Looking out over the Blasket Islands, from a perch high up on Clogher head, my mind is consumed with thoughts of the past and settlers who made this, the most westerly point of Europe their home.

Clogher Head

For me the Blasket Islands, in particular, the ‘Great Blasket Island’, will always be associated with the book  Peig Sayers. ‘Peig’ (1936), her autobiography was a staple on the secondary school curriculum for years, and those of a certain generation will have studied it in Irish for the Leaving Cert. For any of you who are unfimiliar with the book ‘Peig’ depicts the declining years of a traditional, Irish-speaking way of life, charactesrised by poverty and hardship. It is a bleak book in truth and one that was taken off the curriculum in the late 1990s.

The Blasket Islands

I have never been on the island, or any of the other Blasket Islands for the matter, but looking at it now over the Blasket Sound it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to live there. The only inhabitable area of the ‘Great Blasket Island’ is at the east side, protected, some what form the elements by a steep incline that dominates the rest of the island. On record, the population of the island at it’s peak in 1916 was 176 people. How they all managed to fit on such a tiny piece of land, let alone sustain themselves baffles me. One can only imagine the hardship those people must have gone through, with a constant struggle for survival. Following the First World War, the island began to decline and in 1953 the last twenty inhabitants left the island.

Inishtearagh

Being in such a rich environment, with such a rich history and natural beauty is all consuming. The many time I have visited the peninsula I always come away better for the experience. From a photographers perspective, places like the Dingle Peninsula offer so much. Jutting out as it does into the sea, the most westerly point in Europe, the peninsula has a rugged and beautiful coastline. Battered by the Atlantic ocean and the predominant westerly winds, the coastline is visually stunning, particularly along it’s most westerly points.
 

Headland View

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Doing your research the night before is a must when planning a day’s shoot.  I will always gather as much information as I can about the weather and the location of where I am going. Google Earth is a great tool to visualize what the terrains is like and how the sun will affect the landscape at a given time of the day. The ‘show sunlight across the landscape’ slider in Google Earth is a handy tool for illustrating this. It's not an exact science, but it will give you some idea of what to expect.  Of course first hand knowledge of the location is far more beneficial.

Ladies View

After spending some time photographing Ladies View, I set out to explore the upper lake and take advantage of the early morning light. I stopped off at several spots, some new, some already known.  It’s always great to find new spots, especially when they offer exciting new photo opportunities. I will return again to some of the locations when the light is more favorable in the future. I always keep notes on new locations. These notes are very helpful when you are planning a return to that visit and will help with a successful shoot.

Eagles Nest

After spending sometime lakeside, I decided to head to the Oak woodland at the top of the lake. I had been there once before, so I knew what to expect. The natural woodlands of Killarney National Park are a wonder to behold, it’s like going back in time to an ancient land, with all the natural flora and fauna that one inhabitant this green isle. Following ‘Galway’s River', I took several photos of it as it meandered towards the lake. Spending some time there in the company of a few deer and million’s of midges, annoying the hell out of me, I decided I had enough for the day and headed back towards the car.

Upper Lake Killarney

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07/04/2010

Following my recent visit to the McGuillicuddy Reeks, I promised myself to return soon to explore the Black and Brida valleys running between the mountain range. The view from the top of the Devils Ladder a few weeks earlier had given me some insight into the splendor of the valley, but being at ground level is the best way to experience the magnitude of the mountain range. Having previously experimented with panoramic stitching in Photoshop, I knew the best way to capture the valley was to combine several shots into one; my mission on the day was to do just that. Having discussed my plans the day before with my brother, he decided he would tag along for the trek. In all the years we have been coming to Killarney, neither of us had explored this area, so we were looking forward to what it had to offer.

 

My brother Alan enjoying the view!

We approached the Black valley from Moll’s Gap South of Killarney on the Kenmare road. Once at the gap, we turned left and took the first right down into the valley. The road is windy and narrow, but you soon find yourself immersed in the beauty of the natural habitat with the Owenreagh river running along the right hand side of the road. The road into the valley intersects with the “Kerry Way” walk, a walk that starts just outside Killarney town near the river Flesk and runs all around the Iveragh peninsula. We decided to drive as far as we could following the “Kerry Way” route until we turned off to the Cummeenduff lake. Passing the lake, we parked in a lay-by as far as we dared go and proceeded to get kitted out. We set off on foot along a narrow road until we intersected the “Kerry Way” walk again. The road led to a farm, the most isolate farm I have ever come across. Both of us pondered on what it would be like to live in such an isolated part of Ireland, getting to the shops must be a real hassle we mused.


 

The Brida Valley

Walking around the side of the farm, we continued on until a decision had to be made whether to stick to the “Kerry Way” route or head upwards towards the base of Carrauntoohil. We decided on the latter. I knew from my climb a few weeks previous that there was a lake at the base of mountain and I was anxious to explore it. The lake in question is Curraghmore, the source of the Cummeenduff river that flows into the Cummeenduff lake that feeds the Gearhameen river and untimately flows into the Lough Leane. Having survived the steep incline to the lake, we took a breather and had some lunch. After several ham sandwiches and a nice warm cup of tea, I decided to get the camera warm up with a few shots of the lake with the mountains in the background. Not feeling too happy with what I had captured, I followed my brother over a hill to get a good view of the valley from up high.


 

Brida Valley Pan

 

The view from this vantage was spectacular and more in keeping with what I had intended to shoot. Having taken a few exposures we moved on crossing the Cummeenduff river heading upwards all the time towards a hill top where we could get a view of the Brida valley on the other side. The views from this vantage point are spectacular, looking east you can see the beauty of the Black valley, and looking west you can see the magnitude of the Brida valley. Most of the successful shots I took on the day came from this vantage point. There were plenty of boulders about for foreground interest and what lied beyond was breathtaking.


 

 

Looking Westwards

 

 

 

Having spent some time there, we headed back from where we came, this time sticking to the “Kerry Way” route meandering through the valley. It was heading towards evening now and the light was changing. The evening was beginning to settle and a lovely golden glow bathed the valley. It always amazes me how much the landscape alters when the light changes, what seemed dull and lifeless in daylight can suddenly come alive at dusk. As we walked back towards the car, I took out my camera for the last time to capture a nice grouping of trees contrasted against the blackness of the valley behind.
 

 

 

The Black Valley

 

 

Once on the road heading towards home, we both knew that what we experienced would last in memory. The maiden voyage to anywhere new is always special and we vowed that we would return soon.

 

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