Daily Blog

Yesterday evening when in Kilalla I photographed the outside of a building for a local farmer. While there i noticed a large staining stone a distance from the house. I asked could I go and photograph it. John the farmer was a little reluctant at first because there were animals in the field, and he was heading out at the time but he decided to dispatch his young son Aodain with me to watch my back from the animals!
The stone is one of two, the second is probably a half a mile away across the fields, I don't know their true origin but tradition has it that they mark the battle field of the Battle of Kilroe (1282) between the Barretts and the O'Boyles, the Barretts being from Wales . ( the O Boyles won on this occasion )
Anyway Aodain and myself approached the stone and the cattle who were a distance away were clearly intrigued and came running toward us to see what we were at. Whatever the original use for the stone it is now a luxurious scratching post for the cattle.
After a little while they got fed up of us and wandered away leaving me to take some more "considered" pictures of the stone, but I really liked the few pictures I got with the cattle there, I may post one without the cattle tomorrow.

It is several days since I got out to take some photographs. Now that is not entirely true, I have been taking lots of photographs the last few weeks , with Communions, confirmations etc etc, but I have not had much chance to get out into the fresh air and spent time enjoying the "making" of the photograph. So I got out for a few hours this evening and had decided to travel to North mayo, Ballycastle perhaps. But I stopped at Killala as I remembered I had promised to photograph the outside of a house for somebody, after that I went down to Rosserk Abbey, the tide was in so I waded into the water to get this picture, the light was lovely and I spent quite a bit of time there, as I left I met a couple just arriving who were also taking photographs and enthusiastically showed me all the pictures they had taken on their two hour journey from Ballina to Killala! ( for those not familiar with the local geography Ballina to killala is about a fifteen minute journey ) But they had found enough things to photograph along the way to extend the journey time greatly. By this time the sun was hiding behind clouds and I decided there was little chance of a sunset so instead of continuing my journey I would head for home, fully refreshed from my time spent with my feet in the sea admiring the changing light over Rosserk Abbey. So as I write this I am at home , having a beer to revive the bits that Rosserk did not reach!

Just back from an evening in the Mayo Camera Club, it was the AGM. The club has just launched its new website, why not check it out http://www.mayophotographicclub.org you might even think of joining, we meet on a Monday night and are always looking for new members , beginners included. here is another Nephin picture, taken last Wednesday from the "Windy Gap" between Castlebar and Pontoon.

I did not get out again today though I did spend some time processing yesterday's Communion pictures. Here is a picture taken during last months climb of Croagh Patrick with Patricia. This is taken from the area known as the "shoulder" of Croagh Patrick, we had been climbing about an hour when you reach a kind of plateaux when suddenly you are able to walk normally and it just gives you this feeling of achievement for having gotten this far and a little extra energy for the next bit, for a few minutes you cannot see the summit but then you look up, and see those ant like figures ahead and realise the "fun" bit is yet to come!

Posting in a bit of a hurry this evening. I was busy this morning, photographing Holy Communion children and their families again so I did not get time for any landscape, I did have another Nephin picture ready but thought maybe I should give Nephin a rest!! So here is an image taken on a winters morning from Mulranny Strand looking towards Croagh Patrick.... just for a change!!

And another! Nephin features again, this was also taken on Wednesday, from the same location as yesterday"s picture, just a little further along the shore. In fact if you look at yesterday's picture you can see the same blue boats in the distance. Both are taken with the same camera and lens. a fuji XE1 with the "standard" 18-55mm lens. On yesterdays picture the lens is set to 18mm and in this one the lens is zoomed out to set to 55mm

Keeping up the Nephin theme, here is another image from yesterdays mornings drive. We only spent a few minutes at this this spot but its one of my favourites and I will visit it again soon. The great thing about this spot is that the boats and the water levels in the lake are always changing so giving up different pictures every time. The water levels were a lot higher then the last time I visited, with one of the two "roads" down to the waters edge completely submerged, and of course the boats which are moored at the same moorings are now completely in the water.

A really lovely day in Mayo today, with all the rain we have been having recently the good weather felt like a surprise, but mid summer day is only about six weeks away so we should not be surprised really!
Today I decided to keep with the Nephin theme and after an early morning visit to Castlebar , Patricia and I decided to drive the long way home out the Windy Gap and through Foxford, so that I could get an image or two of Nephin. We went down this by road to get close to the foot of the mountain and I got out for a picture, but in the end it was the sky that really drew my attention, that big white cloud almost dwarfing the mountain.

I spent much of today printing large photographs for a portfolio for another photographer . I had planned to get out this evening for some landscape work, but the weather has changed drastically and the rain has returned with a vengeance , so here is an image of Nephin taken about a month ago.

SO MUCH RAIN!! It poured all day today, and while I did use the camera, I did not use it outdoors! I was in Kilalla today photographing the interior of a holiday home for a website. I had hoped to combine the trip with a visit to Moyne Abbey but it was just too wet. So here is an image taken last Wednesday evening , as I drove in to Westport the clouds over Croagh Patrick were just begging to be photographed!

