An Irish Trip
In May 2023 of this year I planned a trip to Ireland sailing from Cairnryan to Belfast. I have not been to these parts of Ireland for over 30 years so I was looking forward to visiting both the East and West coast. In terms of the weather, we had really good weather so lovely for a holiday but for photography- I had to pick my moments. It was great to be contacted by Irish photographers who I met up with en route. The areas visited included Belfast , Wexford, Waterville and Dingle. There is no ‘right to roam’ in Ireland unlike Scotland, so adhering to paths and walkways is essential. Anyone thinking of taking a short cut may be met with some harsh words etc - so don’t. I took my two camera bodies, the Nikon 850 and new Fuji H2. Both had their place in this landscape. The lighter of the two was ideal for carrying when walking. Wexford in the East is a relatively gentle landscape with some wonderful beaches which we saw in full sun and blue skies! So limited photography……however it was great to experience. The roads are traffic free, the pace of life much slower and bb and restaurants fully staffed which made for some wonderful times. My first shots were taken at Powerscourt waterfall which is close to the Wicklow mountains. It was a warm humid day but with little sun. Ideal for the close ups of the falls
Working with the weather and with light on offer meant I had some opportunities for longer exposures. Ballymoney beach near Wexford had some interesting rock formations and some calm conditions. The Fuji h2 met the brief perfectly as it did again at a rainy sunset in Waterville
Throughout the trip I was conscious that I wanted to shoot and make pictures that were perhaps more in keeping with the weather and light I was met with. So the grand landscape does not feature significantly in this blog. There were opportunities for some shooting of the more intimate landscape, both in black and white and colour . The mussel patterns on the rocks lent themselves to black and white and the Thrift was just beginning to bloom so an ideal colour shot.
The last part of the trip was spent in the Dingle peninsula and area that could never disappoint. Kinard beach delivered a beautiful sunset one evening. A tricky beach to get down to due to erosion of the rocks but worth the brief clamber at the end. A mix of weather was experienced in the Dingle area which made for some lovely final shots. I will be visiting again and concentrating my efforts in a few selected areas to gain the most from each and find out more about the landscape.
