Templevanny, Co. Sligo

If you take the R295 out of Boyle, Co. Roscommon and head for Ballymote, after about 10kms you'll come to the Halfway House pub and a right turn that takes you to the passage tombs of Carrowkeel. Take the right turn and as you drive down the road a few hundred meters, you'll see Templevanny Lake with a small cemetery behind it in the distance. A sign at the gate will tell you that this was once an early christian and medieval monastic site but there is no visible evidence of any architectural features here today. There is however an abundance of low profile rough-cut or weathered headstones that may be the relics from an earlier age, but in this I'm only guessing. Some of the earliest recognisable headstones date to the 18th century and extent right up to the present day. In the absence of a local church, this would appear to be an unusual site for a cemetery. Nestled cosily on the foothills of the Bricklieve mountains with a tranquil lake in front and the majestic neolithic tombs of Carrowkeel behind, this might well be a fairly decent spot to spend your 'eternal sleep'. I must find out a bit more about the area as there doesn't seem to be a lot about this place on-line.

Photos: Lumix LX5

Wish you Well

A little place by the roadside on the N61 between Tulsk and Boyle near Gortnacrannagh. I've been watching it fall into disrepair over the last two years and judging by the absence of a 'sold' label on the sign for the auction scheduled for early September, I'm guess that the decline will continue. An interesting, modest, humble Irish cottage with some rustic customised features, I'm sure it was a special place to it's recent inhabitants.


ps - calendar reads November 2009.

Cahir Castle - Co. Tipperary

Cahir Castle is an imposing structure built between the 13th & 15th century. It was designed by Conor O’Brien to be a state-of-the-art defensive castle, appearing to grow from the actual rock on which it stands, the castle has been the scene of sieges and bombardments for centuries.

The powerful Anglo-Norman family, the Butlers, came into the possession of the castle in 1375. It fell to Devereux, Earl of Essex, in 1599 after it had been battered for three days with artillery; it surrendered without a fight to Inchiquin in 1647; and again to Cromwell in 1650.

Over the centuries the Butlers considerably rebuilt and extended their stronghold. However, by 1599, the castle had reached its present appearance, with the only subsequent alterations taking place in the 1840s.

In 1961, the last Lord Cahir died and the castle reverted to the State. The castle retains its impressive keep, tower and much of its original defensive structure.

There are still plenty of poppies to be seen along the roads of the Irish countryside. Outside Cahir, I stopped to take in the view and found these bright and colourful fellows.

Photos: Lumix LX5

'Down Around' - Tramore, Co. Waterford

Recent weeks have seen a lot of mileage clocked up. From Milford at the tip of Donegal to Tramore in Waterford, it's been a busy time. Unfortunately, the weather and light this September has not worked in my favour. Perhaps it's a case of 'wrong place - wrong time'? None the less, it's been an adventure and I've recorded it as best I could with my point-and -shot. When I arrived at Tramore on Wednesday, I was anxious to identify a location for a low-light shoot that evening but the weather turned nasty and motivation flagged. There were gale force winds blowing on the prom when I took this shot, I couldn't keep the lens on the camera clean due to the heavy mist coming in from the sea and it was difficult to stand steady. Salt water mist is a devil to shift from a lens, it reminds me of a sugar and water solution - very sticky!
I've been informed that the locals call the area about the prom 'down around', thus the title to this post. I would have loved to spend more time here but 10-minutes after I took this shot, the rain came ... and continued for the rest of the day. So I headed to Cork and spent a very enjoyable evening with good friends instead. Thanks E & L for a great oul evening:-)

All photos; Lumix LX5

Arthur's Day ... Me Arse! Ferbane, Co. Offaly

Do people really buy in to this? Are we actually going to take to the pubs to drink a toast to Arthur Guinness on this particular day or is this just another high finance advertising campaign aimed at the vulnerable and weak-minded to give the Irish (and everyone else) an excuse to drink? ... I wish I had the time ... and the money!!

Photo: Lumix LX5. Taken 22nd September (Arthur's Day!) in Ferbane, Co. Offaly. A lovely award winning pub on the main street, worth a visit ... for soup and a roll:-)

Inniscrone, Co. Sligo

I visited the small seaside town of Inniscrone, Co. Sligo over the weekend for the purpose of examining this spot for some location work next weekend. It was very wet and windy and I'm thinking it will be challenging in the absence of some relatively calm weather. This is a really beautiful spot. In my childhood, my parents regularly made the short 7-mile trip from Ballina with a car full of screaming kids during sunny summer Sundays. Summers were a lot warmer then ... and felt a lot longer too! Inniscrone hasn't changed that much, apart from the wholesale building of holiday homes, it still has a lot of it's old charm. The Cliff Baths was always a building that looked out of place here. I was never inside it, as a child I could never figure out why people would come to the seaside and go into a place with no windows to take a bath! This little fairytale castle was built in 1850 by the Orme family, the local landlords, and has withstood the forces of the Atlantic Ocean for over 150 years now. It's been closed for quite a while, replaced by a more modern bath house just down the road.

Another shot from the visit HERE.

Photo: Taken with a Lumix LX5.

