Ardmore from the Air
I didn’t plan this one, like the photos of Blarney from a few days ago. It’s the kind of shot you only get when you’ve nabbed a window seat and the cloud cooperates. We were somewhere over the Waterford coast when Ardmore slid into view below, the whole headland laid out like a quilt someone…
Blarney from Above in 2016
Blarney, from the secondary school and Woolen Mills to the Castle Digging through the archive I found these two aerial photos of Blarney from September 2016, and the first one stopped me. See those fields that border the houses on 3 sides? They’re now Cluain Ard with houses, gardens, driveways, the lot. Back then it…
Horse, Dog and a Quiet Hour on Silver Strand
We visited Sherkin Island more than ten years ago and walked the narrow road to the other side of the island, to Cow Strand and then on to Silver Strand. I’ve been back a few times since but I think this is the only time I saw a horse on the beach. It was a…
The wellness slogan and the whipped cream
I shot this on Princes Street in Cork back in 2016, and I had it filed in my head all this time as a Starbucks-versus-Starbucks gag. The wellness sermon in the window was contradicted by the Frappuccino in the hand. Turns out the window belongs to Rocket Man, a salad and juice bar, which means…
Spinning Light on Grand Parade
The Big Wheel or Ferris wheel, is back in the Grand Parade in Cork, but these photos are from December 2017! You’d hardly know, except for the posters on the buildings behind. This was before Ukraine was attacked by Russia and there is now a flag of Ukraine with the text, “We’re with you Ukraine”…
Bridge Jumping Season
When the rare Irish sun decides to grace Graiguenamanagh with its presence, the locals know exactly what to do: head straight for the old stone bridge over the River Barrow. At least it was in the summer of 2013. I doubt they’re doing it today, in the middle of December.
Bus Stop Chronicles
I just read that Martin Parr passed away yesterday. He was a giant in street photography circles with a fantastic library of unusual photos showing a slice of life wherever he had his camera. I was lucky enough to attend a Zoom call he hosted last year, showing photos and telling stories. So, today’s image…
Sale at Brown Thomas
The January sales in Brown Thomas attract many but the shop is a good place to meet someone as I presume this gentleman was, back in 2016.
From the Heart of Spain
La Mariblanca, a statue in a large square in Madrid, marks the geographic centre of Spain. This is what it looked like in 2017, but the area around it has been developed since then and now there’s more places to stop and sit. La Mariblanca, May 2025
Coastal Adventure in West Cork
Just a few months shy of ten years ago, we’d visited Sherkin Island and as we were leaving I spotted a man on a RIB talking to two others on their dingy. It was a lovely warm August day, just before school was about to start again. In the background is the famous Baltimore Beacon,…
Riding the Santa Cruz Swell
More than a decade ago, I spent some time in Santa Cruz along with the rest of Automattic for the Grand Meetup that year. I’ve already posted a few sunrise photos on the beach, but these photos of surfers riding the waves have been in my TODO folder for a long time.