Inishfarnard from Kilcatherine Point, Beara, Co. Cork

The forecast said stay home. Heavy cloud, strong wind, nothing worth chasing. I drove out to Kilcatherine Point anyway, mostly on stubbornness and a hunch. There was a thin line of clear sky sitting on the western horizon, barely visible, and I thought the sun might just find it before dropping into the Atlantic.

The Beara Peninsula in that kind of mood is something else. I set up low on the rocks, the foreground all jagged stone and lichen, natural lines pulling straight out towards Inishfarnard sitting dark and solid in the rough water. The exposure ran long enough to give the waves that sense of movement around the base of the rocks. Then I waited.

Fifteen minutes. That's all I got. The sun dropped into that sliver of open sky and the whole horizon went gold, fading up through orange into deep purple where it met the weight of the storm clouds overhead. Warm light fighting cold air. Then the gap closed and everything went flat again.

Beara doesn't get the attention that Kerry or Connemara receive, and I'm glad of that. You can stand on this headland with the wind tearing at you and not see another soul. The worst forecasts sometimes produce the best light. You just have to be willing to get cold and wet for it!