Taken at Garretstown beach in Co. Cork on what was until then, a beautiful day!

Taken on a lovely bright, still morning in Curraghchase.

An old ZV reg Landrover parked up at Moll’s Gap between Killarney and Kenmare. An unusual location to try and sell a vehicle, but kind of fitting given the machine that it is at the same time!

Taken on a quiet Sunday morning in Sneem.

It’s been a while since my last post – life has been hectic with work and cars. Sí and I took part in a photowalk around the Cork Fortifications last weekend. The first day took in Spike Island (and some of Cork city, which I didn’t make it to). Spike Island is a strange place – when we arrived, it struck me as being very peaceful place. About five minutes later our guide told us about Viking raids, convict ships leaving for Van Diemen’s Land, the War of Independence and riots in the eighties… this place had a sad, often violent past. It really is an incredible place though, just to look around at the buildings – from the Fort itself to the various cell blocks, all had been built at different points in, what is now, History. While most of the buildings on the Island are derelict, there is plenty to see and definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Cobh with a few hours to spare.

About the photos:
I’ve tried to move away from my standard processing – I’m not sure what to make of the results. All opinions/advice welcome – just leave a comment below!

Thanks to Ryan & Photowalk.ie for organising the Photowalk!

Round 4 of the Connaught Competition Engines Irish Hillclimb and Sprint Championship took place on the fearsome Ballyalban hill in Co. Clare last month. Ballyalban is the finest bit of Tarmac in Ireland – I’ve driven all of the Gaps and Passes on this Island, so I do feel that I’m qualified to make that statement. (more…)

Shot from the Claddagh side of the River Corrib of colourful houses on “The long walk”.

A Galway city skyline – the churches of St. Augustines, St. Nicholas and the Cathedral.

Taken on an overcast day at Kylemore Abbey. As far as I can remember, Kylemore Abbey was originally a private home built by Mitchell Henry back in the 1860s. Mitchell, a wealthy English politician, spared no expense during construction of the house.

For me, the highlight of the grounds has to be the walled garden – it originally featured 21 glass houses, which were heated by boilers which allowed him to grow banannas and other tropical plants. And as most of the glasshouses were linked, it also gave guests a dry warm place to walk on the days when the weather was being less than cooperative. Sadly all of the original glass houses were collapsed over time, however two have been restored to their former glory.

In the 1920s, the Benedictine Community founded the Abbey and opened a boarding school. They are doing a fabulous job maintaining the grounds.

I really wish I could have seen this place in the 1800s – it must have been something else.

A PR company, Simply Zesty (via Stephen over at Galloping Green), got in touch last week about a campaign Nokia were running for their new flagship model – the N8. Basically they were looking for a few photo bloggers to take photos at various locations (more…)

Taken on the road to Leenane from Louisburgh. I took a few different shots of this particular view. For me the road provides scale, but I’m not 100% sure about the composition at the same time. Comments and thoughts appreciated.

Taken a few miles outside Louisburgh, Co. Mayo if my memory serves me correctly. Beautiful part of the world – if a little bleak at times.