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.
| Aperture | ƒ/1.8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 75mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/640s |
Tag Archives: Blarney Photography Club
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!
| Aperture | ƒ/5.6 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 49mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 2s |
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.
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 77mm |
| ISO | 1600 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
Where Water Meets Light
The sun had set behind the distant hills and the exposure times went up when I took this photo, but that’s what I wanted as the sea was rough and I wanted to make it silky smooth and misty at Owenahincha Beach last August.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 50 |
| Shutter speed | 8s |
When Recycling Gets Serious
This small garden caught my eye. It would be a nice space if not for the obligatory bins that every household must have. The left wall is a lovely deep blue, matching the colours of the flowers there.
| Aperture | ƒ/7.1 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 6400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
Storm Light Over Owenahincha
Waves broke on the rocks at the edge of Owenahincha Beach a month ago.
| Aperture | ƒ/7.1 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1.3s |
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 |
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 |
It’s a bird city
Cork City, where birds have become incredibly adept at turning human carelessness into dining opportunities.
Urban-adapted birds like the seagulls and crows photographed here have developed significantly different behaviours compared to their rural counterparts. City-dwelling seagulls often show reduced fear responses to humans and have learned to time their foraging around peak human activity periods, such as lunch hours when dropped food is most available.
Crows, meanwhile, have demonstrated remarkable problem-solving abilities in urban environments and can even learn to associate specific locations with regular food sources. Studies have shown that urban bird populations often have different dietary compositions, stress hormone levels, and even song patterns compared to rural birds, reflecting their adaptation to city life and the constant presence of human activity.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 150mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/320s |