Land Sea & Sky

Donegal Bay is enclosed to the north by Slieve League in Donegal and to the south by Downpatrick Head on the north coast of Mayo. It has some of the most constant winds in western Europe and, as a result, it has very high waves, which are famous around the world among surfers. Mullaghmore, jutting out into the bay as it does, affords great views of both the Mayo and Donegal coastlines. From that vantage point it sometimes appears that weather 'coming in from the west' is coming straight for you. Buy Now

Off the mountain road at the start of the Ox Mountains, you can clamber up the rocky slopes and see this magnificent view. This shows an evening in early June when all of the trees have their individual spring colours and the glow of that evening light highlights Knocknarea mountain and its megalithic cairn. Buy Now

The Bull Wall and the Great South Walls of the Port of Dublin stretch out into the Irish Sea and to the world beyond. The city also stretches out to the west into the plains of Kildare. Will the shaft of gentle winter sunlight go unnoticed by the people busy in the town? Buy Now

Dramatic Slieve More on Achill Island rises from the ocean at Blacksod Bay. Against this backdrop lies Doohooma, its long linear strips of land division speaking of a centuries ago. Buy Now

Ballinalacken Castle is located on a limestone outcrop overlooking the road from Lisdoonvarna to Fanore in County Clare. Large stone fortifications on the site can be traced back to the 10th century, when the Irish O'Connors Clan ruled this part of Clare. As was common in late medieval Ireland, the castle changed hands several times and eventually became the possession of the Ballinalacken O'Briens. The oldest part of the current building is believed to date to the 15th century. Fortunately, the building survived the dismantling of fortifications following the Cromwellian wars in the 17th Century. Now, with its stunning location, where it uses one of the Burren’s limestone outcrops as part of its defences, it gives us a fascinating glimpse into medieval Ireland. This castle also is reputed to have its own ghost. It is situated in the grounds of Ballinalacken Castle Country House Hotel.

The morning of the first frost just where Lough Gill becomes the Garavogue River outside Sligo Town the birds perch on the jetty and take whatever heat the morning sun can give them.

The stretch of water between Carrowteige and Belmullet is aptly named as Broadhaven. This corner of North Mayo juts out into the inhospitable waters of the North Atlantic and this broad haven does exactly that, it offers shelter and respite from the raging sea. Many years ago I worked on a fishing trawler and this is near where we fished and there was one particular night I was very glad of the shelter the this stretch of water offered.