Kerry

The pre-dawn light illuminates the lower monk's garden on Skellig Michael. The Small Skellig and the mountains of Kerry lie in the background.

The Small Oratory on Skellig emits a welcoming glow under the stars with the Kerry coast and Small Skellig in the background.

I love shooting nocturnes - night landscapes. The night sky is a very beautiful thing, and is underappreciated as so many of us live in cities where light pollution hides all but the brightest stars.
Combining the beauty of a dark sky with a dramatic landscape is a real joy for me. So, here's this photograph of the Skellig islands from Valentia island at the tip of the Ring of Kerry. The constellation of Orion dominates the sky above Bray Head while moonlit clouds scud across the frame. The Great Nebula of Orion, M42, is just visible at the end of Orion's Sword.

The winter stars rise above the monastery of Skellig Michael on a calm night.

This image was made at Newfoundland Bay on Killarney's Upper Lake. Looking back east to Torc Mountain with the glow from Killarney on the horizon, the Plough (or Big Dipper if you're from the other side of the Atlantic) hangs in the sky overhead like a question mark.

An Searrach (The Foal) is a sea stack just outside Dingle Harbour. Visible from the Conor Pass, I'd been meaning to find a good vantage point for it since I first saw it some years ago. Just recently while returning from business in Dingle town shortly after sunset, and in miserable weather I found this spot. Made with a long lens over 30 seconds, I believe it captures the mood of the scene very well.

This image shows the Little Samphire Island lighthouse as a crescent moon sets behind it.

This view of Puffin Island and the Skelligs is one of my favourite in the country. On this evening, I was driven away from one shooting location due to rain, and was getting ready to pack it in for the night. However, I decided to swing past this location to see if conditions were different.
As you can see, the rain had moved on and the moon was just peeking out from the clouds behind me to illuminate the foreground - well worth the diversion!

Welcoming light spills out of some of the beehive huts that make up the Skellig Michael monastery on a calm night.

A night view of the Gap of Dunloe, illuminated by moonlight. Snow sits on the mountains as the winter weather of 2010 retreats at last

The moon rises over Torc Mountain with the lights of Killarney in the distance.

Ladies' View is one of the iconic viewpoints in the Killarney area. Named for Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, who were apparently much taken by the spot during her visit to the area.
I've always been taken by this tree, which is largely overlooked by the tourists who visit this place in droves during the summer months. I think it sets the view off very nicely, and this image made under starry skies gives the place an otherworldly feel. The lights of Killarney are visible in the bottom left of the frame between Torc Mountain on the right and the Eagle's Nest on the left.

Gallarus Oratory on the Dingle peninsula by moonlight.

Muckross House is one of the jewels of the Killarney area. A stately home that is now open to the public, I wanted to capture it a little differently.
This was a beautiful clear Autumn night and the stars were shining brightly. I had the place to myself. The constellation of Aquarius can be seen just above the house.