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Punk Legends at Cyprus Avenue

The Undertones performing on stage at Cyprus Avenue with dramatic red and white stage lighting, the lead singer centre stage with arm raised holding a microphone, flanked by a guitarist on the left and bassist on the right, with drummer visible in the background and audience silhouettes in the foreground.

I shared a couple of photos of The Undertones last year but since they’re coming back to Cork next year and tickets just became available I decided to go look through the shots from that night again. They are fantastic, and I’m looking forward to seeing them again when they visit Cork.

The atmosphere in Cyprus Avenue is electric, and the lighting is so atmospheric and dazzling. Great venue for a gig.

The Undertones formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1974 and became one of the most important bands to emerge from the late 1970s punk movement. Their debut single “Teenage Kicks” (1978) was famously championed by legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who called it his favourite song of all time and requested it be played at his funeral (it was). What makes The Undertones particularly notable is that they emerged from Derry during the height of the Troubles, yet their music deliberately avoided political themes, instead focusing on universal teenage experiences like romance, frustration, and growing up. This made them hugely influential in showing that Northern Irish bands didn’t have to be defined by the conflict. The band’s current lineup still features four of the five original members, though original lead singer Feargal Sharkey left in 1983. They reformed in 1999 with new vocalist Paul McLoone and have been touring consistently since, proving that great punk rock ages remarkably well!

Aperture	ƒ/1.8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	75mm
ISO	4000
Shutter speed	1/160s

Kinsale in Full Bloom

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

When Stags Find Their Voice

A red deer stag with large antlers decorated with vegetation stands in a grassy field with his mouth wide open mid-bellow, displaying typical rutting season vocal behaviour.

A red deer stag with impressive antlers decorated with grass and vegetation stands in a grassy field, having just tossed plant material into the air which is suspended mid-flight above its head during rutting season behaviour.

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

Horse Riding by the Surf

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

Kinsale’s Waterfront Serenity

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

When Art Meets Daily Life on Sullivan’s Quay

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

Qween at the Cork Opera House

A guitarist with curly dark hair ala Brian May wearing a white shirt made yellow under the red lights and ornate waistcoat playing an electric guitar, with a keyboardist visible in the background at the Cork Opera House during a Qween tribute band performance

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

Irish Terrier Practises Street Yoga

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

Where Water Meets Light

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

When Recycling Gets Serious

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

The Summercove Hills

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

Silhouettes Under the Bridge

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