A very busy day today, this morning Patricia and I were photographing the children and families at their First Holy Communion in Kiltimagh Parish church and later at St Aidans school. it was great fun but very hard work!! I was exhausted after it! Then this evening we visited a friend in Mulranny, and I was sure I would get a picture for tonights blog along the way. sure enough despite the cloudy weather, Croagh Patrick looked wonderful from the road between Castlebar and Newport , there was a magnificent sky with dark clouds but a bright patch over the mountain, I watched the scene for several miles along the road all the time heading towards a spot where I knew the view would be clear of telegraph poles and wires. I pulled up the car and said to Trish "Just look at that, it will look great in Black and White, I won't be a minute" and hopped out of the car. Now Trish knows that when I say "I won't be a minute" I am never wrong, I will probably be several, so she was a little surprised when I got back into the car after only 30 seconds or so, that was how long it took me to realise I had not actually put the camera in the boot like I said I would!! Needless to say, now that I had no camera with me I saw pictures all the way to Mulranny and all the way home!!
So I am posting a picture taken couple of weeks ago, taken somewhere near Foxford.

I took lots of photos today but I can't show you any of them. I was photographing the children in the local play school here in Kiltimagh. They say you should never work with children or adults, well I have done both this week, and enjoyed both. Today I was photographing children and a couple of days ago I was photographing goats! The children today were just delightful, though some tried too hard to smile and some were determined not to! But I got a lovely set of photographs.
So I am posting an image made a few nights ago in Mulranny. I was teaching a one to to one photography class. It was very dull and cloudy and we had gone down to the shore to photograph moving water and had really given up on any chance of a sunset, but just around sunset time the sky began to clear and we headed towards the sun, but behind us the sun was reflecting off the heavy cloud and the colours were just amazing!

I did not get much time for photography today, in the afternoonI had a meeting in Mulranny, the light was great but I was in hurry back for another appointment in Castlebar and it pained me to turn the car left out of the Mulranny Park Hotel and not right towards the coast and views of Clare Island. However I did stop at the roadside at Rossturk , and hopped out of the car and took three pictures ( all the same picture) one as the camera told me on Aperature priority, one with my adjustments made and one " to be sure" and continued on my journey, still somewhat reluctantly.

Very late posting this evening, but I am not long back from a four hour one to one class with somebody who was staying in the Mulranny Park Hotel . We met at the hotel this evening and started by going over some of the practical issues with the camera before setting out for a few hours of photography. It was raining all the while so we had to get an umbrella to keep the camera dry. the rain stopped just after sunset so we made a trip across to Bellacragher Bay to catch the last of the twilight. i was not taking pictures myself as I was concentrating on my "student" But once he had finished I shot off a couple of shots of the very last of the twilight. This is a 30 second exposure.

Lots of rain today in Mayo. I spent the morning in Castlebar where I was photographing a staff team for a business in the town, I brought a mobile studio and the weather did not matter.
I did not think I would get any outdoor pictures today but I was at Westport house this evening, and it stopped raining! It was still pretty dull and cloudy. The swan gondolas had been parked up for the day, I decided to try an exposure long enough to let the water and the swans move a little. So an 8 second exposure was probably just enough.
fuji XE1 8 seconds at f13 iso 200

I did go out for a little while this evening but it poured rain and I decided a night in by the fire would probably be more in line.
So here is an image I made last week at Castle Bourke on Lough Carra, this is taken about a half hour after sunset, fuji XE1
4 seconds f22 iso250
I might also mention that all the images that appear on this page can be purchased as high quality prints, just send me a message if you would like to make a purchase.

I travelled back from Cork today and travelled through some REALLY heavy rain. When I came off the motorway at Gort in Co Galway I decided to take a break with a visit to Coole Park. Isn't that a great name for a place, Coole! It had stopped raining at that point and I hoped that I might find bluebells in the woods.So I headed into the woods wearing my "waterproof" coat, which I had discovered yesterday is no longer waterproof, after walking about fifteen minutes it started to rain and it was torrential!! I thought the trees would give me some protection but they didn't. Hoping it was just a shower I stood under a tree, but the rain just kept coming and seemed to get heavier and heavier, I just stood there getting wetter and wetter. Eventually of course it did stop and I took this picture before making my way back to the car before the next downpour! And there were no bluebells!

I am just heading out the door , I am going to Cork for the weekend, looks like we will have lots and lots of rain though, but I suppose it is the bank holiday!
I took this image last week one evening just outside Westport. I am always fascinated by these standing stones at Kiladangan. It intriges me that these stones were clearly of great importance at a point in history and are now largely ignored by modern man as we just drive by in our cars getting to somewhere else. I enjoy the photographing but I also just enjoy the time spent, and there is something almost spiritual about taking the time to touch a stone like this , and wonder about those that went ahead of us, maybe four or even five thousand years earlier.

Thrilled to announce that I have been named as a Fujifilm X photographer , and have been included on their website. I am thrilled to be sharing with some great photographers, here is a link to my page on the website, but while there, be sure to look at some of the others as there are some inspiring photographers from all corners of the world
http://fujifilm-x.com/photographers/en/eamonn_mccarthy/#01

Still cold and wet , here is an image from last weeks climb up Croagh Patrick. With that sunshine and blue sky it doesn't look like Ireland at all does it ?