The October ’24 Aurora

Yesterday, I noticed that Henry was warning us (in Blarney Photography Club) that there was likely going to be a great display of aurora borealis that night. I’m recovering from a cold, so I was just going to stay in and watch TV, which I did. Nothing was going to get me out into the cold night.

I woke up this morning around 2am and saw a message from my sister where she sent on a fabulous photo of the aurora in the sky over her home. Already feeling FOMO, that was the last straw and I got out of bed and drove down to the River Martin walk to photograph the sky silhouetted by the hills on either side. I hoped there would be some sort of reflection in the water of the pool, but it wasn’t strong enough.

I should have gone home then, but I’m glad I drove up to Waterloo Church and you can see some of the photos I took there too.

The temperature had dropped from 2.5C to 0.5C in the time I was out and my camera battery had gone from 57% to 0%, and a torch battery had succumbed to the cold too.

To my eyes, I could see a green glow, but the pink and purple were only really visible in the photos. I could make out the red in the sky behind the church, though. A remarkable display.

There’s a good chance of more aurora tonight. I need to lie down now for a nap. zzzz

The image shows a night sky with a vivid display of the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. The sky is filled with stars and features a gradient of colours, including shades of purple and green. Silhouettes of trees and a landscape are visible in the foreground, creating a serene and natural scene.
The image shows a night sky with a vivid display of the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. The sky is filled with stars and features a gradient of colours, including shades of purple and green. Silhouettes of trees and a landscape are visible in the foreground, creating a serene and natural scene.
The image shows a night sky with a vivid display of the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. The sky is filled with stars and features a gradient of colours, including shades of purple and green. Silhouettes of trees and a landscape are visible in the foreground, creating a serene and natural scene.
The image shows a night sky with a vivid display of the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. The sky is filled with stars and features a gradient of colours, including shades of purple and green. Silhouettes of trees and a landscape are visible in the foreground, creating a serene and natural scene.
The image depicts a night sky filled with stars and a striking display of the aurora borealis, showcasing vibrant pink and purple hues. In the foreground, there is a silhouette of a tall, cylindrical stone tower, likely a historical structure, next to a building resembling a church. The scene is framed by trees and a pathway, creating a serene and picturesque setting.
The image depicts a tall, cylindrical stone tower against a vibrant night sky. The sky is illuminated with shades of pink and purple, suggesting the presence of an aurora. Stars are visible throughout the sky, adding to the scene's atmospheric beauty. The tower is marked with the year "1815" and is surrounded by trees and buildings, creating a striking contrast between the historic structure and the colorful celestial display.

Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO640
Shutter speed60s

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.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraCanon EOS 6D
Focal length24mm
ISO160
Shutter speed1/250s

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.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length600mm
ISO1000
Shutter speed1/1000s

The Deer of the Rut

A stag looks directly at the camera
A stag bellows as he walks past.
A stag looks towards me. One of his eyes is weeping and injured. He has grass in his antlers.
A stag bellows as he walks past.

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.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length600mm
ISO3200
Shutter speed1/1000s

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.


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraDSC-RX100M4
Focal length25.7mm
ISO12800
Shutter speed1/500s

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