Daily Blog

The weather forecasters are predicting a"severe cold snap" , I hope it reaches Mayo ! While it has been a good winter, as in very mild, from a photographers point of view we have not really had any winter at all! So I am looking forward to some clear nights and frost and maybe even a little snow!!, not too much now and not for too long, but a couple of days might be nice!
Now I must go out and cover all the plants I have been growing for the garden!!!!
This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago, and is from the "back" of Croagh Patrick, the little building is actually the ruin of a National (primary Level) school. Taken after dark, my shining torches at the building drew the attention of the local farmer , who I think ,despite our conversation about what I was doing, probably took the view that I was just a little strange!

Just had a frustrating afternoon watching Ireland Vs france in the rugby.
This image of Rockfleet was made back in 2007, a relatively long time ago in the digital world. It was made using RAW files, the advantage of using Raw files is that as the software improves , so does the results even from "old Files" this was processed from RAw this afternoon, using Lightroom.

A little change of direction today. I have been a photographer since my wife Patricia, who was at the time my girlfriend, made the mistake of buying me a camera for Christmas in, I think 1981. Within about a month I had realized the limitations of this 110film camera and had traded it in for a second hand Practica 35mm SLR !! And so the love affair, some would say obsession, with photography began. ( I should point out at this point that the love affair with Patricia is also still going strong) It was some years later before I discovered black and white photography and for about twenty years I only did Black and White. this was because I discovered that in black and white I had full control over the whole process . Then of course I went digital in 2005 and the love affair with colour started all over again. In digital I have full control from when I press the shutter to the final print and unlike with colour film, I am not depending on a processor to process the film etc. Anyway last night I was going through some photos from last year and I decided to try some of the "lightroom" conversions would work out. This is a colour image turned to black and white using the preset "Black and white look 1" with grain added in the effects panel. I think it looks like an old black high iso film shot from about twenty five years ago..

Stuck indoors all day today! So back to the archives... here is one of my favourite images of Croagh Patrick, the church on the summit is clearly visible and the boat seems to be "pointing the way"

Yesterday I posted a picture of Croagh Patrick. Padraig suggested he would like a view from the top. Well no I did not rush out and climb the Reek , and I have posted this before, but it is a view from the top , and many of you may not have seen it before.

If you would like to attend this beginners class at the Joe Keane Creative Centre Killala please message me.

Here is a slightly different view of Croagh Patrick,locally known as "the Reek" taken on Sunday evening. The little church can be plainly seen on the summit. I took lots of pictures while waiting for the clouds to move into the positions I wanted them in ,in relation to the sun.

The day started really grey, just like the last three or four days. In the afternoon Patricia and I went to Castlebar, as we left the house, seeing a small break in the clouds I decided to throw the camera in the car. I was glad we did because the afternoon became quite sunny, so finishing our business around 5pm,we had time to make a quick trip to Westport in the hopes of getting a sunset. The sunset was very disappointing but this picture of Croagh patrick was taken about forty minutes before sunset, and was, I think well worth the trip!

The grey weather continues, with little or no sign of the sun. I decided to visit Lough Conn were I thought there would be some boats I could photograph. I got to Lough Conn and there was only one boat on the lough, and the owner, Gerry Murphy, had only put it there ten minutes earlier! The boats are taken off for the winter , but I expected that some would have been returned by now. Gerry assured me that they will start to re appear over the next couple of weeks.

We are having a very "grey spell" in the weather in mayo. Dont get me wrong, its actually quite pleasant , its dry and not too cold. great weather for walking and all kinds of activity, but with no sign of the sun at all its a bit depressing from a photographic point of view. I was not motivated to use the camera at all today. I decided to look back into the archive and see from my pictures what the weather was like in previous years. I found this image taken on lough mask exactly two years ago, the weather looks very similar!!! it did occur to me though on finding this, that i was wrong to assume I could not get good pictures on a dull day, I might just have to work a bit harder!

