Blue hour is that magical window between sunset and full darkness when the sky becomes this gorgeous gradient from deep blue to warm orange. That’s what I saw on a cold December evening looking across the River Lee at Bachelor’s Quay.

The Millennium Bridge in Cork doesn’t wobble like the Shakey Bridge but it probably sees a lot more foot traffic as it links Pope’s Quay and Kyrl’s Quay and Cornmarket Street. The bridge was built in 2004. I have some photos of that which I may dig up and link from here later.

I’ve photographed Sullivan’s Quay plenty of times but this was a little experiment shooting in highlight-priority mode. I brightened it up later but I like the way it came out and love the yellow reflected light on the River Lee. Here’s Sullivan’s Quay at sunset many years ago from much the same view point!

The buildings at the end of Shandon Street reflect in the calm waters of the River Lee, Cork.

The Banks of the Lee were quite different by the Peace Park in 2004. Trees and shrubs obscured the river from the small park. It looks so different now.

This is the narrow bridge that crosses the River Lee near the Ballincollig Royal Gunpowder Mills. I found out today while doing a little research that the bridge was built in 1805, replacing an older 6 arch bridge. It’s very narrow, but a survey showed that 7,000 cars cross it every day!

Cows waiting to be milked in a field near the Coachford Greenway. It’s a lovely walk along the River Lee, opposite Farran Woods. I had an umbrella, and it was a good thing too, as it started raining about ten minutes later.

Remember Cork before The Elysian was built? It’s almost 20 years old now, so there are many people around who never saw Cork City Hall like this, without the tower block behind it. Cork City Hall, completed in 1936, was built to replace the previous City Hall that was destroyed during the Burning of Cork…

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.

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…

In 2003, the Dutch submarine, Dolfijn, or Dulfun, visited Cork for a few days. I happened to be around town and spotted it from Kennedy Quay where I’d been photographing the ships, buildings and machinery. When it left Cork, it headed to Mallorca. September in Cork is nice, but I wouldn’t mind a few days…

The sun had just set, and this lovely colour appeared in the sky for a few moments, almost exactly a year ago at Inniscarra.