Laois woman's funny pig photo is in one of Ireland's most popular calendars

A Laois woman's photo features in one of Ireland's most popular calendars after being selected from many entries for inclusion in the 2026 edition.

'Did I tell you the one about' is the composition by Velma Mercer of some pigs on her neighbour's farm between Portarlington and Mountmellick that was chose as photo of the month for February in the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) calendar. 

The calendar was circulated with around 70,000 copies of the Irish Farmers Journal to the four corners of Ireland just before Christmas.

The Mountmellick Camera Club member spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live about winning the award and taking the photo, which was captured during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said the club agreed at an online meeting on a creative challenge, which had the theme of humour. This led her to the farm of a neighbour.

"I went into the pig sty and sat down with two young pigs. They rushed all around me and were all excited to see something happening in their pig pen.  

"Within about half an hour, they settled down and lay down because I wasn't doing anything exciting. I just kept shooting until I got a photograph where it looked like they were telling jokes to each other," she said.

The photographer stayed in her files until this year, when Velma decided to enter it into the IFA competition, having seen the invitation to enter online. She also entered it into a competition for the 2026 calendar of Lambe's Oil in Tullamore. By coincidence, it made it to both.

Velma was also delighted with the prize of two night stay in one of the four-star Garyvoe Hotel in Cork which is part of the Original Irish Hotels group.

"I'd like to thank both the IFA and Original Irish Hotels for such a fabulous prize. The hotel couldn't have been more friendly," she said. READ MORE BELOW THE WINNING PHOTO.

'Did I tell you the one about'. Pic: Velma Mercer

Velma was busy during the pandemic, during which she did a course on food photography, which led to a certificate from the Irish Photography Association following a substantial amount of work. But her passion is outdoor photography, especially when she is out walking either in nature or in rural areas.

She says that when she brings a camera out with her, she spends far more time outdoors than if she were to just go out for a walk.

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Velma is proud of Mountmellick Camera Club, which she says is made up of a friendly, relaxed and non-competitive group of people who love photography.

"Through being a member for over 10 years, I have learned how to achieve good photos, and enjoyed many days out and many hours of good camaraderie in the process. The club welcomes new members at any time," she said.

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The theme of the 2026 calendar was ‘A Breath of Fresh Air’.