• Curves and Colours

    A woman walks past a blue and green art piece.

    A few months ago the Counting House on South Main Street, Cork, was opened to the public for a day. Upstairs was an art exhibit, including this one.


    Apertureƒ/1.7
    CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
    Focal length6.3mm
    ISO160
    Shutter speed1/500s

  • Lodge 234

    A door with a sign on the it saying "Lodge 234" and the Square and compass logo associated with them.

    I was surprised to see the Masonic Square and Compass logo on a weathered door in Kinsale a few weeks ago. Luckily there’s no public park next door where they can buy a plot of land to extend the building for €1 like they did in Cork City.

    CORK city councillors have voted to dispose of a section of land in Bishop Lucey Park to the Freemasons to allow for an extension of the Freemasons’ Hall on Tuckey St.

    The area of ground, approximately 53.6m², will be disposed to Craft Properties Limited – the legal entity for The Provincial Grand Lodge of Munster Freemasons – for the sum of €1, plus costs of €1,500 plus VAT.


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length24mm
    ISO1600
    Shutter speed1/125s

  • Love Walking

    A bollard with a sign showing a man walking and an arrow pointing left. Two love hearts surround the man.

    One of the signs surrounding the building site on McCurtain Street and Patrick’s Hill. Gotta love walking!


    Apertureƒ/2.8
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length24mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/3200s

  • La Scala Movements

    The "La Scala" logo on the outside of that building in Crosshaven, seen as a blur

    A simple ICM photo of the La Scala logo in Crosshaven. A little experiment made a few months ago when Blarney Photography Club visited the town.


    Apertureƒ/9
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length24mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/1.3s

  • 2023 Fireworks on Spike Island

    Fireworks light up the sky above Fort Mitchel on Spike Island.

    Last night I attended the 85th Birthday Celebrations & Commemorations on Spike Island in Cork Harbour.

    Eagle-eyed readers will already have seen the fireworks photo I posted to this page yesterday. Readers with even better eye sight will have noticed that I replaced the image I uploaded yesterday with a slightly different version today. Call it me being peculiar, but I wanted to edit the photo on my computer today and make the best of the image. The one that I uploaded yesterday came from minimal editing in Lightroom on my phone while we waited for the ferry.

    From the Spike Island website,

    At Spike Island, we’re celebrating our 85th birthday this year with our annual Family Fun Evening and Fireworks Display, marking the date when Spike Island was officially handed from Britain to Ireland in 1938. In honour of this momentous occasion, we’ll be celebrating our Independence Day with a spectacular fireworks display, musical performances and family fare on Saturday 8th July.
    Visitors will board the ferry across the world’s second largest natural harbour, enjoy a guided tour on arrival, explore the fort’s amazing museums and exhibitions and walk the amazing island nature trails. On this special night, there will also be family entertainment, children’s activities,  pop-up musical performances, face painters and more.

    To close the night, a fireworks display will launch 1300 fireworks into the sky over Cork Harbour, one for every inmate who died on the island in its three incarnations as a prison.

    This year, to mark the 85th anniversary of the 1938 handover of the ‘Treaty Ports’ from Britain to Ireland, Spike Island is also hosting a new Handover Exhibition at Mitchel Hall featuring a newly added collection of original artefacts. Visitors will have the opportunity to view this exhibition telling the story of our independence on the evening of the celebrations event.

    I booked my ticket late, so we arrived just before 8pm, did a tour of the fort, bought some food in the restaurant and settled down to wait until the fireworks started, accompanied by Strictly Cash, a Johnny Cash tribute band.

    The fireworks went on for some time and were spectacular. We had a great time photographing them, and the images you see here are only a small selection of the images I shot.

    The ferry back was supposed to be at midnight, but things got delayed. I think it might have been almost 1am by the time we reached Cobh. The rain held off all evening, until just after midnight, but luckily, I had an umbrella with me. Bizarrely, there was no sign of rain in Cobh at all!


    Apertureƒ/6.3
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length24mm
    ISO400
    Shutter speed1s

  • Fireworks on Spike Island

    Fireworks light up the sky above the buildings of Spike Island

    Fireworks lit up the sky above Spike Island this evening!

    Posting this from the island.


    Apertureƒ/6.3
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length28mm
    ISO400
    Shutter speed3s

  • Red 6

    The lovely deep red of a house with the number 6 on it's door. Two windows can partially be seen above and to the right of the door.

    No 6 in Kinsale recently. I loved the red colour and the contrasting white/cream door and windows.


    Apertureƒ/9
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length57mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/6s

  • The Old Bank House of Kinsale

    The top of the Old Bank House and other buildings in Kinsale and the green fields, trees and houses behind.

    The Old Bank House, or Old Bank Townhouse is a 5 star hotel, right at the busiest junction in Kinsale. I’ve walked past there loads of times, drove past there more times, but I never noticed the 5 star designation.

    The Google Maps reviews for this establishment are very positive, although it comes as no surprise that some guests have mentioned the presence of noise.


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length240mm
    ISO8000
    Shutter speed1/1000s

  • The Green Door

    A green door and a wheelie bin. A No Parking sign on the door and the wheelie bin comes from Country Clean.

    A colour coordinated door and wheelie bin in Kinsale caught my eye.


    Apertureƒ/9
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length24mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/2s

  • The Homes of Kinsale

    The homes and businesses of Kinsale seen from the hill opposite.

    If you’ve been to Kinsale you’ll be familiar with the centre of town but behind those businesses are the homes of local residents, stretching up towards the top of the hill.

    It’s a lovely town, full of history and of course great food, so well worth a visit. 🙂


    Apertureƒ/6.3
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length78mm
    ISO1000
    Shutter speed1/320s

  • White Sand and Dunes

    White sand and dunes and blue skies and fluffy clouds

    The white sands of Maghera Beach in Donegal go on and on into the distance. Not many people visiting this beautiful day in 2017 when I was there.


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraCanon EOS 6D
    Focal length17mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/250s

  • The Hills off Inch Beach

    Far away hills lit up by the setting sun with ephemeral waves lapping the shore

    Off Inch Beach in Co Kerry, in August 2015. A lovely sunset casts a glow on the hills opposite. A slow, long exposure blends the waves together.


    Apertureƒ/22
    CameraCanon EOS 6D
    Focal length105mm
    ISO50
    Shutter speed2s