Photographs from "The Irish Light"

The finest lighthouse on the Irish coast, the Fastnet stands proud on an unusually calm fine Summer's evening.
A granite tower constructed of interlocking blocks, it's a virtual monolith which presents itself like the bow of a ship to the incoming Atlantic swells, dissipating their energy before they reach peak force.
So effective is the design and construction that it has survived the worst the Atlantic can throw at it for over a century with nary a scratch. In 1985, it was struck by a 48m rogue wave (the same height as the focal plane of the lantern). This stove in the glass of the lantern room and overturned the vat of mercury on which the lantern turns, but the structure took no other damage.

The Fastnet is certainly Ireland’s finest lighthouse. Difficult to land on, and all but impossible to step from a boat for most of the year, this aerial view shows the typical angry sea that surrounds it.
Cape Clear Island is visible on the horizon, the closest point of land to the rock, often called the ‘Teardrop of Ireland’ as it was the last thing emigrants saw of their home country when sailing to America and Australia.

The Old Head of Kinsale is home to one of the world's most spectacular golf courses. Covering the end of the peninsula itself, bounded by cliffs on all sides with only a narrow isthmus connecting it to the rest of the peninsula, it's a strange mixture of wilderness and manicured beauty.
There has been a lighthouse at the Old Head since 1665. The original building is still present and was a cottage type with an open fire on its roof. The current 40-foot tower was built in 1853.
This photograph was made near sunset on a late summer's evening. The view is to the north with the golf course and lighthouse in the foreground and Kinsale town on the main coast to the right of frame. The low angle of the sun creates dramatic shadows which show the beautiful sculpting of the golf course very clearly.
Made with an ultra-high resolution digital sensor, in a large print golfers can be clearly seen on the course.

Skellig Michael (Sceilig Mhichíl) is one of the jewels of Ireland's landscape and heritage. Seen here from a helicopter, the Small Skellig and Lemon Rock are also visible. Puffin Island, Valentia and Portmagee are all visible in the distance.
A double-pyramid of rock soaring up from the surface of the Atlantic, it houses two lighthouses (one decommissioned), a 6th century monastery and a hermitage from the same era.

The view from Geokaun Mountain on Valentia Island is second to none, in my opinion. This image looks out over Valentia Harbour and Doulus Bay, with the lighthouse at Fort Point in the bottom centre of the photograph. A squall is passing over Cahersiveen in the distance as the clouds are tinged pink with the sunrise.

Fanad Head is one of the more dramatic and photogenic lighthouses around the coast. Made around midnight, I picked my way carefully along the adjacent headland by torchlight and found a good spot.
The photograph was exposed for four minutes, giving plenty of movement in the clouds and some significant star trails which are visible in the clear patch above the light itself.

The Fastnet Lighthouse is one of Ireland's engineering marvels. There are several other images on this site which capture it from the air, the sea and from the rock itself, but this is one of the more unique. Made from inside the rotating lantern assembly itself, the strong graphic forms of the fresnel lenses combine with the diagonals of the ladder and other structures to show off the magnificent beauty of this early 20th century industrial masterpiece.
As I was composing the image, I noticed that every now and then a rainbow was projected on the pole to my left by the lenses. I made several exposures attempting to capture this split-second occurrence, and this one was successful.

Photographing the lighthouse from the rock itself can be challenging, both artistically and physically. High winds complicated my efforts, but as we were waiting for the helicopter to pick us up, the sun popped out from the clouds and I was able to frame this image.

Made during my trip to visit the Bull Rock Lighthouse in early Summer, 2010. This image was made on the way down from the old fog signal station and shows the illuminated lighthouse against the empty sea beyond.
As this is a night image, the exposure was long and thus the waves and clouds are completely smoothed out, creating a timeless look.

This photograph was made in the evening after the lantern had come on in the lighthouse. The open door is very inviting - lighthouses were always very hospitable places. Unfortunately, since automation more often than not the doors are barred as there's no one present. When work is ongoing, for a brief time some of that old hospitality comes back to life.

Mizen Head is Ireland's most southwesterly point. A fog signal was established here in 1909, and a light in 1959. In 1993, when the station was made automatic, a local cooperative in cooperation with the Commissioners of Irish Lights opened the station up to tourists.
The original bridge giving access to the station had suffered badly from over a century of exposure to the severe weather in this area, and work on its replacement commenced in 2009. On March 17, 2011 the new bridge will re-open, allowing visitors access to the lighthouse once more.
This photograph was made on an early Spring evening. Looking over the rocks above the station (which is situated on Cloghan Island), all lines lead up to the setting sun.

An Tiaracht is an island of many names. Also known as Inishtearaght, The Tearaght and Tearaght Island, all these names mean the same thing - 'The Westerly', or 'Westerly Island'. This is a pretty good description, as not only is it the westernmost of the Blasket Islands, it's also pretty much the westernmost point of Europe, with the exception of the nearby Foze Rocks.
In my opinion, the lighthouse on the island, which was constructed in 1870 and made automatic in 1988, is the most dramatic of any of the lighthouses around the coast. It's also one of the least well known as it's invisible from the mainland - sitting as it does on the western end of the rock.
The island is a pair of jagged, steep-sided pyramids reaching a maximum height of 656 feet above the sea. Joining them is a saddle pierced by a natural tunnel. The light itself is at a height of 275 feet on top of a 55 foot tower.
This image was made during a maintenance flight out to the lighthouse, but due to the stormy conditions we were unable to land. However, it did provide me an opportunity to photograph the island as it was pounded by an angry sea.

Made on a fine morning during my stay on the Bull Rock. On the steps leading up from the Wendy House to the old fog signal station on the island's summit. This is the view looking south-west.
The building in the foreground is the keeper's accommodation and engine room. One of the water tanks is visible as is part of the oil store. You can also get some appreciation of the exposed nature of the helipad, sitting on stilts with steep drops on three sides.

One thing that's difficult for photographs to capture is the impression of height. I feel this image, made from the lower balcony of the Fastnet lighthouse, succeeds in conveying that sense of vertigo. Looking down 140 feet to the seething waters below gives a real sense of the accomplishment of the builders who finished this structure in 1904.