The Worldwide Photowalkers

41 had signed up but some couldn’t make it unfortunately. In the end, a more manageable 23 turned up. Here’s most of us as pictured afterwards in The Old Oak bar where we went for drinks and sandwiches.

I had a great time today, I think everyone else did too by their reactions. The day didn’t go quite as I had planned. We met at the GPO at 2pm, waited a few minutes for stragglers and then just because it started to rain we headed to The English Market.

Half an hour or so there and people were making comments about the number of cameras so we walked up Oliver Plunkett Street and found the Globalfest Festival in full swing in Bishop Lucey Park!

It was great to walk through the park, the rain kept off, a stage play provided plenty of shots, and other activities and people did too. Off through the side gate and just as we got on to Tuckey Street, the heavens opened and rain poured down. Luckily the awning in front of Tribes was down. Good cover for all of us!

As the rain let up we headed towards the Grand Parade again, on the way to The Clarion for the end of the Lee Swim. We stopped at Nano Nagle Bridge to shoot the local scenery and then at the Peace Park (they’ve done a great job on that, much more open and visible than it was), and then off down South Mall.

The Lee Swim had started at 3pm, it was 3:35pm now and my brother Donal rang to say the swimmers would be on the home stretch now. I walked a little faster.

We got to the Clarion to find the last few dozen swimmers hitting home. The final swimmer was visibly suffering, doing the backstroke slowly against the current. When he finally slapped the target a huge cheer and clapping erupted from the crowd. He was helped into a Zodiac for the final trip to the quayside. There’s no way I could do what they did. Amazing stuff.

Then it was off to The Old Oak. My wife and son arrived just as we did which was happy timing. We commandeered their back room and a few extra chairs. People got drinks, some of us had sandwiches, we all chatted, and the group photo was taken (by my wife Jacinta. Thank you!)
Thank you so much to Gary and the staff of the bar. Wish we could have stayed longer.

Great day, feet are very sore from the unaccustomed exercise, hope we can do it again this summer!

Edit – that was fast! Katie has started posting some photos from the walk already. Check them out on the corkphotowalk tag on Flickr. She’s uploaded the same ones on pix.ie under the same tag too. Worth keeping an eye on that tag!