An Asian hornet was spotted in Cork recently. If they gain a hold in this country it could be very bad news for bumblebees like the one in this photo. This particular bee had 3 of us surrounding her with cameras trying to photograph her as she fed on the nectar of this little flower.

It’s sometimes hard to believe there was a gunpowder mill in this area, but look around and you’ll see the ruins everywhere. Here though, I found a winding, worn path running parallel to the neat tarmac of the modern path.

A slightly battered boat in Ballycotton, Co Cork.

There were 6 or 7 people fishing in Ballycotton. Most were standing on the pier, but these two had climbed up on the pier wall. Judging by the bag of fish they had, it was a good choice of location.

These intimate details from a single fishing boat in Ballycotton harbour tell the story of Ireland’s working coastline better than any wide-angle vista could manage. Every weathered rope, rusty chain, and salt-stained life ring speaks to the daily reality of earning a living from the sea. Ballycotton’s fishing fleet primarily targets lobster, crab, and various…

The RNLI flag flies in Ballycotton Harbour. The RNLI operates one of Ireland’s busiest lifeboat stations at Ballycotton, which launched 57 times in 2023 alone, rescuing 49 people and assisting 67 others. The station operates an all-weather lifeboat capable of handling the most challenging sea conditions off the Cork coast. Ballycotton RNLI has a proud…

The tide was very far out when we visited Ballycotton last week, so I wandered out on the rocks, carefully avoiding the slippery seaweed, and took a few photos.

The golden hour at sunset is spectacular but I love the amazing colours you might be lucky to see after the sun has set. Such happened on Thursday night in Ballycotton. This is a panoramic photo of several photos stitched together to make one larger one. The dark, dramatic cloud was too wide for my…

Ballycotton Lighthouse as pictured from the end of the pier at the village of the same name last Thursday night. It was a lovely evening. Warm and with just enough clouds to make for a spectacular sunset. The Moon was due to rise almost behind the island here, but a huge cloud bank covered the…

It was a lovely evening in Ballycotton last Thursday, and a group of teenagers were making the most of it, jumping off the pier into the water and enjoying life.

I was in Ballycotton last night on an outing with Blarney Photography Club. Our summer outings are a highlight of the year and always a nice social event for all involved. When we got there, it was a nice evening, and I hoped there would be a nice sunset, and there was, but after the…

As you may have seen over the last few days I was taking photos of the boats moored in Kinsale Harbour. Until another boat came along and sped past, disturbing the scene and rocking everything about. Still a lovely evening there, and it was about time to move on anyway. 🙂