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

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

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.

Boughil More and Boughil Beg, two large sea stacks on the western edge of the island of Inishturk stand sentinel beneath a starry sky.

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

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!

This image of Ballycotton Island and lighthouse was made late at night. Two exposures were necessary to make it - one to capture the lighthouse, island and water, and the other to capture the starfield and sky.
The result is an image that is a true representation of what it was like to stand on the cliffs looking out on this fantastic scene.

A lone figure lights the way to the monastery on the peak of Skellig Michael on a calm night.

In early March 2013, comet PANSTARRS made its first appearance in the northern hemisphere. On two nights, it appeared in conjunction with the very slender crescent moon. The first night, the clouds didn't cooperate with me, but on the second one I was able to get this image.
The comet can be seen behind the thin band of cloud near the middle of the frame. The crescent moon appears very bright, but the area in shadow is illuminated by Earthshine - the reflected light from the Earth itself. To finish it all off, the lighthouse on Skellig Michael makes an appearance, winking its light at us.

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.

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.

This view of Tory Island Lighthouse was made late in the evening, some time after sunset.
It was a hazy evening and I noticed that the beam of light from the lantern was very well defined as it swept across the island. I put on my headlamp, grabbed the camera and tripod and walked out halfway to the lighthouse, where I could get an uninterrupted view of it.
This is the composition I decided upon, a relatively wide view of the scene, and a long exposure to show the beam on both sides of the tower as it swept around its arc.
To prevent the lantern itself from becoming overexposed, I had to cover the lens with my hand every time the light passed over my position.

Baltimore, Co. Cork is a popular sailing destination, and perhaps more so than most Irish coastal towns has a strong maritime tradition.
One piece of evidence for this is the beacon rising on a point above the town, at the entrance to the harbour. Known as "Lot's Wife" due to its resemblance to that unfortunate Biblical character who was turned into a pillar of salt, it was built by order of the British Government after the 1798 rebellion.
Across the channel, you can see Sherkin Island, one of the many islands in Roaringwater Bay. The Sherkin Lighthouse winks red across the water, marking the other side of the narrow entry to Baltimore Harbour.
This image was made about 45 minutes after sunset, which accounts for the rather blue/magenta colour and the movement in the clouds.

The Muglins lie about half a mile northeast of Dalkey Island, and are a danger to shipping. Many ships came to grief on these rocks until a light was established at around the turn of the 20th century.
This image was made on a very fine night, and shows the northeastern extent of Dalkey Island, with the Muglins light beyond. On the horizon, the Kish lighthouse winks at us.
This is one of the images that I'm most happy with. It is simple, but there is plenty for the eye to wander over and appreciate - most notably the line of clouds near the horizon and the fine detail in the Moon's reflection. The sea is slightly smoothed as it was a long exposure - perhaps 15 seconds or so.
This is the second image I've made of this location. Slightly earlier in the night than the first, and in almost identical weather conditions, it adds colour which I felt was lacking in the original.