Donncha

Lines in the crops

A tractors trail leads off to the end of the field near Kilcrea Friary in Co Cork.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	Canon EOS 6D
Focal length	17mm
ISO	100

A Tour of Coventry Music Museum

The Vauxhall car used in the Ghost Town video.

A Fender Telecaster guitar that was signed by all The Specials prior to their return in 2008. Below it is an authentic Specials US tour photograph with the band at The Twin Towers.

The Ghost Town Organ, on loan from Jerry Dammers.

Advertising for The Specials and others playing at LPSU

A flag flying from the outside wall of The Coventry Music Museum

Last June I visited The Coventry Music Museum. It’s a wonderful experience for anyone who knows anything about Ska music.

After hearing the sad news that Terry Hall passed away I had to dig up these photos for you. There were so many nice messages on Mastodon this morning on the #TerryHall hashtag I think a lot of people will be interested to see the actual car that was used in the Ghost Town video.

The car was found in a very bad state of disrepair and was lovingly restored by fans who volunteer at the museum.

The bedroom has a huge number of posters and just stuff that you’ll recognise if you grew up in the UK or Ireland in the 80s.

The guitar is a Fender Telecaster that was signed by all The Specials prior to their return in 2008.

The organ was used by Jerry Dammers in Ghost Town.

This is only a selection of what’s there in the museum. If you’re around Coventry it’s well worth a visit!

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7M3
Focal length	16mm
ISO	20000
Shutter speed	1/60s

Oscar in the snow

A shitzu dog walking the snow next to a wall with parked cars in the background.

Twelve years ago today, it had snowed heavily in Blarney. I took Oscar out for a walk that morning and brought my camera along because of the snow!

I don’t think he really minded the cold, but he was always happy to get home, snow or not!

Aperture	ƒ/10
Camera	Canon EOS 40D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/125s

Hope for Happiness

A man wearing a tshirt with "HOPE" and a ship's anchor on it is laughing and grabbing the arm of someone off camera.

A man on the streets of Madrid laughs as he grabs a friend’s arm.

Aperture	ƒ/4
Camera	Canon EOS 6D
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/320s

The Ferris Wheel after Sunset

The top half of the Ferris Wheel on Grand Parade with St. Fin Barr's Cathedral in the background and the sky is a lovely orange and purple

The Ferris Wheel on Grand Parade in Cork pictured just after sunset, in December 2016. This year the wheel is further up the street so you can’t get this photo now.

I haven’t been in town at sunset this month either but hopefully someone got a nice sunset photo of the wheel this year.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	Canon EOS 6D
Focal length	76mm
ISO	160
Shutter speed	1/80s

My comfortable Pets

A chihuahua in a bed looking at the camera

First up is Hoppy. She’s around 13 and only has three legs but she’s a fast mover. In the past she didn’t mind the cold but now she likes to avoid it.

Here’s Mommy Cat. She’s Hoppy’s mom.

She’s around 16 as best we can guess, as she was around for a few years before she brought her kittens in to us.

For years, she would never come into the house, but now she spends 99% of the day inside, asleep. She doesn’t go any further than the garden now.

We can’t touch her as she’ll take a swipe at us if we do, but we still love her.

Then there’s Diego, our chihuahua. He was 8 this year. A middle aged dog with a special diet and who absolutely loves cuddles.

The cats and him sort of ignore each other, but if the cats get a treat, Diego makes sure that we know he wants one too.

A small ceramic dog embedded in frosty grass

It’s so very cold outside but Hoppy, Mommy Cat and Diego are inside in the warmth and putting up with me taking photos of them.

Aperture	ƒ/2.8
Camera	ILCE-7M3
Focal length	24mm
ISO	20000
Shutter speed	1/60s

Get Tsingtao Beer in San Francisco!

The window of a restaurant with an overhanging cover. The street is refected in the window and a sign for Tsingtao Beer floats in the window.

Walking down a street in San Francisco and this sign for Tsingtao Beer caught my eye.

This was taken in 2007, during an Automattic meetup, which later became known as a Grand Meetup. In 2007, the company was so small, it wasn’t so Grand, but it was Great!

Aperture	ƒ/4
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/100s

Gardai in the shop

Two Gardai enter a shop. The shop has a bright yellow border matching the colour of the shoulder area of the Gardai uniforms

Gardai enter a shop on Grafton Street, late one evening in October this year.

Their uniforms match the bright yellow shop colours.

Aperture	ƒ/2.8
Camera	ILCE-7M3
Focal length	24mm
ISO	5000
Shutter speed	1/500s

A Garda car in the rain

A Garda (police) car driving along a street while rain falls at night. A cyclist is on the rother side of the road and pedestrians walk on the pavement.

A Garda car speeds past with lights flashing outside Trinity in Dublin a few weeks back. Rain made the evening miserable, but I had an umbrella and there were still loads of people about.