Clare

County Clare has been drawing me north from Cork for as long as I can remember. The Burren alone would be reason enough. That vast limestone pavement, cracked and weathered into shapes that look borrowed from another planet, transforms completely depending on the season and the light. In winter, low sun rakes across the grikes and clints and the whole place glows.

The Cliffs of Moher are photographed by millions every year, but I keep returning for the moments most visitors never see. First light in February with Atlantic swell throwing spray two hundred feet up the cliff face. Storm light turning the sandstone bands gold against a black sky. Those are the mornings that make the early alarm worthwhile!

Further west, Loop Head lighthouse sits at the very tip of its peninsula, surrounded by nothing but ocean and seabirds. It's a favourite spot, and one I'll never tire of visiting.