he was amazed to find “ten or twelve places where you can go, drink a beer, and sometimes there’s music in every bar.”
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While the landscape and local life have made a powerful impression, it’s the people that André returns to.
Photographer André Kranert visits Letterkenny to continue working on his book – July 2026. Photo: Rachel McLaughlin
Blake’s Bar, one of the vibrant Letterkenny streetscapes by André Kranert
St Eunan’s Cathedral, by André Kranert
During his visits to Letterkenny, André has met musicians, community figures and local characters who have helped him see Letterkenny beyond the usual visitor’s view.
In Rose’s Bar in Creeslough, he first met Anne Nicholls and Margaret Rowland, choir members of Cór Ailigh, during a music session.
Before long, André was joining in with classics including Country Roads, alongside other German visitors.
It’s people like Anne and Margaret who have made André feel at home. Through those friendships, he has joined concerts, shared dinners and learned local traditions, including how to make St Brigid’s crosses.
This time in Letterkenny, André has been photographing people connected to the town, from musicians to business owners, craftspeople and photographers to civic figures including Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh, who has been a key part of the Rudolstadt twinning.
Before becoming a full-time photographer, André spent almost 17 years with the Thüringer Police, where his eye for detail was shaped by photographing crime scenes and evidence. He has also enjoyed meeting local Gardaí at Letterkenny Garda Station while working on the book.
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.
“The first time I was here alone, in February, I have to say, I have never felt so welcome anywhere,” he said.
“It was absolutely great.
“That is why it is a lot of fun to do the book here.”
See more: Rudolstadt’s love for Letterkenny grows as locals line up for 2027 trip
Errigal Mountain, by André Kranert
Muckish Mountain in July. Photo by André Kranert