County Kerry – In Photos dot Org

Black and Blue

A striking blue wall on Dykegate Street caught my eye, especially in the bright sunlight that cast a stark shadow across it.

Dingle is located in the heart of the Kerry Gaeltacht, one of Ireland’s officially designated Irish-speaking regions where Irish is the community language. The bilingual street signs throughout the town reflect this status, with the Irish name “Sráid an Daighide” appearing first, followed by the English “Dykegate Street.” The tradition of painting houses in bright colours in Dingle dates back centuries and was originally practical – helping fishermen identify their homes from the sea. Today, these colourful buildings have become one of Dingle’s most distinctive features, with strict planning guidelines ensuring that the tradition continues while maintaining the town’s unique character.

Aperture	ƒ/4
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/2500s

A Storm Gathering Over Kerry’s Fear Marbh

Storm clouds gathered on an August evening on the Dingle Peninsula. I was hoping for a nice sunset, and the sun briefly appeared, but this was a few minutes later. Strong winds started to blow and I had to hold on to my tripod to stop the camera from shaking and potentially falling over!

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	112mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/1.3s

Dunquin’s Dramatic Edge

Dunquin Harbour is mostly photographed from the cliffs above because there is a narrow winding path that descends on a steep trajectory to sea level.

As I said previously in my photo of An Fear Marbh the sky was a monochrome grey but suddenly the clouds dispersed and some of the lovely light of the sunset leaked through. This is a bracketed shot I got from near sea level before rushing up the path to get a few more photos. 🙂

Dunquin Harbour served as the traditional departure point for boats traveling to the now-uninhabited Blasket Islands, with the last permanent residents leaving in 1953. The harbour’s dramatic location at the western tip of the Dingle Peninsula made it strategically important for accessing the islands, despite the challenging Atlantic conditions. The area is rich in Irish language and culture, being part of the Kerry Gaeltacht where Irish is still spoken as a community language. The distinctive rock formations visible in this photograph are part of the ancient geological structure of the Dingle Peninsula, composed primarily of Devonian sandstones and siltstones that were formed over 400 million years ago and shaped by countless Atlantic storms.

Aperture	ƒ/13
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/5s

An Fear Marbh at Sunset

It looked like there wouldn’t be any sunset, but I was down at the bottom of Dunquin Pier when I saw an orange glow coming from behind the large rock blocking my view of the sun that had just set.

If you know how steep that path down to the pier is, I hope you’ll have some sympathy for me as I raced up again to capture what turned out to be a momentary break in the thick clouds. I was surprised I saw any colour in the sky!

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	42mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/8s

Fire in the Sky at Sunset

The sun sets behind a hill on the Dingle Peninsula, Kerry, back in 2021.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7M3
Focal length	240mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/1000s

The Wild Beauty of Coumeenoole Beach

Coumeenoole Beach at the end of the Dingle Peninsula is a favourite spot on a drive around that headland. It’s dangerous to swim there, but it’s such a picturesque area we always end up there every time we visit the area.

Coumeenoole Beach gained international fame after being featured in the 1970 film “Ryan’s Daughter,” directed by David Lean, which showcased its dramatic cliffs and sweeping scenery to audiences around the world

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7M3
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/100s

Kayaking Adventures in Dingle Harbour

Two people kayaking at the mouth of Dingle Harbour in Co. Kerry while I was on a boat looking for Fungi, the Dingle Dolphin, back in 2017.

We saw Fungi that day. He broke the water a few times.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	Canon EOS 6D
Focal length	116mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/125s

Endangered Species

Not so long ago these metal edifices defined the skyline in Cork and other Irish cities. They’re all gone in Cork now, but there’s still one left in Killarney, County Kerry.

I hear tourists are taking photos of them now..

Aperture	ƒ/13
Camera	Canon EOS 40D
Focal length	24mm
ISO	400
Shutter speed	1/250s

Silver Lining over Couminole

No matter how bad the day, how crummy and wet the weather is, there’s always a silver lining. This day on the Slea Head the silver lining was the fact that our toddler slept the whole drive around, and of course this photo.

This is the beach at Couminole on Slea Head in County Kerry. It had been pouring rain earlier in the day, it was very windy and cold but the waves pounded the sand and I lapped up the view. Love the countryside in County Kerry!

Aperture	ƒ/10
Camera	Canon EOS 40D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/200s

A pot of gold in the fields of Kerry

This is my desktop background. I love it! After Inch Strand on the way to Dingle in County Kerry the road gets very narrow and winds through the hills before coming down to sea level again. The picture above should be a familiar scene to anyone who has travelled that road!

The day we drove down to Dingle was a stormy one but the sun suddenly broke through the clouds and I had to pull over and get half a dozen shots of the beautiful golden light, the countryside and the rainbow. Stunning, even if I do say so myself!

Since I had one request for print prices, I uploaded this to Red Bubble. Check out A pot of gold in the fields of Kerry over there. Lots of print options.

Aperture	ƒ/5.6
Camera	Canon EOS 40D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	400
Shutter speed	1/250s

Just Google It!

Einstein says you should use a search engine!

Shot in Killarney, County Kerry.

Aperture	ƒ/3.5
Camera	Canon EOS 40D
Focal length	18mm
ISO	800
Shutter speed	1/5s

Abandoned Dingle Trawler

Right on the pier in Dingle are two trawlers that are slowly falling to pieces. The one pictured above is severely burned, windows burned out and broken. Moss grows on the deck amid the rubbish.

I can’t believe it’s still there. It was there last year when we visited, and may even have been there the time before that!

Aperture	ƒ/3.5
Camera	Canon EOS 40D
Focal length	18mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/1000s