Dramatic

The Small Skellig emerges from the fog on a blustery day. Featured in the book "The Skelligs: Islands on the Edge of the World" by Peter Cox.

Skellig Michael is one of my favourite locations anywhere in the world. It has long been my desire to photograph the 6th century monastery here in good light, and in mid-2012 I was given the opportunity to do just that. Access to the island is restricted with tourists only permitted between the hours of 10am and 4pm - which is unfortunately when the light is at its worst during the summer months.
On this occasion I was able to overnight on the island and was granted a spectacular sunrise, which you see here.
The 'beehive' huts here are drystone construction and have stood in more or less this condition since the monastery was abandoned in the 13th century. Even the ground on which they are built is remarkable, as it's a man-made terrace produced by building up hundreds of tons of rock held in by a series of retaining walls. The monks had no choice in this, as there is virtually no naturally occurring flat space on the island.

The Fastnet is the southernmost point of Ireland, and known as "Ireland's Teardrop" as it was often the last sight of home for emigrants heading to the New World.

Seen here in the aftermath of a storm, the trough of a swell passes by the rock, revealing details not normally seen.

Inis Meáin (Inishmaan) is the middle of the three Aran Islands which are strung across the mouth of Galway Bay.
This image was made at Poll an tSéideáin (Hole of the Blowing Spray) on the island's west coast. Oileán na Tuí (Straw Island) is visible on the horizon to the left of frame.
Poll an tSéideáin is so named because there is long but shallow cave at sea level that causes the sea to react dramatically in a swell, sending up massive curtains of spray. On this particular evening there was a five meter swell running with a fresh wind, resulting in some truly impressive seas.
The cliffs here are about 30 meters high at this point yet the spray from the incoming waves are easily reaching their tops.

This is an iconic location, the view down the slip road to the harbour at Dunquin (Dún Chaoin), at the tip of the Dingle peninsula. From here you can catch the boat to the Blasket Islands.
Made on a stormy afternoon using a long exposure, the waves have turned to mist, swirling around the rocks just offshore.

Dramatic fingers of rock reach out from Galley Head at sunrise.

Clogher is the place to be in a westerly storm. It's a fairly narrow bay and the wind and waves coming through it are always amplified. Never more so than on this stormy afternoon in January 2014. The wind was so fierce that it was a challenge to stand, let alone make photographs and the spray was constant.
Inis Tuaisceart, the Sleeping Giant, is visible on the horizon just past the breaking wave.

The famous Skellig islands, Skellig Michael (on the left) and the Small Skellig are seen on a calm evening near the Vernal Equinox at sunset.

Mizen Head is the most south-westerly point on the Irish mainland and the home to a fog station and lighthouse since 1909 and 1959, respectively.
Seen here at sunset on an evening with heavy swell, the location shows its remote and forbidding character.
The lighthouse and fog signal were automated in 1993, and in 1994 the station was opened to the public as a visitor center. Worth a trip if you're in the area!

A fiery sunrise over Loop Head in Clare. This point is the culmination of the line of cliffs along the clare coast that start with the Cliffs of Moher further north. The Shannon Estuary lies to the right of the frame, and the Atlantic Ocean to the left. The "Eire" sign near the tip of the peninsula was placed there during WWII to assist US pilots ferrying aircraft across the Atlantic with their navigation.

The sun sets over the boulder beach at Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo.

Ireland took a beating in early 2014 with storm after storm crashing into the coast from the Atlantic. This image was made on February 8th at Cromwell Point on Valentia Island. A huge wave threatens to engulf the lighthouse.

Slea Head is by far the most iconic of Dingle locations. On the very fringes of our island, it's an incredibly rugged and wild place. Even the roads have difficulty here - a section of the nearby Slea Head drive slipped into the sea some years ago. The new section is a little further inland now!
This image was made shortly after sunset on a stormy December day. The clouds, which had been stubbornly persistent on the horizon, cleared for a few seconds to give a glimpse of the glorious colours behind them, before closing again just as quickly.
From left to right, the islands visible are, Inishvickallaun, Inishnabro and the Great Blasket.

The Skellig Islands seen at sunset on an autumn day as a gannet flies overhead.