I was there too
Kinsale’s tidy towns group must work overtime and they do a fantastic job of keeping the town tidy and colourful. These flowers were in a small boat at the end of the quay and make the area look so pretty.
| Aperture | ƒ/3.5 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 500 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
I travelled to Kerry this morning to photograph the rutting in Killarney National Park there. There weren’t many stags to be seen but this fellow was lying in the middle of a field I suspected would have a stag or two. After a few moments he stood up, digging his antlers in the grass and tossed his head from side to side with grass flying everywhere.
Despite the dramatic behaviour, he looked over at the human photographers again and lay down, chewing some grass and ignored us once more.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 387.6mm |
| ISO | 12800 |
| Shutter speed | 1/640s |
A horse and rider just after coming out of the water. They’d been wading through the water out further. Good exercise for the horse.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 178mm |
| ISO | 160 |
| Shutter speed | 1/400s |
If you’ve ever been to Kinsale in Co Cork, you’ll immediately recognise the house and tree in the picture above. If you go back in my archives you’ll probably find a photo of it from another angle, but it’s so nice I thought I should take another photo. 🙂
TIL that style of large, spreading tree you see dominating this Kinsale scene is likely a Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani), which became incredibly fashionable to plant on Irish estates during the Georgian and Victorian periods. These trees were imported from the eastern Mediterranean and became status symbols for wealthy landowners. Having a mature Cedar of Lebanon on your property basically announced “we’ve been here long enough to grow something this impressive.” They can live for over 1,000 years and develop those distinctive horizontal, layered branches that make them instantly recognisable. The tree in this photograph is probably 150-200 years old based on its size and shape, meaning it was likely planted sometime in the early to mid-1800s when Kinsale was thriving as a fishing port and naval base. So that tree has essentially witnessed the entire modern history of the town!
| Aperture | ƒ/5.6 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 49mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 2s |
I love the murals around Cork City, and the mural on Sullivan’s Quay is particularly eye-catching. Ordinary life continues on, but at least we’re treated to the gorgeous colours whenever we pass by.
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 77mm |
| ISO | 1600 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
The Queen tribute band, Qween, played in the Cork Opera House on Saturday night to a packed audience and they were so great!
Check out this video from the gig. Go see them if you can!
| Aperture | ƒ/3.5 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 25mm |
| ISO | 2000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
Was it yoga, or was there another dog just out of frame and this Irish Terrier wanted to be friends?
Irish Terriers are one of the oldest terrier breeds and are nicknamed “daredevils” because of their famously spirited and fearless temperament. During World War I, Irish Terriers were used as messenger dogs in the trenches, carrying communications between units under incredibly dangerous conditions. They were so effective and brave that they earned widespread admiration. One officer wrote that they were “extraordinarily intelligent, faithful, and honest, and a man who has one of them as a companion will never lack a true friend.” That stretching behaviour you see in the photo? It’s actually a natural “play bow”. Dogs use it not just to stretch their muscles but also as a social signal to other dogs (and sometimes humans) that they’re feeling playful and want to engage. So this little terrier might just be inviting passersby on Oliver Plunkett Street to join in the fun!
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 160mm |
| ISO | 1000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
The sun had set behind the distant hills and the exposure times went up when I took this photo, but that’s what I wanted as the sea was rough and I wanted to make it silky smooth and misty at Owenahincha Beach last August.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 50 |
| Shutter speed | 8s |
This small garden caught my eye. It would be a nice space if not for the obligatory bins that every household must have. The left wall is a lovely deep blue, matching the colours of the flowers there.
| Aperture | ƒ/7.1 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 6400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
Parking up by Charles Fort is always easier than trying to get through Summercover near Kinsale. The road is very narrow and steep, both ways, if you’re trying to the to the Bulman Bar.
Those yellow diamond-shaped road signs are actually part of Ireland’s relatively recent road signage system. Before the 1970s, Ireland used the older British-style circular and triangular signs, but when the country adopted the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, they switched to these diamond-shaped warning signs, making Ireland one of the few English-speaking countries to use this continental European style. The “10%” gradient warning means the road drops 10 metres for every 100 metres travelled horizontally, which is steep enough that most driving instructors would consider it “character building” for learner drivers!
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 110mm |
| ISO | 2000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/250s |
A man and a woman look along the shoreline of the Thames in London, probably for old pieces of pipe which are common along there.
Above us was the modern Blackfriars Railway Bridge, and of course off in the distance is the London skyline.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 33mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/320s |
I love that this street entertainer is wearing such bright and distinctive clothes but I wish his knives were brightly coloured. Still, the reaction of (some) people was worth it even if the background is too busy to see the knives properly.
Knives. He’s juggling knives over the head of a tourist lying on the ground. That could have ended badly, but people who perform in Covent Square are really good.
Street performers must audition for their spots in Covent Square through a formal licensing system managed by the local authority. Performers are allocated specific time slots and locations, with the most desirable pitches going to those who demonstrate the highest skill levels and ability to manage crowds safely. The system was introduced to maintain quality and safety standards after the area’s transformation from a working market to a major tourist destination in the 1980s.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 101mm |
| ISO | 1600 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