Hillwalk in Cumbria

Turf

'Turf looks, for all the world, like a dried piece of mud with bits of vegetable matter sprinkled through it. In reality it is entirely vegetable matter that has been buried and compressed in the strange and harsh bog environment for thousands of years. Left to itself for another several thousand years, this stuff would be well on its way to becoming a more potent fossil fuel.

You can always tell when winter has hit Ireland by the lovely smell of turf burning. Unfortunately, it does smoke quite a bit, but it produces an aromatic smoke with a lovely character. It takes a while to catch, relying more on heat than open flame. Turf takes a while to light, but once caught it burns completely to ash and provides a long-lasting, warm fire. No wonder the ancient celts made it a habit to use this as their primary fuel.'

source: Turf

The Bogmen - a shot from a few years ago that came to mind in the context of turf.

Portfolio

A snapshot of some of my work during the summer months over on Flickr.

Boyle Railway Station

Boyle Station about 9.35am as the train to Sligo departs and my train to Dublin arrives. I've avoided Dublin this last couple of month's but the summer is at an end, the kids are back to school on Thursday and the leaves are started to turn and fall. Autumn is a beautiful time of year, perhaps my favourite time. My journey today was productive and enjoyable and the weather mild and bright in the city. There seems to be a lot of tourists about too, which is always good for the country.

Photos: Lumix LX5

Back-Road Shortcut ... My Arse!

I endured the ultimate test of patience this evening on my way home from Galway. Stuck for time, I deviated from main roads for a scenic shortcut. Alas, t'was not to be, and only served to add to my journey time and frustration. What else could I do at 10mph and no chance to over-take only take a photo!


Photo: Bringing home the turf - somewhere on the back roads near Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. I blindly poked the compact camera out the window as we cruised along.

About Sligo

A few from a recent visit to Sligo. I'm very fond of this place and although I live close by, don't really make the effort to spend more time here. It's nice to mooch about the streets and look at folk, savour the atmosphere and take a few photos. I have particularly good memories of Hargadon's Pub which used to be famous for it's Guinness, however it wasn't up to scratch on this visit.

Photos: Lumix LX5

Storm Clouds over Boyle

I was having a doze yesterday evening after a busy and eventful day when a phone call from a friend alerted me to the transformation taking place in the sky about Boyle. I only had time to take my compact camera with me as I tried to find a good vantage point close to home. I had about 10 minutes to take a few snapshots before the rain arrived. I believe I missed the best of the drama but I'm sure there were plenty of other cameras looking up at this beautiful and intriguing gift of nature.


Photo: LX5 Lumix.

A Weekend in August

Here's a few more snapshots from my weekend in Cork. I would use the photos in recent posts to illustrate and reinforce the point that a digital  compact camera is indeed a very powerful photographic instrument. Needless to say, I'm very happy with my Lumix ... no matter what the challenges of light present!

All photos taken with a Lumix LX5 using a variety of Manual and Semi-Automatic/Programme Modes. All are hand-held in difficult lighting situations. Minimal PP in this set.

Rambling in Cork

We stayed in the beautiful village of Rostellan at the weekend while exploring south-east Cork. Trying to make the most of the few remaining days before the challenges of a new academic year kick-in. Butterflies are not usually my thing, nor is macro photography, however these Common Blue butterflies were a perfect subject to try out the very satisfactory macro function of this Lumix compact camera.

All photos taken with a Lumix LX5

Eggleston - A Tribute

'Untitled' Boyle, Co. Roscommom.

Car Boot Sale - Carrick-on-Shannon

Carrick-on-Shannon Car Boot Sale was originally set up at Supreme Business Park on the Sligo side of Carrick-on-Shannon approximately six years ago. If you have nothing to do after mass on a Sunday morning, then this is the place to come - to buy, to sell or just have a nose about ... if only once in a blue moon. After today's visit, I'll be doing a clear-out of my own attic in the weeks ahead!

We should do a photo shoot here, there are some rare characters about this place:-)

For Enquires and bookings; Contact 087 6277969.

Carousel

The earliest known depiction of a carousel is in a Byzantine bas-relief dating to around 500 A.D., which depicts riders in baskets suspended from a central pole. The word carousel originates from the Italian garosello and Spanish carosella ("little battle"), used by crusaders to describe a combat preparation exercise and game played by Turkish and Arabian horsemen in the 12th century. In a sense this early device could be considered a cavalry training mechanism; it prepared and strengthened the riders for actual combat as they wielded their swords at the mock enemies. European Crusaders discovered this device and brought the idea back to their own lands.

The above carousel is situated at Salthill in Galway and is part of the Leisureland Amusement Park.

Photos: Lumix LX5

Knocknarea - Sligo

Out and about in Sligo at the weekend and caught this very friendly fella on a wall at the bottom of Knocknarea. Shot with a Lumix LX5.

Malachy Costello - 'Selected Paintings' exhibition Boyle

Currently exhibiting in Boyle, Malachy Costello was born in Roscommon, in 1959. He is a graduate of Crawford Municipal School of Art, Cork and the Sligo Institute of Technology. His paintings are inspired by the landscapes of North Roscommon, Leitrim and Sligo.

