The Fastnet Lighthouse at dawn on a blustery day.

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.

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 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.

The historic clifftop fort of Dun Aengus on Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands at sunset.

Ardnakinna guards the western tip of Bere Island. Seen here from the air at sunrise.

Rabbit Island lies just off Myross in West Cork, near Union Hall. Uninhabited now, there are the remains of a house on the northern shore, and seaweed was once gathered around its shores.

The retired lighthouse on the island is dramatically situated on the cliffs.

Valentia is a large island just off the north coast of the Iveragh peninsula. Connected to the mainland by a bridge, it's a lovely place to visit and has some stunning scenery. This image was made while returning from the abortive attempt to land on Inishteareaght and shows the north coast of the island being battered by a storm.
It's a rare privilege to see this kind of weather in action from the air, so I'm pleased to be able to share it with you.

Valentia Island seen at sunrise with Bray Head in the foreground.

The lighthouses at Slyne Head seen from low altitude at sunrise with an agitated sea.