Horses on Sherkin Island

We were visiting Sherkin Island in 2015 when I saw a rider pulling another horse along with him. This was on Cow Strand, but I’d seen him riding on Silver Strand earlier in the day. A lovely, warm, August day just before school was about to start again.


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A Stag and his hinds

I visited the National Park in Killarney, Co Kerry, today to photograph the deer with other members of Blarney Photography Club, and a few friends.

A stag looks on at a horse and trap full of tourists in the background

There weren’t many stags or deer to be seen, apart from in a field up a hill beyond the Castlerosse Park Resort golf course. We found this stag near the Torc Waterfall side of Muckross House. No other stags nearby, they were all calm and relaxed. I think the stag was slightly worried about the silly humans pointing long lenses at him from some 300m away. He needn’t have worried.


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The Deer of the Rut

A few photos of the deer in Killarney National Park a year ago when I visited there with Blarney Photography Club. These have been sitting in my “Unpublished” collection since then, so I might as well make them public.


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Brian May in the Spotlight

Queen + Adam Lambert played in the O2 in London as part of their 2022 Rhapsody Tour, and I was there in the middle of June.

I love Queen’s music. I wanted to go see them for a long time but left it late to book tickets for one of their London shows. The only seats left were away up in the rafters, to the side of the stage. (and then they announced a Belfast show a few weeks later, but we had paid for concert tickets, plane tickets and a family hotel room. Ah, well.)

One of the highlights of the gigs was when the late Freddie Mercury was shown on the big screen singing Love of My Life with Brian May. Guess who didn’t see any of it because of where he was sitting? A beautiful moment, and I knew what was happening when the crowd cheered. And I missed it all. I was crushed.

Earlier in the day, on the way to the concert, in the taxi, I took my phone out of my pocket to check Google Maps. To my horror, my phone screen remained blank. I figured the phone was still on because I heard a WhatsApp notification, but the screen remained stubbornly black. Disaster! The tickets were on my phone! Luckily, we had installed the O2 app on my family’s phones, so I consoled myself that one of those phones would work. I couldn’t be more wrong. They were logged out and because the password manager was on my phone, we had no way to log in. I remember wishing I had my laptop, which was back in the hotel. However, we weren’t the only ones in that situation, but customer support at the O2 are used to it and got us physical replacement tickets. The following morning, my phone worked fine again.

So, It wasn’t an ideal experience. Yes, you can say it was my own fault for not booking earlier, but they still offered those sections of the arena for sale, and every seat was taken. I didn’t post this or any other photo from the concert as I was so disappointed by everything that happened, but time has dulled my feelings about it. I still love Queen music, and I even love their 80s and 90s output. Despite my experience, it was spectacular to see Brian May and Roger Taylor perform.


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Cork in Decades Past Book Launch

Joe Healy, author, speaking at the launch
Joe Healy and Dan Boyle pose for a photo. Other people are visible in the background.
Joe Healy and Cork Lord Mayor, Dan Boyle.
Joe Healy and Cllr. Seamus McGrath pose for a photo. Other people are visible in the background, as well as the door to the room, emergency exit sign and a painting on the wall.
Joe Healy and Cllr. Seamus McGrath, chairperson of the Carrigaline Municipal District Counci

I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Joe Healy’s book, Cork In Decades Past, this evening, and what an event it was! Although the official launch came a bit late, as the book has already sold out, but about twenty copies were available on the night. They were all gone by the end of the night. If you want to get a taste of the stunning photos featured in the book, be sure to check out Joe’s Twitter feed, where he shares captivating snapshots regularly.

This book is a delightful journey through the evolving landscape of Cork City since the early 1980s. Both Dan Boyle and Seamus McGrath spoke about their favourite images, adding depth and insight to the evening. My own copy of the book now sits proudly on my desk, boasting a lovely, high-quality finish that’s a pleasure to look at.

The good news? Another printing has been ordered and will be available just in time for Christmas. If you have any connection to Cork at all, this book is a must-have treasure that you won’t want to miss.


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