Property of Pipers

There’s no parking in front of La Scala in Crosshaven, and the no parking signs belong to Pipers. This time of year, Piper’s is fairly quiet, but hopefully in the summer they’ll be open again and busy.


Apertureƒ/5
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO320
Shutter speed1/500s

Clouds of flame

Shortly after I sat down at my desk this morning, I looked out the window to see quite a beautiful sunrise lighting up the sky.

The top of the sky was a cool blue, moving to dark cloud lower down, then melting to a lovely orange and yellow colour before the sun rose over the distant hill.


Apertureƒ/5.6
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length90mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/400s

Feb 24th Pro Palestinian Rally

The view down Robert Street where the rally doubled back through Oliver Plunkett Street. People walking and some carrying flags and banners.
A huge likeness of US President Biden with blood spattered hands held aloft by members of the rally.
A speaker in front of the crowd on Grant Parade.
Faces of the crowd at the rally. Flags and banners too.
A woman at the rally holds up a sign saying, "FREE PALESTINE IT IS A MATTER OF HUMAN RIGHTS"

Today saw the biggest rally supporting Palestinians happen in Cork this afternoon. Groups from all over Munster descended on the city and the rally walked down St. Patrick’s Street, chanting and singing. They doubled back through Winthrop Street and back up Oliver Plunkett Street before assembling in the Grand Parade for a number of speakers and singers.

The rally was organised by Cork Palestina Solidarity Campaign.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/500s

Bright clothes on a dull day

It was lovely seeing people dressed in bright clothes last Saturday when it was overcast and fairly dull outside. Yellow, pink and green made a nice change from the mostly muted colours other people wore.


Apertureƒ/1.7
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length6.3mm
ISO2000
Shutter speed1/1500s

If I must die, let it bring hope

People walking in a rally in support of Gaza. Some carry posters and flags.
People walking in a rally in support of Gaza. Some carry posters and flags.
People walking in a rally in support of Gaza. Some carry posters and flags.
People walking in a rally in support of Gaza. Some carry posters and flags.
People walking in a rally in support of Gaza. Some carry posters and flags.
People walking in a rally in support of Gaza. Some carry posters and flags.

Those are the words of a Palestinian poet killed by an airstrike in Gaza. I saw them printed on a small white kite on the Palestinian flag carried by a man at the pro-Palestinian rally in Cork today. The rally was organised by the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Last week another poet, Refaat Alareer, was killed by an airstrike. Alareer was a professor of English literature at the Islamic University of Gaza, where he taught Shakespeare, among other subjects. One of his latest works widely shared, again on X, concludes with the words: “If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale.”

The Guardian, 12th December 2023.

The rally today was the biggest I’ve seen so far, and The Echo Live estimated about 1,000 people took part.


Apertureƒ/7.1
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length75mm
ISO1600
Shutter speed1/500s

Let’s have a ceasefire now

What good has it done to kill over 28,000 people in Gaza? Hamas must free those hostages, it’s not like their presence is stopping the Israeli army from reducing the country to rubble. Let’s have a ceasefire now. This struggle has only caused misery, suffering and hate on both sides.

The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper for sale on the streets of that city in 2006.

In 2006, Israel stopped an attack after 37 children were killed. Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper with that headline. I happened to photograph it on the streets of that city in late July that year. They’re not stopping now, are they?

Some listening:

The Israeli Hostages
Leaving Gaza
The Words to Say It (transcript)
The growing dissent over Biden’s Israel policy

Edit a few days later, one more about Israeli attacks on an overpopulated Rafah on the Egyptian border:

A screenshot from Google Maps of Rafah and the border with Egypt. Dense city on one side of the border in Gaza.

Apertureƒ/4
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/500s

It’s for me’o!

It’s still cold, but following up on my recent photo outside a gelato shop, here’s another one, on the corner of Patrick’s Street and Winthrop Street in Cork.

I love ice cream too, but maybe not enough to eat it on a cold wintery day, outside!


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO500
Shutter speed1/500s

A crack of sunlight

There was almost complete cloud cover the other night over Cork as we attempted to photograph the setting sun behind St. Anne’s Church, or Shandon Bells, as it’s known locally.

A few minutes before the official sunset, the horizon caught on fire and briefly lit up. It didn’t last long, and the transition between daylight and night just meant the sky got darker and the air colder around us.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length117mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/15s