The Queen Elizabeth 2, or QE2, flagship of the Cunard Line, docked for the last time in Cobh yesterday and left this evening just after 6pm. Here she is after turning in Cork Harbour and seconds before she increased speed and left the harbour for good. In 2009, she will become a floating hotel in…

Tir na nOg is the house on the right of this photo. It’s a house that Colaiste Ciaran, an Irish summer school on the island, rents during the summer and where I spent a number of weeks years and years ago. The long, low building attached to the left is a canteen. An Oige have…

A tractor in the carpark at Allihies Beach in Co Cork.

The north harbour in Cape Clear is the main harbour on the island. There’s a south harbour as well but there’s only a small beach there, and a long quayside where the occasional small boat ties up. To the left you can see the Club which is a small shop/cafe on the ground floor, while…

A speedboat, at speed, races past the more sedate Naomh Ciaran II on our way to Oilean Cleire, or Cape Clear. You can see the island itself in the background!

Another shot of the Mulroy Bay II as it lay in shallow waters in Baltimore Bay.

Another shot of the Electric Wires warning sign I posted yesterday. This one gives you a flavour of the landscape in the area, and the desolate, remote location of the sign.

If you’ve ever taken the Naomh Ciaran II to Cape Clear Island this sign will be familiar to you. WARNING ELECTRIC WIRES 60 FT (18 Mtrs) OVER HIGH WATER LEVEL PS. The cheezburger are the latest blog to use the Thieving Duck. Hope they link back to the original post. PPS. They did, saw a…

Naomh Ciaran II, the Cape Clear Ferry for many a year is still going strong. Here she is tied up at the pier in Baltimore, Co Cork, Ireland. The last time I boarded her (probably 15 years ago) and travelled to Oilean Cleire she was painted green and white, but it seems she has had…

Mulroy Bay II, one of two trawlers abandoned in the waters near Baltimore town in Co Cork, Ireland. Shot from Tullagh Cemetery. PS. Calvin took a few nights shots of the Mulroy Bay II a few days ago when local artist Sheelagh Broderick and others lit up the vessel with high powered lanterns.

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…

The road to the beach at Allihies in West Cork branches in two a few miles from there. This was taken on the scenic route where the road comes out between two hills and you see this beautiful expanse of hills and grassland spread out before you. It’s quite a sight. My poor photo does…