The bike might be a little small but it got him to Monkstown in the end, I hope.
| Aperture | ƒ/5.6 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 55mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/25s |
Tag Archives: Cork
Mahon’s Radio Tower
Twenty two years separate the two images here. The first one is a photo of the old radio antenna tower in Mahon and it was taken in 2003. Back then cattle grazed in the field the tower stood in. That tower was dismantled around a year ago. There’s an interesting Reddit thread here about it. The second photo was from earlier this year where a smaller tower with familiar equipment for what is probably mobile phone cell reception.
It’s an old AM / Medium Wave radio tower that used to carry RTE Radio Cork / Radio 1 and at one stage even a relay of 2FM on medium wave, for those who liked their music crackly. It hasn’t been on air rather a long time an I think RTE has a number of transmitters being demolished. They’re doing it as a single contract.
As far as I’m aware that site was decommissioned in the early 2000s, before RTE finally switched off the main Medium Wave (AM) site in Tullamore. The transmitter itself is long gone. All that’s there is the mast.
There’s no prospect of that mast ever being used again.
Old AM sites typically use the whole structure of the antenna as the transmitter. They often sat on an isolated base and the tower height is half the wave length. So you can’t even easily retune them for an alternate AM frequency and they’re relatively useless for mobile phone gear as they are somewhat flexible and move in the wind.
Basically it would cost RTE a fortune to maintain it, even if it’s a local landmark. They’re not going to pay for ongoing maintenance and they’re quite complicated structures with guy-wires and aircraft hazard lighting and all that stuff.
| Aperture | ƒ/4.8 |
| Camera | FinePix2800ZOOM |
| Focal length | 22.4mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/550s |
The Working End of Gardening
The allotments next to Ballincollig Regional Park need storage for various things, but I doubt the cabinet in the photo above is used for much any more.
Videos I watched recently
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 62mm |
| ISO | 500 |
| Shutter speed | 1/160s |
Window on the City
From the car park on North Main Street, Cork, you can Bruce College and St Mary’s Dominican Priory. I liked how the stark lifeless concrete frame of the multi-story car park contrasted with the variety of materials and colours in the world outside.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 201mm |
| ISO | 1000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1000s |
Carey’s Lane After Dark
I was out with Blarney Photography Club during the summer and one member of the club kneeled to photograph Carey’s Lane. I went high and lifted my camera over my head to get it from a different perspective!
Carey’s Lane is one of Cork’s oldest medieval streets, originally part of the walled city that dates back to the 12th century. The narrow width and cobblestone surface are remnants of medieval urban planning, designed for foot traffic and horse-drawn carts. The modern drainage channel follows the same path that medieval gutters would have taken, showing how some aspects of urban infrastructure remain remarkably consistent across centuries.
| Aperture | ƒ/3.5 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 1600 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
Ballycotton’s Beacon on the Island
The lighthouse on the island just off the coast by Ballycotton is always a nice subject for a photo. The night we were there, we hoped to photograph the moon rising behind the lighthouse but a large bank of cloud covered the horizon.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 124mm |
| ISO | 1600 |
| Shutter speed | 1/250s |
Biking Home After Dark
Someone was going to be cycling home after dark from here in Kinsale.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 5000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
ÉALÚ emergency exit
An emergency exit sign spotted in the first floor window of a building in Kinsale, Co Cork. Despite the shadows, the sign gives a clue to the internal floor plan of the building. It looks a bit out of place, but it has to be there.
Georgian sash windows like this one were originally designed as a fire safety feature themselves. The large panes and sliding mechanism made them easy escape routes during emergencies, which is why many Georgian buildings have windows that open directly onto the street rather than requiring ladders to reach. The modern exit sign is actually continuing a 300-year-old tradition of prioritising safe evacuation!
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 132mm |
| ISO | 4000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/640s |
Cobh Shines Bright Over Cork Harbour
Cobh, a few minutes before fireworks lit up the sky last month.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 105mm |
| ISO | 800 |
| Shutter speed | 10s |
love sweet love
A doorway in Kinsale saying what we all hope for in this crazy, violent world. Free Palestine.
Videos I watched recently:
| Aperture | ƒ/7.1 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 3200 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
Shadows of North Main Street
A month ago, Cork City Council acquired 4 eyesore buildings at the top of North Main Street in Cork. They are in a prominent location and not used for much over the years – I remember a shoe store in one, a clothes store in the place next to it and a retro goods store too. They’ve been mostly derelict for a long time.
Hopefully they’ll be demolished and we’ll see something decent done with the location.
North Main Street sits on one of Cork’s oldest thoroughfares and was actually built on reclaimed marshland. The street runs parallel to what was once the original course of the River Lee before extensive land reclamation in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the Georgian buildings here were constructed using limestone quarried from local Cork quarries, which is why they’ve developed that distinctive weathered patina that photographs so beautifully in black and white.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 12800 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
Father Mathew Quay Torn Up
Father Mathew Quay is a road that is definitely closed. The tarmac has been torn up to be remade into something better, hopefully.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 25mm |
| ISO | 1000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |