Nohoval Cove, Cork

Nocturne, Nohoval Cove, Cork - 2014

There’s a particular pleasure in rediscovering a photograph you didn’t quite appreciate at the time it was made. This one, created in June 2014 at Nohoval Cove in County Cork, had been quietly sitting in my archive until a recent pass through my back catalog brought it to the surface. I’d nearly forgotten I’d made it.

I was there with a friend—another photographer—who first introduced me to the location. Nohoval Cove is special place. Sheer cliffs, sculpted sea stacks - it feels worlds away from the surrounding farmland. I remember the quiet as we set up—just the sound of the sea below and the occasional sheep in the distance—while the stars began to emerge above us.

The sea is stilled by a long exposure, softening the Atlantic’s usual restlessness into something serene. Above it, the Milky Way stretches through the deep blue midnight sky, framed by a few drifting clouds and the faint glow of distant lights on the horizon. There’s a gentle tension between the grounded solidity of the rocks and the ethereal delicacy of the sky.

At the time, this image didn’t quite speak to me. Perhaps it was simply a matter of timing—I was looking for something different, or wasn’t in the headspace to hear what it had to say. But now, with fresh eyes, I see it clearly. The composition, the mood, the light—all of it feels quietly resolved.

That’s the beauty of a good archive. Some photographs aren’t ready right away. They wait patiently for you to catch up.

Nohoval Cove sits on a quiet stretch of the Cork coast between the villages of Nohoval and Roberts Cove, roughly twenty minutes south of Cork city. You'd miss the turnoff easily enough. A narrow lane, a farmer's gate, then a short walk across fields before the ground simply falls away. The geology is what draws you in first. Layers of old red sandstone folded and twisted by forces difficult to comprehend, a natural arch worn through by the Atlantic, and those remarkable sea stacks standing offshore like sentinels. It's a place that rewards a slow look.

For night photography, Nohoval is a genuine find. The rural coastline means minimal light pollution, and with the cliffs facing south you get a clear window onto the Milky Way core through the summer months. It's one of the better locations for astrophotography Ireland has to offer outside the designated dark sky reserves, and far less visited.

Prints of this Nohoval Cove photograph, along with other images from the Cork coast and around Ireland, are available on petercox.ie. I'm delighted this one finally found its way out of the archive.