The cars of Cape Clear

Cape Clear Island, or Oilean Chleire, is only 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, but it’s only 40 minutes by ferry to the mainland so it’s fairly easy to bring out vehicles. In fact, I saw many more cars on the island than I did on my last trip.

As you may have guessed by the photo above, once the cars get here, they really don’t go anywhere else, and many of them are in a bad state of repair. On a previous trip, my father and I were driven up a very steep hill above the harbour in a multicoloured VW Beetle that was literally falling apart with rust. I’ll post a photo of the hill in a few days.

There also isn’t a police force on the island. I don’t think cars here are insured or taxed and you can forget the NCT ..

Apart from the two taxi vans sitting on the quay when we arrived, the newest car was a 1999 model. The oldest was a 1986 Renault. The taxis were had 2004 reg plates and in good condition.

I’d love to how or why the van in the far background got to the Island. It looks abandoned now.

Aperture ƒ/7.1
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 18mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/125s

Cape Clear North Harbour

The north harbour in Cape Clear is the main harbour on the island. There’s a south harbour as well but there’s only a small beach there, and a long quayside where the occasional small boat ties up.

To the left you can see the Club which is a small shop/cafe on the ground floor, while around the corner and upstairs is a pub. Last time I was in the pub was many years ago when I was at a book launch with my father. Up the hill is Cotter’s Bar. Never been in there, despite the fact we holidayed on the island so many times.
Finally, a new bungalow sits on a patch of land bordering the road. This wasn’t there the last time I stayed on the island for any length of time, about 15 years ago.

Aperture ƒ/9
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 48mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/160s

Speeding Boat

A speedboat, at speed, races past the more sedate Naomh Ciaran II on our way to Oilean Cleire, or Cape Clear. You can see the island itself in the background!

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 106mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/320s

Mulroy Bay II stranded in the evening sun

Another shot of the Mulroy Bay II as it lay in shallow waters in Baltimore Bay.

Aperture ƒ/11
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 125mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/50s

Warning sign in the wilderness

Another shot of the Electric Wires warning sign I posted yesterday. This one gives you a flavour of the landscape in the area, and the desolate, remote location of the sign.

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 125mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/200s

Electric Wires

If you’ve ever taken the Naomh Ciaran II to Cape Clear Island this sign will be familiar to you.

WARNING
ELECTRIC WIRES
60 FT (18 Mtrs)
OVER HIGH
WATER LEVEL

PS. The cheezburger are the latest blog to use the Thieving Duck. Hope they link back to the original post.
PPS. They did, saw a trickle of hits from there.

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 200mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/160s

Mulroy Bay II

Mulroy Bay II, one of two trawlers abandoned in the waters near Baltimore town in Co Cork, Ireland. Shot from Tullagh Cemetery.

PS. Calvin took a few nights shots of the Mulroy Bay II a few days ago when local artist Sheelagh Broderick and others lit up the vessel with high powered lanterns.

Aperture ƒ/40
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 200mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/6s

Blarney Half Marathon 2008

The annual Blarney Half Marathon ran through the village and surrounding countryside yesterday. Here’s a gallery of shots I took while walking the dog. A light drizzle of rain soaked everyone, and hurried my steps home and back to the warmth. The weather was much nicer last year!

Continue reading “Blarney Half Marathon 2008”

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 21mm
ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/125s

Tullagh Cemetery at Sunset

Tullagh Cemetery in Baltimore, Co Cork, Ireland is just a field away from the excellent Casey’s Hotel where we spent the last week. I went down there one evening to shoot a couple of half capsized trawlers in the bay when I turned around and saw some of the headstones silhouetted against the setting sun.

I went searching online and found that 3 Commonwealth burials of the 1914-1918 war were in this graveyard.

Aperture ƒ/11
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 59mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/640s

Eddie Rocket’s

Eddie Rocket’s in Blackpool, Cork. I haven’t eaten here. The last time I did was in Galway at a Linux thing, probably in the late 90’s when all I remember was that it was overpriced. Still the same?

Aperture ƒ/9
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 125mm
ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/320s

Sorry, No Vacancies

A small sign in the window of a small B&B in Kinsale a few weeks ago. Business must be good, despite the downturn.

Aperture ƒ/7.1
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 88mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/125s

Tour of Ireland Crowds

Some of the crowds who gathered for the Tour of Ireland as it passed through Blarney in Co. Cork.

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 88mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/160s