A doorway in Kinsale saying what we all hope for in this crazy, violent world. Free Palestine.
Videos I watched recently:
| Aperture | ƒ/7.1 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 3200 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
Shadows of North Main Street
A month ago, Cork City Council acquired 4 eyesore buildings at the top of North Main Street in Cork. They are in a prominent location and not used for much over the years – I remember a shoe store in one, a clothes store in the place next to it and a retro goods store too. They’ve been mostly derelict for a long time.
Hopefully they’ll be demolished and we’ll see something decent done with the location.
North Main Street sits on one of Cork’s oldest thoroughfares and was actually built on reclaimed marshland. The street runs parallel to what was once the original course of the River Lee before extensive land reclamation in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the Georgian buildings here were constructed using limestone quarried from local Cork quarries, which is why they’ve developed that distinctive weathered patina that photographs so beautifully in black and white.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 12800 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
Ghosts on the Millennium Bridge
The Millennium Bridge has always been a bit of a drama queen – first it wobbled so much they had to shut it down, and now it’s serving up some of the most atmospheric shots in London.
This long exposure captures something almost supernatural about the daily pilgrimage across the Thames, with ghostly figures drifting like spirits between the sleek modernity of Norman Foster’s steel and glass creation and the timeless majesty of Wren’s baroque masterpiece. The blurred pedestrians become streams of human consciousness, each person’s journey reduced to ethereal wisps against the solid certainty of St. Paul’s dome.
The Millennium Bridge earned the nickname “Wobbly Bridge” because it swayed so dramatically when it first opened in 2000 that it had to be closed after just three days. The problem was “synchronous lateral excitation” – when large crowds walked in step, their footfalls created a resonance that made the bridge sway side to side by up to 7 centimetres, causing people to walk in sync to compensate, which only made the wobbling worse.
Photography videos I’ve watched recently:
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 41mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 5s |
Father Mathew Quay Torn Up
Father Mathew Quay is a road that is definitely closed. The tarmac has been torn up to be remade into something better, hopefully.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 25mm |
| ISO | 1000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
Black and Blue
A striking blue wall on Dykegate Street caught my eye, especially in the bright sunlight that cast a stark shadow across it.
Dingle is located in the heart of the Kerry Gaeltacht, one of Ireland’s officially designated Irish-speaking regions where Irish is the community language. The bilingual street signs throughout the town reflect this status, with the Irish name “Sráid an Daighide” appearing first, followed by the English “Dykegate Street.” The tradition of painting houses in bright colours in Dingle dates back centuries and was originally practical – helping fishermen identify their homes from the sea. Today, these colourful buildings have become one of Dingle’s most distinctive features, with strict planning guidelines ensuring that the tradition continues while maintaining the town’s unique character.
| Aperture | ƒ/4 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/2500s |
Castle Street Reflections
When I was out with Blarney Photography Club during the summer, we headed into town one evening. Love the reflection. Thanks Rodney for the idea!
Castle Street in Cork gets its name from the medieval Cork Castle that once stood nearby, though no trace of the original Norman fortification remains today. The street has been a commercial thoroughfare for centuries and is now part of Cork’s main shopping area. The Mannix name has deep roots in Cork, with the family having been involved in various businesses in the city for generations. Mannix & Culhane closed their doors earlier this year for the last time. I don’t think I ever went into either of their shops.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 12800 |
| Shutter speed | 1/60s |
A Storm Gathering Over Kerry’s Fear Marbh
Storm clouds gathered on an August evening on the Dingle Peninsula. I was hoping for a nice sunset, and the sun briefly appeared, but this was a few minutes later. Strong winds started to blow and I had to hold on to my tripod to stop the camera from shaking and potentially falling over!
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 112mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1.3s |
It’s a bird city
Cork City, where birds have become incredibly adept at turning human carelessness into dining opportunities.
Urban-adapted birds like the seagulls and crows photographed here have developed significantly different behaviours compared to their rural counterparts. City-dwelling seagulls often show reduced fear responses to humans and have learned to time their foraging around peak human activity periods, such as lunch hours when dropped food is most available.
Crows, meanwhile, have demonstrated remarkable problem-solving abilities in urban environments and can even learn to associate specific locations with regular food sources. Studies have shown that urban bird populations often have different dietary compositions, stress hormone levels, and even song patterns compared to rural birds, reflecting their adaptation to city life and the constant presence of human activity.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 150mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/320s |
Church Bay’s Cosmic Cathedral
The Milky Way as seen from just above Church Bay, at Weaver Point, in Co. Cork. This was last night, a few minutes after the moon had set. Unfortunately, the centre of the galaxy was hidden behind a bank of clouds at the horizon. The forecast said there would be about 30% cloud, but thankfully it mostly didn’t cover most of the galaxy.
The best time to see the centre of the Milky Way again from Ireland will be in March 2026. However, you’ll still be able to shoot the less bright celestial arms once the moon has set for a good few weeks, probably.
I recommend using Sun Surveyor to plan a Milky Way shot. Photopills is good too, but the street view integration in Sun Surveyor is difficult to beat.
| Aperture | ƒ/2.8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 6400 |
| Shutter speed | 20s |
Rocks in the Misty Surf of West Cork
The restless Atlantic waves become ghostly veils of white mist caressing the rocks on Owenahincha Beach, Co Cork.
Henry shared a photo of this same rock yesterday. There are lovely swirls of water in his photo.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 2s |
Driftwood at Owenahincha
Last night Blarney Photography Club travelled to Owenahincha Beach to do some seascapes. We hoped to do some Milky Way photography later in the evening too but cloud cover got thicker and after some socialising in the nearby Celtic Ross Hotel we went home.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 2s |
Dunquin’s Dramatic Edge
Dunquin Harbour is mostly photographed from the cliffs above because there is a narrow winding path that descends on a steep trajectory to sea level.
As I said previously in my photo of An Fear Marbh the sky was a monochrome grey but suddenly the clouds dispersed and some of the lovely light of the sunset leaked through. This is a bracketed shot I got from near sea level before rushing up the path to get a few more photos. 🙂
Dunquin Harbour served as the traditional departure point for boats traveling to the now-uninhabited Blasket Islands, with the last permanent residents leaving in 1953. The harbour’s dramatic location at the western tip of the Dingle Peninsula made it strategically important for accessing the islands, despite the challenging Atlantic conditions. The area is rich in Irish language and culture, being part of the Kerry Gaeltacht where Irish is still spoken as a community language. The distinctive rock formations visible in this photograph are part of the ancient geological structure of the Dingle Peninsula, composed primarily of Devonian sandstones and siltstones that were formed over 400 million years ago and shaped by countless Atlantic storms.
| Aperture | ƒ/13 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/5s |