TBL8 Brass Perform in Cork

TBL8 Brass Band playing in Cork earlier this evening. They were so good. Blasting out the hits!


Apertureƒ/4
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length16mm
ISO250
Shutter speed1/500s

Sale at Brown Thomas

The January sales in Brown Thomas attract many but the shop is a good place to meet someone as I presume this gentleman was, back in 2016.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraCanon EOS 6D
Focal length105mm
ISO1600
Shutter speed1/250s

When the Lee Became a Mirror

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.


Apertureƒ/4.5
CameraCYBERSHOT
Focal length11mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/500s

Reality Meets Advertisement

People walking along a corridor in a shopping mall in Birmingham, England. 2022.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length23mm
ISO640
Shutter speed1/500s

Cork in Miniature

I love this mural showing various sights around Cork City. It’s just off Paul Street and well worth a look. The artist, Garreth Joyce, painted it in 2023.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/125s

What is Home?

The mural, “What is Home?” by the artist Asbestos, at the end of South Main Street, in Cork. As seen through the ring of a nearby life buoy hanging on a pole.


Apertureƒ/1.8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length75mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/640s

The Capital of Culchies

Twenty years ago Emmett Place in Cork was full of skateboarders jumping over ramps and very very close to a couple of photographers like me. I got some nice shots of them that have appeared here over the years but I missed this one, somehow!

Twenty years ago. Cork in 2005. I wonder where they are now?


Apertureƒ/5.6
CameraCanon EOS 20D
Focal length18mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/80s

The Geometry of Retail

I was having a coffee and scone at the café in the Cornmarket Centre when I spotted the circles on the roof. Apparently they are acoustic baffles to absorb sound waves and echoes. I guess it is quite a large enclosed area..


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO320
Shutter speed1/30s

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.


Apertureƒ/9
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length77mm
ISO1600
Shutter speed1/500s

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!


Apertureƒ/9
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length160mm
ISO1000
Shutter speed1/500s

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.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length33mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/320s

Juggling Knives in London

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.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length101mm
ISO1600
Shutter speed1/500s