Silhouette – Travel with Intent

My photos for this challenge Silhouette are two very different ones.   The first is a stormy scene over Glengarriff in West Cork, judging by the dark clouds, the heavens were about to open, but we were safely indoors sipping a coffee and enjoying some home cooked food!

Storm clouds over Garnish Island in Glengarriff

My second photo is the Hammering Man outside the exhibition centre in Frankfurt.   This sculpture is  a 21 metres tall moving man, and was installed in 1991 for the opening of the exhibition centre.

The Hammering Man, Frankfurt Messe (Exhibition Centre)

Check out more silhouettes over at Debbie’s page

Weekly Photo Challenge : Edge

My photo was taken yesterday, in lovely Glengarriff in West Cork, looking across at Garnish Island  (in the centre of the picture) which is a small island full of exotic plants and shrubs, warmed by the Gulf Stream which helps to create a micro climate for all these unusual plants.

Storm clouds over Garnish Island in Glengarriff

We had plans as we left Cork yesterday morning – stay in a nice B& B, which was fabulous, take a trip on the ferry to Garnish to explore the gardens and the newly restored house, and maybe fit in a round of golf!   Unfortunately, the weather was against us, and you can see from the photo, that we were just on the edge of a major downpour.   Back to the cosy Jim’s Coffee House for some more coffee and cake instead!    The day wasn’t entirely wasted!!

Coffee and Caramelised Apple Tart

Linked to Weekly Photo Challenge : Edge

 

Travel Theme : Grey

Bantry Bay on a grey day

Ireland can be a place where there are a lot of ‘grey’ days, and showers, and clouds, but in spite of that, you can still see the natural beauty all along the coast.  The photo above was taken on a hike near Glengarriff, as we looked out over Bantry Bay, and the far off mountains, wondering would we make it back down the mountain before getting wet.

Kerry Mountains

Hikers and hill walkers love the challenge of steep mountains like these, and in County Kerry there are plenty mountain ranges to satisfy all different levels of climbers.

Linked to Travel Theme : Grey

Weekly Photo Challenge :Half and Half

Green lawn and lavender

We came across this beautiful lawn in Dublin at the weekend, split in two by purple lavender.  This was taken in the extensive lawns and gardens surrounding the Pearse Museum, a museum dedicated to the lives of Patrick and William Pearse, who were both executed during the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland.    They were both teachers and taught at this school, which has now been turned into a museum in their honour, and the museum is about 8km from Dublin city centre, in Rathfarnham.

Near Glengarriff, Co Cork

And getting away from Irish history to nature,the road from Glengarriff to Kenmare splits the scenic countryside in two, with fairly flat land below the road, and hillside rising up above the road – and it’s a great hiking area.
Half and Half
Linked to Weekly Photo Challenge

Landscapes in Black and White : Sunday Stills

Black and White photos can look so striking, and these are a few of mine taken around East and West Cork in Ireland.    The countryside is very lush with its ’40 shades of green’ but  in black and white it also looks good.

Ballycotton Lighthouse

Glengarriff in West Cork

Garrettstown Beach, Cork

See more entries for this challenge

Split Second Story : Weekly Photo Challenge

This photo was taken while hiking on the hills near Glengarriff, County Cork, and it was only a split second before the shadow had moved to cover the sun!

Linked to Weekly Photo Challenge

 

 

Glengarriff and its Hills

Glengarriff in West Cork is a very beautiful part of Ireland, and apart from amazing views of Bantry Bay, there are many hills and forests where you can walk and enjoy the outdoors.   These pictures are just a sample of what you can see on a visit to this lovely village.

Rhododendron – Friend or Foe?

The Rhododendron plant was first introduced to Ireland in the 1700s, from Europe and Asia, and is one of the most invasive non-indigenous plants in our parks and woodlands.   The plant has beautiful flowers, which come in a variety of colours, and can grow up to about 8 m in height, but unfortunately, the plant can be very dense, and takes over and kills any weaker plants in its path.    The National Parks in Killarney and Glengarriff (in fact all over Ireland)  are battling every year to contain this plant and prevent it from spreading.

We were walking in Glengarriff on Sunday, and saw some lovely cultivated plants in gardens, in a variety of colours.  These cultivated plants don’t cause too much of a problem, as they can be contained and not allowed to spread, but the ordinary purple type is found everywhere on hillsides and can become a real nuisance.

Here are a few shots of the blooms.

 

Quietly taking over!

Barley Lake, Glengarriff

Glengarriff is a very beautiful little village in West Cork, from here you can take a ferry out to Seal Island and Garnish Island, and on the way the guides will point out Maureen O’Hara’s house to you, as she has spent many years living nearby and was an active member of the local community.   Garnish Island is not inhabited, but has beautifully laid out gardens and  trees that were planted over 100 years ago, and has a martello tower dating back to the 1800s, as well as some very rare and exotic plants, which all flourish in this sheltered spot.

Last Sunday we travelled to Barley Lake, just outside Glengarriff,   this is a glacial lake at the top of a hill, and from the lake there is a stream (more like a fast flowing river at the moment) that  flows down to meet the Glengarriff river, and then on to the sea. Sunday was not a particularly sunny day, so the scenery was not at its best, but I am sure you will agree it is still a very beautiful spot.

A little blue sky and sunshine