Back from Cork this evening, but no pictures taken, spent all afternoon on the road.So here is ANOTHER image from Monday nights visit to Moyne Abbey. Moyne Abbey has a secret gallery of ancient artwork.! One of the walls still has some wall art created by one or more monks from the fifteenth century . I say secret, simply because I don't think many people know about it and in truth, I had visited the abbey many times and despite walking right past this artwork I had never seen it. last year I was fortunate enough to meet the archeologist Michael Gibbons at Moyne Abbey , when he asked me had I seen the wall art!! I photographed it at the time, but on this occasion because I was there in the dark it was easier to "light" the wall art to make it visible. Patricia ,my wife, assisted by shining the torch at an accute angle to help highlight the carving of a ship on the wall of the abbey. I hope you can make it out. There are several examples, some "protected" by gravestones that would have been erected several years later, of course the gravestones mean we cant actually see the artwork , but its also good to know it is protected.

I was never great at school, so not all my memories are good ones, but I have very found memories of Mr Moriarty, in Sallynoggin National School teaching us all the words and tune of the famous Irish Rebel song "The Rising of the Moon"
The song is about the Rebellion of 1798. I am not sure where the song is set, but this is an image of the Moon rising over Killala Bay. And there was plenty of activity in and around Killala during the rebellion. The colours in the picture are true, the moon really did rise that colour!, it rose just as the sun set, it is incredible how much light the moon provides! I can imagine why it might be advantageous to plan an attack under a full moon, if you were so inclined!!

I am in Cork for a few days, and don't know if I'll get any pictures, but here is another one from last evenings trip to Moyne Abbey. I had gone to the abbey just outside Killala to do some light painting. ie using a torch to light the abbey in the dark. As you saw from the image I posted yesterday, our arrival co-incided with the rising of the moon and a lot of time was spent trying to capture it. The moon then interfered with the lightpainting , because it could not be included in the frame as a thirty second exposure( needed for the light painting) would result in the moon moving. You would be amazed by how far the moon moves in thirty seconds! Anyway I did manage a few light paintings, with Patricia beside me reminding me that I had to be in Castlebar by 8.15pm, I worked as fast as I could.
Finally I agreed we just had to go , and we headed back across the field toward the car, but I could not resist one last look back towards the abbey, with the moon behind it I could see a great silhouette , and despite the lateness, I just had to get the tripod out for one last shot, well several actually ....

I am starting a new beginners class in Killala starting on 14th March, if you would like to attend just message me, and please spread the word!!

This evening I went to Moyne Abbey near Killala. I arrived shortly after sunset, shortly after I arrived the moon rose over Killala Bay, I took several pictures before going into the Abbey and finding this view through the abbey window. By this time it was very dark and the moon was very bright which made it difficult to photograph both the window and the moon, but I still thought it was worth a try because this is the same moon that the Franciscan monks would have looked out on back in the 1400s!

We had a beautiful day in Mayo on Sunday, but once again I did not get out during daylight. I was on my way to Claremorris in the evening so stopped at the ruined St Mary's Carmelite Monastory.The monastory dates from 1288
The picture was made one hour 40 minutes after sunset and was lit with a torch.

Here is another view of Achill. This is taken from a place called Tonragee West, which is on the R319 between Mulranny and Achill. I think the mountain we see in the picture is Sleivemore, but I could be corrected.

I took this image last week on Achill Island. I was disappointed in the weather as it was very dull and I did not expect to get any photographs, however i spotted this tractor which looked like it was deserted in the middle of the bog. I suspect it has done a lot of work in its time, but judging by the fact that the engine cover is lying in the bog beside it it looks like its days as a workhorse might be over.

I did not get out again today, but I came across this image of the old look out post at Downpatrick Head. It was the grasses on the cliff that attracted me to take the picture. Its really spongey to walk on.

I had hoped to photograph a sunset this evening, after a lovely afternoon things were looking promising until about twenty minutes before sunset when the sun disappeared behind hazy cloud. So here is a sunset taken near Croagh Patrick two years ago !

I did not get out with the camera during the day, but I had to be in Claremorris by 9pm this evening and it was such a lovely clear night that I thought to go early and visit the old ruin of St Colman's church on the road between Kitlimagh and Claremorris. There was a nice bright moon , which certainly helped me pick my way through the heavy undergrowth of the old graveyard to get to a spot where I could get a view of the ruin without any "Modern" lights from houses etc interfering with the composition.