The Galeón Andalucía in Cork

The Galeón Andalucía, a replica of a 16th-17th century Spanish galleon docked in Cork a few days ago for the European Maritime Days to Play, on yesterday and today.

I wandered down the quays where there were a number of other boats. A nice day out for school kids who got a few hours out of the classroom too!


Apertureƒ/2.2
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length2.2mm
ISO50
Shutter speed1/3800s

Trácht ar Mhalairt Slí

If the road works, why are there signs pointing out where diverted traffic goes?

Did you know that most street signs in Ireland are bilingual? As Gaeilge on top and English below.

Thanks Henry, for the company last night. A good spot to do long exposure photography.

Oh, here’s something interesting about this photo. It’s made of two images I had to merge together in Photoshop because my long exposure shot wasn’t long enough. Two 4 second shots of a slowly moving bus on a corner.

Set the layer type of the top layer to “screen” and the lights in the air come through.

The resulting tiff file was 318.7MB. That’s a monstrosity for a simple image so I converted it to DNG which resulted in a 233.3MB file, and then to lossy DNG. That squeezed it down to 7.5MB! Not bad for a 9417×6278 image.

I couldn’t see any difference in image quality. There were slight differences when I clicked the auto Transform button, but nothing major.

Original & Lossy


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length29mm
ISO50
Shutter speed6s

Underpass Artists

Two young men decorate the underpass on the Line in Blackrock this evening with spray paint. There are fabulous murals on both walls of the underpass!

Fun fact: spray paint, the tool of choice here, was invented in 1949 by Edward Seymour, on the suggestion of his wife, Bonnie.


Apertureƒ/1.7
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length6.3mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/60s

Standing for Palestine in Cork

A man carrying a Palestinian flag after the protest rally last weekend. I met him on Nano Nagle Bridge, and he said he comes in whenever he can, to join the weekly rally against the ongoing genocide in Gaza.


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/3200s

Cork City Walks Past Fashion Giants

Advertising goes unnoticed as people hurry past on Opera Lane, Cork.

Did you know the rugby shirt, with its bold stripes, was first popularised in the 19th century?


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO640
Shutter speed1/500s

Scottish Skyline: From Spires to Bridges

A beautiful sunset pictured from our apartment in Edinburgh a few weeks ago. The weather was glorious that week! It hardly rained at all!

Did you know that the Forth Bridge, visible just left of centre, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the world’s longest cantilever railway bridge when it opened in 1890? It’s still a marvel of Victorian engineering that stands proud on the Scottish skyline.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length172mm
ISO250
Shutter speed1/200s

A Tartan Souvenir Moment

A woman inspects a set of playable junior bagpipes that her husband bought in a nearby tourist store near Edinburgh Castle, Scotland.

She smiles, but I’m not sure if she’s happy. 😉

Did you know, the bagpipes, often considered Scotland’s national instrument, actually have ancient origins that trace back to the Middle East before finding their iconic home in the Highlands?


Apertureƒ/4
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length16mm
ISO200
Shutter speed1/500s

A Musical Afternoon in the Library

A close-up image of a musician playing a blue acoustic guitar and singing into a microphone in Cork City Library. The performer wears a black hat, white shirt, and brown vest, with bookshelves and a guitar on a stand in the background.
A candid photograph of two musicians performing in Cork City Library, surrounded by bookshelves. One musician plays the violin while the other plays an acoustic guitar and sings into a microphone. A small red table with water glasses and a bottle stands in the foreground, and a guitar rests on a stand between the performers. A library sign reading "Romance" is visible on a shelf behind them.

Joey Neville entertained a small audience in Cork City Library this afternoon with a selection of his own compositions, and other tunes. He was later joined by Eileen Healy on violin.


Apertureƒ/4.9
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length27.2mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/35s

A Burst of Yellow in Edinburgh Traffic

A yellow bus following a yellow Tesla taxi caught my eye on the streets of Edinburgh recently. Most of the Teslas I saw there were white! A bold move by the taxi driver.

I wonder if they have the “I bought it before Elon went crazy” bumper sticker on the back. I presume not. Elon showed his true colours many years ago.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length100mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/2500s

A Selfie with Deacon Brodie

What! You’re looking at your phone! I imagine Deacon Brodie would be amazed at technology today.

Apparently he was a “respected cabinetmaker by day and a burglar by night, making him one of Edinburgh’s most notorious historical figures”


Apertureƒ/3.5
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO640
Shutter speed1/500s

Edinburgh’s Public Square of Conscience

Several years ago, I came across Anonymous for the Voiceless in Cork, and I’ve seen them demonstrate a few times since. I saw them in Edinburgh last week when they had a small demonstration, surrounded by young people.

Anonymous for the Voiceless (AV) is an animal rights organisation specialising in edifying the public on the streets with Cubes of Truth and fostering highly effective activism groups worldwide. We hold an abolitionist stance against all forms of non-human animal exploitation and promote a clear and direct vegan message.”


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO200
Shutter speed1/500s

Through the Window: Edinburgh Reflections

A single, solitary table inside an empty office. A glass jar sits on the table, waiting for the next business to come and rent the room. Maybe a parting gift from the previous occupant?


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO16000
Shutter speed1/500s