I was there too
When the weather is as nice as it is now, there’s nowhere like West Cork. Rolling hills and beautiful countryside, trees heavy with leaves and flowers in bloom, friendly people, and loads of things to do.
One way is Bantry, Ballydehob is the other way. We were headed to Ballydehob when I stopped for a few quick photos.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/400s |
An evening walk along the River Lee near the Inniscarra Hydro Station a few years ago and we were rewarded with a lovely sunset shining on the banks of the river.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 65mm |
| ISO | 125 |
| Shutter speed | 1/80s |
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 |
In 2019, Cork’s riverside scene took on a rare and almost surreal quality as the beloved Shakey Bridge, or Daly’s Bridge, vanished for the first time since 1927. Locals strolling along the Lee were greeted not by the familiar wobbly walkway, but by its ornate white tower standing alone, flanked by colourful houses and lush gardens. The river, ever calm, mirrored the absence and the anticipation, while the city buzzed with stories of the bridge’s famous shake and the engineers’ promise to bring it back just as lively as ever.
The bridge is back now, and we visited recently. It still has its famous shake!
It’s the only suspension bridge in Cork City and the only surviving pedestrian suspension bridge of its kind and age in Ireland.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 57mm |
| ISO | 125 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
It’s reassuring to see lifebuoys at the beach, especially when the sea is rough. Unfortunately, not every person in distress in the water can be saved, as has happened at this beach in Youghal in the past.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 106mm |
| ISO | 160 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
Robert’s Cove in Co. Cork looked particularly spectacular this afternoon when I visited. We arrived to a sudden shower of rain, but it soon stopped, and we wandered up the path alongside the cliff away from the beach.
Panoramas really don’t post well online. I need to do something like they do on Instagram where they break it up into 3 identical sized images and the gallery allows you to scroll from left to right smoothly. An idea for a new WordPress block?
Two podcast episodes you might like:
| Aperture | ƒ/4.5 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/640s |
Two people walking along the road by the south harbour on a pleasant, warm day in 2013. I haven’t been back there in a long time, but hopefully, I’ll make a return this summer.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 105mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/250s |
A beautiful sunset pictured from our apartment in Edinburgh a few weeks ago. The weather was glorious that week! It hardly rained at all!
Did you know that the Forth Bridge, visible just left of centre, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the world’s longest cantilever railway bridge when it opened in 1890? It’s still a marvel of Victorian engineering that stands proud on the Scottish skyline.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 172mm |
| ISO | 250 |
| Shutter speed | 1/200s |
I wasn’t expecting much of a sunset this evening because the sky at the horizon was filled with clouds, but I was proved wrong. The clouds were lit up in a lovely glow by the setting sun.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 166mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/40s |
A small bench is nestled among the trees in Kenmare, on the shores of Kenmare Bay. What caught my eye immediately were the three trees surrounding it. They frame the bench in a pleasing way, the bare branches providing a skeletal, natural, surrounding to the man made bench.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 94mm |
| ISO | 200 |
| Shutter speed | 1/200s |
The bench here at the end of a spit of land near Kenmare, Co Kerry has a plaque that says:
HE NEVER LOOKS FOR PRAISES
HE WAS NEVER ONE TO BOAST
HE JUST GOES ON QUIETLY WORKING
FOR THOSE HE LOVES THE MOST
OUR DAD
The pillar has a plaque that has some writing I forgot to photograph, but the heading says, “Ode to Lem” which may be this song.
A lovely spot to contemplate the world.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/320s |
