Kite Surfer

A lone kite surfer flies through the water at Garrettstown Beach in County Cork a few weeks ago.

Last weekend with the good weather the beach was packed, but we were there when it was cold, rain drizzled, and a cold wind whipped up the fine sand everywhere. Place was deserted.

I like this photo. Made the trip worthwhile! 🙂

Aperture ƒ/3.5
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 18mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/2000s

Feet in Sand

Feeling like crap today because of a bug that’s going around. Worst of it was last night but I can feel it getting worse again. Argh!

Aperture ƒ/9
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 28mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/125s

Bucket and Spade

My son’s bucket and spade lie forgotten on Fountainstown Beach while he goes off throwing stones in the water.

Aperture ƒ/1.8
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 50mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/2500s

The rubbish tip that is Myrtleville Beach

No, this isn’t the landfill site near the Kinsale Road, Cork. It’s the beautiful beach at Myrtleville in County Cork last Tuesday. Disgusting isn’t it? My wife met a friend there who said that last year 3 people would clean the beach each day but this year, because of cuts, only one person was available. Apparently that morning he had filled up three sacks after the crowds the day before.

What you don’t see here is the used nappy on the road above, the half full carton of rotting salad, the plastic bags and other rubbish. You can’t smell the acrid burning rubbish in an overflowing bin near the slip way. You also missed the Gardai who took away two inebriated underage girls who had been singing and staggering across the beach or the man who was manhandled to the ground outside the gate to Bunny Connellans and probably arrested by the Gardai who ran passed me. A typical day at the beach?

What the hell? What’s up with people? Are they that ignorant of their environment? I remember watching that episode of Mad Men where the Draper family have a picnic in a picturesque green park. Their shiny new car is behind them. Everything is spotless and neat. Then when they get up to leave, the kids are tidied but afterwards the parents toss their rubbish on the pristine lawn. I wasn’t the only one to notice. Great comments on that blog post.

Shame we haven’t moved on since the 60’s.

Aperture ƒ/5.6
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 179mm
ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/250s

Kilkee Beach

Kilkee Beach in County Clare is a beautiful stretch of sand going on forever and ever. Well, seems like it, it’s a massively long beach and on the day we accidentally discovered it the sun was beating down on us. Hooray!

I have no idea what RMA stands for. That little rock was sitting next to the shell where I found it.

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/125s

so many people pass me by

Footsteps in the sand speak of many people passing this way.
Shot at Garrettstown Beach in October 2006. A very different shot to my previous Footprints in the sand.

Remember a few weeks ago I explained how I backed up my photos? Good thing I have backups as my first external drive has possibly died. It wouldn’t mount at first, and the drive kept making “spinning up” sounds but it has finally been recognised by Linux. Unfortunately attempts to get even a directory listing result in input/output errors. I’m doing an fsck of it but I’ll probably be buying another drive tomorrow!

Everything is backed up. There’s 411GB, or 8 years of photos on there, and lots of family videos I’d hate to lose. Thankfully they’re safe.

Aperture ƒ/11
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/250s

A storm brewing at Allihies Beach

Storm clouds gathered over West Cork on the day I took this shot at Allihies Beach. A very different shot to some of the previous shots of this area!

It was freezing this day, wind howled and I was wrapped up in a big jacket against the elements. Gives me the shivers just looking at this photo.

Just goes to show, people can read littering signs here as well as they read them anywhere!

Aperture ƒ/5.6
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/80s

Waves crash at Allihies

Allihies Beach on a cold February afternoon. Waves crash on the beach. It was bitterly cold and windy that day but well worth the trip.

Aperture ƒ/5.6
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/100s

EI-128 at rest on the beach

Glider EI-128 sitting on the sand at Inch Strand, Co. Kerry in 2006. I’ve posted a few photos of this glider in the past and I can safely say this is the last one unless I happen to see it again!

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/400s