Youghal’s Wooden Sentinels
Groynes in the sand as the water rushes away to do battle with another wave coming in. The ever-present push and pull of the tide, defeated for some time at least by these wooden posts.
Lights On at Youghal
The sun has almost set and still casts an orange glow on a clear sky. I was down at Youghal Beach facing the afterglow, and instead of the big dramatic sunset I half-expected, I got this: a clean gradient running from deep blue at the top to a warm orange seam along the horizon, the…
The Hut by the Old Railway
A chimney, a pitched roof, and a sky lit end to end. I caught this little hut alongside the old Youghal railway just as the light gave up for the evening, the blue overhead sliding down into a thin band of orange at the horizon. Two stretched-out lenticular clouds hung there like someone had smudged…
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.
Sunset Fishing at Ballycotton Pier
A series of photos showing men fishing off the pier at Ballycotton, Co Cork a couple of weeks ago. It was a beautiful evening. Lovely time to be there.
Anglers Under Ballycotton’s Big Sky
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.
A Fishing Boat’s Story in Cork
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…
Heroes of the Sea
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 Lighthouse and Tidal Treasures
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.
Ballycotton’s Spectacular Sky
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’s Famous Beacon at Dusk
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…
Growing Up by the Sea in Cork
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.