Since he first began exhibiting his work in 1983, Malachy Costello has participated in numerous exhibitions all over Ireland and abroad. He has had solo shows in Foxford Exhibition Centre, Mayo, Dolmen Gallery, Limerick, Castle Art Gallery, Sligo and in the Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon. In October 2007 he held a Solo exhibition at the Leinster Gallery entitled "A Particular Place" which featured landscapes from around his native county of Roscommon. He has contributed to several group exhibitions including the Irish Exhibition of Living Art, the RHA, Oireachtas and the RUA annual exhibitions.

In 2000 his painting Winter Garden was awarded the J.P. Duggan Prize for Outstanding Work at the Carlow Eigse Arts Festival.

His works are in the public collections of M.B.N.A., Co. Leitrim, Sligo VEC, the Municipal Collection in Cesson-Sevigne, France, as well as in many private collections in Ireland, Britain, Holland and USA.

In association with Boyle Arts Festival, Malachy's exhibition runs until 31st July.

Saramai & The Swords play Boyle Arts Festival

These ladies have seriously upped their game since I saw them last year. Saramai and The Swords fronted by aka Saramai and Joy Booth with Cormac O'Keeffe - Lead Guitar/Vocals, Andrew Snow - Drums Vocals & Paddy Smyth - Bass, are an exceptionally gifted group and a very nice bunch of young musicians to-boot. Great gig tonight in The Patrick's Well in Boyle.

Check out last year's shot.

Fregoli perform in Boyle

A very fine performance of 'The Secret Life of Me', performed by the Galway based Fregoli Theatre Company. A thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking drama which, from a male perspective, goes some way to illuminating the difference between what women say and what women think! An effective marriage of monologues, music and lighting, beautifully choreographed - I loved it. Well done to all.

Ballina Salmon Festival 2011

I got to visit my home town, Ballina, for Heritage Day last Wednesday during the Salmon Festival. The weather was a perfect 25°, blue sky and glorious sunshine. Unfortunately we paid the price with the relentless rain that followed for five consecutive days! As ever, this was a fun family day and I snapped a few candids for the album with my LX5. For some reason, this one reminded me of the movie 'UP'.

Fathers and Sons - Self, with my Father and son.

Photos: LX5

Siobhan Cox-Carlos at the Sol Gallery Dublin

My good friend, artist Siobhan Cox-Carlos, is currently exhibiting her most recent paintings at The Sol Art Gallery, Dawson St. Dublin. I was delighted to meet her there and see the work. Her large paintings, done during a residency at Annaghmakerrig, are particularly striking. My favourite was 'Presence', pictured above with the artist herself. Best of luck with the exhibition Siobhan.


Photo: Taken with a Lumix LX5

World's Biggest Glitter Ball

Until recently, Blackpool held the record for the highest rollercoaster in Europe, and now it holds the record for the world’s largest rotating glitter ball. Located on the South Shore sculptural development, the glitter ball is visible for miles around from the air, and gives an amazing light show on the pavement around it. With the slightly curious name, “They Shoot Horses Don’t They”, after a 1960s film and song by a Welsh group called 'Racing Cars'. The ball was designed by artist Michael Trainor and commissioned by the Manchester-based Art Department.

The revolving artwork, featuring 46,500 mirrors, is a permanent fixture on the resort's South Promenade.
The glitterball beat a 2.4m-diameter ball in a Los Angeles nightclub to the world record.
When installed, the artist said: "Hopefully it will be seen as a new icon for Blackpool and the region, and is probably the shiniest artwork in the world (obviously never heard of Anish Kapoor!). "Every second of every day the mirrored facets give a different view of the environment - sea, sky, traffic, trams and promenaders all wrapped up in one mesmorising, moving image."

The glitterball was officially switched on in 2002 by Baron Isherwood, the North West Development Agency Director of Regeneration.


Photo: 'Shite-light' they call it. Taken just before dawn at 4.20 am. July 8th. I should have stayed in bed!! ISO 100. 4 second exposure @ f/10. A lot of noise about nothing if you ask me!! In case you haven't twigged it yet, Blackpool is the 'ballroom' capital of England and the dancing that goes on in the 'Tower' is a pretty serious affair. The Tower is currently closed to the public for long overdue renovations but will reopen in the Autumn to coincided with the annual 'Illuminations' season. Wouldn't mind being there for that!
ps; photos of the Tower later.

Light and Rain

I've been neglecting this space for a while but once again, I'm returning with some new work and hope to have a productive Summer too.

The above shot was taken recently during a trip to England. The seaside town of Blackpool on a mid-week, wet evening was an interesting and challenging subject. I spent about two hours walking about in the rain looking for combinations of street-lights and reflections. This type of shot has made me see the value of investing in a decent umbrella. Here's another one taken from the left of the frame.


Just to remind new visitors to this blog, this is a personal photo diary, the images here are very much 'snapshots' from my wanderings. Images receive very little PP and are visual sketches only. Feel free to comment but don't be offended when comments are not published. My gratitude to regular visitors, I'm glad you have the interest to return and comment so frequently. T