A sundial, part of the Air India Flight 182 Memorial near Ahakista in West Cork. It overlooks the Atlantic near where the Air India flight was destroyed by a bomb in 1985. 329 people were killed in the attack.
You can read more about it on the Wikipedia page or listen to Witness: Air India Flight 182.
| Aperture | ƒ/10 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 55mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/15s |
The sun setting behind the hills near Arundels By The Pier in Ahakista, Sheep’s Head, Co Cork.
| Aperture | ƒ/22 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/5s |
One of the downsides of being able to change lens is the ever present danger of dust getting into the camera and coating the sensitive sensor. Every time the lens is taken off there’s a chance that dust will swirl into the cavity of the camera, attracted by the charged sensor on the back wall behind the mirror.
I took this photo sometime last year but never noticed the dust until later. I had a blower and soft brush with me so it was easy to clean the sensor.
Luckily removing the dust spots is fairly easy in Lightroom or any photo development application but this was easily the most dust I ever saw and was a rain pain to go over the whole image. (made easier by page up/down and the “visualise spots” setting, but still..)
One of the highlights of Ahakista in Co. Cork is the Tin Pub set in the middle of an area lush with vegetation, flowers, trees and lovely West Cork Scenery.
Jacinta visited here several years ago with her friend Mary when they had a picnic in the back garden. We did the same, after asking the family who own the building. You see, the pub wasn’t open yet, but then Tom had a wedding the previous night and finished work at 4am. Shortly after we made ourselves comfortable outside and had poured our tea he showed up and smiled when he saw our picnic.
After our picnic we got chatting to Paul and Cath, who are over from Cornwall for a week. Over a pint we soon got lost in the easy going atmosphere of the pub and before we knew it time had caught up with us and we had to make the journey home.
Despite Pete McCarthy’s assertion that driving down a road with grass in the middle means you’re going the wrong way, you should try the “alternative route” to Ahakista. When you leave Bantry take the first turn right to Sheepshead and you’ll see it sign posted a few miles down the road. Go slowly, because others use the road, but the scenery is amazing. If it wasn’t for the fact that we were late leaving home, I would have stopped several times to shoot landscapes.
I can’t remember the last time I was in this part of the world, but the beautiful scenery and laid back way of life means I’ll be back!
| Aperture | ƒ/4 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 10mm |
| ISO | 1600 |
| Shutter speed | 1/15s |
