Ireland

Being mainly famous for its 6th century monastery, the dramatic island of Skellig Michael also boasts two lighthouses built in 1830. This image was made of the lower lighthouse from the road to the upper (which was discontinued and abandoned in 1870).
Made shortly after moonrise, the image shows the light in its new guise. Just a couple of weeks before this image was made, the old fresnel lantern was decommissioned and a modern LED lantern mounted on the balcony. In a large print, this new light can be seen illuminated. It has great advantages in cost of operation, but unfortunately means that the rest of the lighthouse complex is surplus to requirements and will be closed up. The end of an era, but on this trip I was fortunate enough to enjoy the hospitality of the lighthouse for possibly the last time ever.
This is one of my favourite images of recent times. I love the line of the road leading down to the light, and even more the evidence of nature's relentless assault in the cracked and damaged walls, and the overgrown road itself.

A close in view of the lighthouse at the end of the Old Head of Kinsale on a beautiful Autumn evening. The golf course and clubhouse is visible in the background.

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

Cromwell Point is the location of the lighthouse on Valentia Island. it guards the channel between Valentia and Beginish Island. It was built on the site of a 16th century fortification, the outline of which is still apparent.

The three rocks off the tip of Dursey Island at the end of the Beara Peninsula line up just after sunrise on a clear summer's day. The Bull is the largest and sports its lighthouse and massive gannet colony. The smallest rock is the Calf which can be seen near the horizon to the right of the frame. The bump on it is the stump of a lighthosue that was broken in half by the sea in the late 1800s.

A blustery evening at Hook Head.

Photographed just after sunrise, this view from the western end of Skellig Michael shows the two lighthouses very effectively. As shafts of sunlight penetrate the clouds and light up the sea, the abandoned northern lighthouse sits high on its ridge in the centre of the frame. The still-operational southern light is very visible with its white painted walls.

One of my favourite nocturnes, this was made late at night at Long Strand. The light on the horizon is Galley Head Lighthouse. The Milky Way dominates the sky, and the light on the rocks in the foreground is a portable studio light I brought along. As there was no moon, without that, there would be no light on the foreground.