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  • Punk Legends at Cyprus Avenue

    The Undertones performing on stage at Cyprus Avenue with dramatic red and white stage lighting, the lead singer centre stage with arm raised holding a microphone, flanked by a guitarist on the left and bassist on the right, with drummer visible in the background and audience silhouettes in the foreground.

    I shared a couple of photos of The Undertones last year but since they’re coming back to Cork next year and tickets just became available I decided to go look through the shots from that night again. They are fantastic, and I’m looking forward to seeing them again when they visit Cork.

    The atmosphere in Cyprus Avenue is electric, and the lighting is so atmospheric and dazzling. Great venue for a gig.

    The Undertones formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1974 and became one of the most important bands to emerge from the late 1970s punk movement. Their debut single “Teenage Kicks” (1978) was famously championed by legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who called it his favourite song of all time and requested it be played at his funeral (it was). What makes The Undertones particularly notable is that they emerged from Derry during the height of the Troubles, yet their music deliberately avoided political themes, instead focusing on universal teenage experiences like romance, frustration, and growing up. This made them hugely influential in showing that Northern Irish bands didn’t have to be defined by the conflict. The band’s current lineup still features four of the five original members, though original lead singer Feargal Sharkey left in 1983. They reformed in 1999 with new vocalist Paul McLoone and have been touring consistently since, proving that great punk rock ages remarkably well!


    Apertureƒ/1.8
    CameraILCE-7RM5
    Focal length75mm
    ISO4000
    Shutter speed1/160s

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  • Reality Meets Advertisement

    People walking along a corridor in a shopping mall in Birmingham, England. 2022.


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length23mm
    ISO640
    Shutter speed1/500s

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  • Cork in Miniature

    I love this mural showing various sights around Cork City. It’s just off Paul Street and well worth a look. The artist, Garreth Joyce, painted it in 2023.


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length24mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/125s

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  • What is Home?

    The mural, “What is Home?” by the artist Asbestos, at the end of South Main Street, in Cork. As seen through the ring of a nearby life buoy hanging on a pole.


    Apertureƒ/1.8
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length75mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/640s

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  • Ancient Athens Meets Modern Tourism

    When the sun is shining, it’s nice to have portable shade in the form of an umbrella. In Athens on the day this photo was taken it was a hot day!

    The Basilica of Megali Panagia (which translates to “Great Virgin Mary”) was an early Christian basilica built in Athens during the 5th century AD. What makes this site particularly fascinating is that it represents the transition period when Athens was shifting from its ancient pagan identity to becoming a Christian Byzantine city. The basilica was constructed using materials salvaged from older classical buildings, a common practice called “spolia”, meaning those stone blocks you see in the photograph might originally have been part of temples or structures from Athens’ classical golden age, essentially recycled into a Christian church. The site reveals multiple layers of Athenian history literally built on top of each other. Athens during summer regularly reaches temperatures of 35-40°C (95-104°F), which explains why that blue umbrella is essential equipment for archaeological site visits. Many ancient sites in Greece now restrict visiting hours during the hottest parts of the day to protect both visitors and the monuments themselves from heat damage!


    Apertureƒ/4.9
    CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
    Focal length27.2mm
    ISO50
    Shutter speed1/380s

  • The Capital of Culchies

    Twenty years ago Emmett Place in Cork was full of skateboarders jumping over ramps and very very close to a couple of photographers like me. I got some nice shots of them that have appeared here over the years but I missed this one, somehow!

    Twenty years ago. Cork in 2005. I wonder where they are now?


    Apertureƒ/5.6
    CameraCanon EOS 20D
    Focal length18mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/80s

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  • Kinsale in Full Bloom

    Kinsale’s tidy towns group must work overtime and they do a fantastic job of keeping the town tidy and colourful. These flowers were in a small boat at the end of the quay and make the area look so pretty.


    Apertureƒ/3.5
    CameraILCE-7RM5
    Focal length24mm
    ISO500
    Shutter speed1/125s

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  • When Stags Find Their Voice

    A red deer stag with large antlers decorated with vegetation stands in a grassy field with his mouth wide open mid-bellow, displaying typical rutting season vocal behaviour.
    A red deer stag with impressive antlers decorated with grass and vegetation stands in a grassy field, having just tossed plant material into the air which is suspended mid-flight above its head during rutting season behaviour.

    I travelled to Kerry this morning to photograph the rutting in Killarney National Park there. There weren’t many stags to be seen but this fellow was lying in the middle of a field I suspected would have a stag or two. After a few moments he stood up, digging his antlers in the grass and tossed his head from side to side with grass flying everywhere.

    Despite the dramatic behaviour, he looked over at the human photographers again and lay down, chewing some grass and ignored us once more.


    Apertureƒ/6.3
    CameraILCE-7RM5
    Focal length387.6mm
    ISO12800
    Shutter speed1/640s

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  • Horse Riding by the Surf

    A horse and rider just after coming out of the water. They’d been wading through the water out further. Good exercise for the horse.


    Apertureƒ/6.3
    CameraILCE-7RM5
    Focal length178mm
    ISO160
    Shutter speed1/400s

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  • Kinsale’s Waterfront Serenity

    If you’ve ever been to Kinsale in Co Cork, you’ll immediately recognise the house and tree in the picture above. If you go back in my archives you’ll probably find a photo of it from another angle, but it’s so nice I thought I should take another photo. 🙂

    TIL that style of large, spreading tree you see dominating this Kinsale scene is likely a Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani), which became incredibly fashionable to plant on Irish estates during the Georgian and Victorian periods. These trees were imported from the eastern Mediterranean and became status symbols for wealthy landowners. Having a mature Cedar of Lebanon on your property basically announced “we’ve been here long enough to grow something this impressive.” They can live for over 1,000 years and develop those distinctive horizontal, layered branches that make them instantly recognisable. The tree in this photograph is probably 150-200 years old based on its size and shape, meaning it was likely planted sometime in the early to mid-1800s when Kinsale was thriving as a fishing port and naval base. So that tree has essentially witnessed the entire modern history of the town!


    Apertureƒ/5.6
    CameraILCE-7RM5
    Focal length49mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed2s

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  • The Geometry of Retail

    I was having a coffee and scone at the café in the Cornmarket Centre when I spotted the circles on the roof. Apparently they are acoustic baffles to absorb sound waves and echoes. I guess it is quite a large enclosed area..


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length24mm
    ISO320
    Shutter speed1/30s

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  • When Art Meets Daily Life on Sullivan’s Quay

    I love the murals around Cork City, and the mural on Sullivan’s Quay is particularly eye-catching. Ordinary life continues on, but at least we’re treated to the gorgeous colours whenever we pass by.


    Apertureƒ/9
    CameraILCE-7RM5
    Focal length77mm
    ISO1600
    Shutter speed1/500s

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