There’s a narrow window just after sunset when the sky goes absolutely wild, when the sun has dropped below the horizon but the light is still bouncing around in the atmosphere, and you get these incredible bands of colour stacking up from warm orange through pink into deep purple and navy.

The navigation beacon at the end of the pier in Ballycotton hadn’t come on yet so it provided a subject for a silhouette against this gorgeous sky on a lovely August evening last year.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	150mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/13s

Last October we spotted a herd of deer, both stags and hinds, in a field. It wasn’t long before another stag wandered in and decided to break up the party.

After running around for a bit, the stag ran through the group of hinds and then walked away, trailing 3 of them!

Aperture	ƒ/6.3
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	600mm
ISO	3200
Shutter speed	1/1000s

Everyone knows Torc Waterfall in Killarney, but O’Sullivan’s Cascade is a hidden gem at the other end of the Lakes of Killarney.

There is a popular legend surrounding the cascade that it was once owned by Fionn MacCumhal and whiskey rather than water flowed from it. O’Sullivan of Tomies is said to have been the only person brave enough to stand up to Fionn MacCumhal and shared a drop of the delightful whiskey. The legend continues that when the English invaded Ireland many years, the whiskey changed into water and became known as O’Sullivan’s Cascade.

Destination Killarney

Videos to watch

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/25s

Sometimes the photography gods just hand you a gift, and this was one of those moments. I was walking through central London when I spotted this woman standing at the kerb in a pink striped shirt — and directly behind her, as if placed there by a set designer with a very specific sense of humour, sat one of London’s famously over-the-top pedicabs, absolutely dripping in hot pink and white faux fur.

The colour match was uncanny. She had no idea, of course.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	2500
Shutter speed	1/500s

It was my first time visiting Harper’s Island and unfortunately no birds came anywhere near any of the hides, but I loved to see flocks of birds swoop through the air in synchronised flight.

Aperture	ƒ/6.3
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	600mm
ISO	800
Shutter speed	1/2000s

Nature is starting to take over this abandoned farmhouse on Harper’s Island in Co Cork.

The old stone gateposts are still standing, the wire fence still technically there, but it’s clear nobody’s coming through that gate anymore. Places like this always make me wonder about the people who lived here: the dinners cooked, the fires lit, the boots left by the door. Now it’s just the tree, the wind, and the slow quiet process of a building becoming part of the landscape again.

Tonight, I saw Jennifer Willis give a talk tonight at Blarney Photography Club. She’s an engaging speaker, with great photos and emotional stories.

Aperture	ƒ/6.3
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	157.2mm
ISO	1600
Shutter speed	1/2000s

We’re near Piccadilly Circus, there’s a big painted sea turtle sculpture on a blue plinth, part of a public art trail supported by Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett, no less, and absolutely nobody sitting on it is paying the slightest bit of attention to it. They’re all on their phones.

The star of the show for me is the person in the middle, who has gone full Union Jack: hat, bag, the works, paired with red tracksuit bottoms and a set of brightly coloured trainers that honestly deserve their own photo.

Love London for street photography!

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	500
Shutter speed	1/125s

This is Betancuria. Tucked into a valley surrounded by arid, scrubby hills, this tiny settlement was actually the island’s capital for over 400 years.

We didn’t have much time to explore the town, but it was really nice. Somewhere you must visit if you’re in Fuerteventura.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	212mm
ISO	400
Shutter speed	1/500s

Look, I’m not saying Burger King has started its own airline, but the evidence is right there in the photograph.

The King of the Burger was coming to visit.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/1250s

If you’ve been anywhere near Grand Parade in Cork lately, you’ll know the scene: hoarding, fencing, traffic cones, and that slightly bewildered look on everyone’s face as they try to work out which footpath is still open this week.

This is what it looked like 2 weeks ago when a sewerage pipe was laid across Nano Nagle Bridge to Sullivan’s Quay.

I found out that Uisce Éireann is working in the area:

Uisce Éireann is commencing works in the Grand Parade area of the city to make improvements to Cork City’s wastewater infrastructure.

The works will allow access for specialist contractors to the underground Pump Station located on Grand Parade, for removal of redundant equipment, cleaning of the pumping station and removal of historical debris. It will afford further opportunities to survey and inspect the existing structure and 
will provide resilience for the continuation of critical wastewater infrastructure improvements within Cork City.

Works are due to commence in January 2026.

The section of works will take place on a short section of Sullivans Quay, across Nano Nagle Bridge and along Grand Parade. 

The works will be carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by Ward and Burke Construction Ltd. and are expected to be completed by mid-March 2026.

In February 2007 the Grand Parade was a construction site too. That was when the wide pavements were laid, along with the makeover of St. Patrick Street too.

Aperture	ƒ/2.2
Camera	Galaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length	2.2mm
ISO	64
Shutter speed	1/300s