Sligo Bay from Maugherow beach

I   spent  some  time   recently  exploring  a  few  lanes  and  byways  around   Sligo .  I  left  the  main  Sligo / Donegal  road  and  headed  in  the  Lissadell  direction.  I  wanted  to  find  a  road  that  would  bring  me  out  to  the  coast.  It  took  me  a  while  but  after  a  good  few  left  hand  turns  I  hit  the  Atlantic.   The  tide  was  out   but  when  I  arrived  a  snow  squall  hit  the  beach.  I  sat  in  the  car  for  about  15  minutes  wondering  if  it  would  be  worth  the  wait.  The  snow  headed  off  to  Donegal  and  I  headed  out.

The  stretch  of  beach  I  started  on  was  relatively  bare  so  I  walked  up  and  around  the  first  headland. I  wanted  to  have  the  mountains  in  the  background but  I  needed  something  to fill  out  the  foreground  of  the  shot.  I  was  pleased  to  find  some  interesting  rock  formations  scattered  along  the  beach.  I  set  up  my  tripod  and  waited  for  the ” surf “  to   break  on  the  shore  to  give  a  bit  more  detail  to  the  scene.

I spent  about  an  hour  trying  different  angles /  elevations  etc.  but  my  numb  fingers  told  me  it  was  time  to  go.

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Fishermen Garadice Lake co Leitrim

I  have  photographed  Garadice  Lake  many  times  but  never  had  a  fishing  boat  and  sunset  together. Every  detail  was  reflected  in  the  lake  and  nobody  was  in  a  hurry.  Another  one  of  Leitrims  hidden  corners.

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Wicklow Mountains

Liffey River . Sally Gap.

Liffey River. Wicklow Mountains

Morning Light . Lough Tay. Co. Wicklow

Lough Tay Sunrise, Co. Wicklow

My  return  trip  to  Wicklow  turned  out  to  be  very  fruitful.

I  ended  up  with  at  least  10  images  that  I was  happy  with.  Nine  more   than  the  usual  day. I  am  one  of  those  people  who  is  always  early  so  I  had  to  find  Lough  Tay  in  the  dark.  As  I  did,nt  know  the  area  too  well  it  took  quite  a  while. I  had  lots  of  company  . Deer  everywhere  with  stags  shouting  across  from  the  the  other  side  of  the  lake.

I  had  checked  the  weather  forecast  and  it  actually  turned  out  to  be  right.  Broken  cloud  and  bitterly  cold with  a  light  breeze. I  spent  about  2  hours  at  Lough  Tay  trying  different  angles  and  trying  not  to  fall  off  the  side  of  the  hill. I  left  feeling  confident  that  I  had  a  good  shot. My  next  stop  was  the  Liffey  River  where  it  flows  down  from  the  Sally  Gap.  I  had  passed  here  a  few  times  previously  and  was  hoping  that  the  light  would  be  hitting  the  Scots  Pine  and  Oak  trees  that  bordered  the  river.  It  could,nt  have  looked  better. I spent  a  long  time  trying  to  photograph  the  river  from  both  banks  and  in  the  end  was  pleased  with  the  results. With  about  2  hours  of  light  left  I  drove  from  the  Sally  Gap  over  towards  Glendalough  and  got  the  last  photograph  of  the  day , the  panoramic  view  of  the  Wicklow  Mountains.   Not  a  bad  day.

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Wicklow Gap

Wicklow Gap

Wicklow Gap

Having spent a few hours at Glendalough and the Wicklow Gap last week, I’m eager to get back up there before all the Autumn colour is gone. I tried to get a shot of the upper lake at Glendalough but it clouded over too much. I headed up the Wicklow Gap and got a few good landscape shots, so the trip was worth it.

Could do with a break in the weather

Sruth In Aghaidh An Aird

Stream Against The Slope

Having photographed Glencar Waterfall many times over the years I decided to be a bit more adventureous and try to photograph its much higher neighbour which is only clearly visible after heavy rainfall. Its name in Irish ” Sruth in aghaidh an aird ” translates as ” Stream against the slope ” . It took me about an hour to hike up to the face of the mountain but it was well worth it. An incredible sight reminiscent of Yellowstone National Park or somewhere far away and exotic. A well kept secret. If it was easily accessible from the road it could be enjoyed by all.

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