Grand Parade on the Lee

This is the Grand Parade in Cork, from across the River Lee on Sullivan’s Quay. It was the graffiti on the river wall, “Tek”, that prompted me to shoot this image and I like how it came out.

It does lose something in this resized version because of the distant detail but it’s going to be a while before everyone has 20″ monitors and even longer before I put full size images on display for public consumption.

Aperture ƒ/13
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 20mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/160s

Light trails on Oliver Plunkett Street

Light trails from a passing car leave their mark on this long exposure shot of Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork.

Can you see pink lights on the vertical poles standing at the edge of the pavement? On my Linux box they’re clear as day but I can’t see them at all in Preview on the Macbook.

The lights were designed and made by MAAS here in Cork and the colour changes slowly from blues to purples to pinks to yellow and to any other colour. It’s quite a sight to see the colour change when standing at one end of this long straight street!

Aperture ƒ/11
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 8s

Which way to Radio Kerry?

A wall in Killarney, Co. Kerry in February this year. I love the red brick and the assortment of colours – blue, red, gold, black and the creeping green at the end of the wall.

Aperture ƒ/5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/50s

Royal purple cider

After a particularly grueling few hours traipsing around the shops in Cork I was on my way to Vibes and Scribes in Bridge Street when I spotted an empty can of Bulmers in front of the purple doors of an old building on Camden Place. In fact it’s the front door of the Cork Rape Crisis Centre. Obviously a drunk had taken shelter in the doorway the previous night.

Yes, that’s my shadow in the door!
PS. thank you so much for the comments yesterday. Rest assured, the donkey will be returning to a screen near you!

Aperture ƒ/14
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/15s

Pedestrian Zone

Many of the side streets off St. Patrick’s Street in Cork are now pedestrian zones. In fact, Oliver Plunkett Street is closed off to traffic on Saturdays too which is great for shoppers.

Check out Donal’s latest photos from his trip to Lesotho. The second group portrait is particularly good!

Aperture ƒ/4.5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 11mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/400s

Pathway to Gallarus

If you visit the Dingle Peninsula you must visit the Gallarus Oratory. It’s an early Christian church, possibly built in the 6th century. There is a visitor centre but don’t be fooled into paying the entrance fee. The building is a national monument and the public have a right to see it. Your entrance fee does pay for a crummy video in a dark and musty room but to be honest it’s not worth it! Continue up the road and you’ll find a path leading directly to the church.
Your taxes pay for the upkeep of the building so why pay another charge to see it?

Aperture ƒ/10
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/200s

Barbara Jessie Burton 1927

This foundation stone is set into a building at one end of Princes Street, Cork. I never noticed it until the day I took this photo and a quick search for Barbara Jessie Burton returns information and pictures of foundation stones laid by her in the years following 1927:

Does anyone know anything else about Barbara Jessie Burton?

Aperture ƒ/4
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/25s

JCB on the street

A JCB helps to dig up the Grand Parade in Cork. This was shot last September and like the previous couple of shots, this street is completely different now. It’s looking well, although the fancy stonework is begining to lose it’s shine. The chewing gum is sticking, and the fumes of a living city blacken and dirty the white and red stone of the surface.

Still, it looked nice when it was completed. They’re just finishing off bits of the Grand Parade now so it’s interesting to see the difference between the new surface and the older.

Aperture ƒ/9
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/160s

Antennas in the sky like sentinels

Antennas reach to the sky above San Francisco. I’m not sure of the name of this hill, or how to get there again! Niall showed myself and Mark around up there before heading down by the Bay Bridge, grabbing a bite to eat in a local restaurant and finally ending up at the post-WordCamp bash with the rest of Automattic and everyone else!

Aperture ƒ/13
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/320s

The Collins Bookshop

If you walk past this area now, the Amacas Restaurant is in this building on Paul Street, Cork. At the time the building was empty, having been vacated by the Gingerbread House a few weeks previously.
This sign is now gone too, but Collins Bookshop on Carey’s Lane is still there, I think. There’s a fancy glass partition in front of the building now where smokers can sup their coffee and eat their food. A far cry from the previous occupant’s dining arrangements.

I’m a sucker for old and weather beaten signs, street furniture and general rusted implements so I had to get a shot of this while walking past.

Aperture ƒ/5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/200s

The Atlantic Manor Hotel Demolished

The Atlantic Manor Hotel stood for many a year at Garrettstown in Co. Cork and is even still listed on a travel website but it is gone now. Ryan visited there a while back and took some great interior shots of the decaying ruins before they disappeared. Check out his Flickr album too.

A JCB operator was clearing up some of the rubble when we happened to drive past last year and as luck would have it, I only had my wide angle lens so I was limited in what I could shoot unfortunately. It does force you to learn a new discipline and work with what you have though.

We drove past there recently and all that remains is barren wasteland. People still have their memories.

Jacinta and Adam are possibly coming home today. I’m very happy (and tired!)


Apertureƒ/13
CameraCanon EOS 20D
Focal length10mm
ISO200
Shutter speed1/320s

Stop for four

The light says stop so we stop. A junction in downtown San Francisco as we walked about town. I just realised the vehicle in the picture is parked awfully close to the corner. There isn’t any driver staring madly at the camera. Hope he didn’t get a ticket. That’s Banana Republic across the street and what looks like Rinelli?

Off to the hospital again in a short while. Unlike the beautiful blue sky in this photo it’s overcast outside, but I’ll be in a hospital room for most of the day so it doesn’t matter..

Aperture ƒ/4
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/640s