Travel to Ireland Update - Airlines and Baggage Lost in the Mists

: Darren McLoughlin; Category: Guide; 14 July 2022; 29 November -0001

Travel to Ireland remains challenging at the moment, although the country has dropped any mandates in relation to COVID-19 and Coronavirus, it is now the problems with actually getting you or your bags to Ireland.

Every day the newspapers are full of stories of international travellers and those returning home who have arrived but their bags have not.

This actually happened to a recent visitor who spent time here with Panoramic Ireland; JL who arrived from the USA via Edinburgh into Belfast.

JL arrived with a slight delay, five minutes so not too bad, but his baggage, as well as half of the flight's baggage, did not arrive.

Having stood in a queue for an hour to register his details, he was told that the bags would arrive the following day.

Of course, there was no phone call about his bags and when he tried to log on to the online system with the details he had been given - no reference, invalid.

His Apple AirTags showed no movement from the terminal at Edinburgh Airport.

Days later, now in Dublin and about to head to London then on to Copenhagen he made the decision to book a new flight to Edinburgh from Dublin and then a train from Edinburgh to London.

An epic journey but in the end he got his bags.

Likely his bags would have taken a month to get to him back in the USA meanwhile he had already had to buy new equipment such as chargers, it's difficult in Dublin to find a Hasselblad charger or indeed a genuine Sony camera charger, and he borrowed a tripod from me.

Also every day there are stories of people who were not able to make it at all due to cancellations, diversions and long delays.

Panoramic Ireland will be as flexible as possible to suit your schedule, whether all of your bags have arrived or none - lost in the mists of the airport baggage reclaim like in the image above.

ireland , travel

Landing in Dublin, View Over the Coast and Irish Sea

: Darren McLoughlin; Category: Guide; 21 June 2022; 21 June 2022

I have written about arriving in Ireland before, both by sea and by air.

There is no doubt that arriving into Dublin, despite all the recent issues with international travel, is one of the scenic experiences of any airport in the world.

Here is Lambay Island, a small island off the north Dublin coast, the headland of Howth seen in the distance jutting into the Irish Sea with Rogerstown and Malahide Estuaries.

Looking south over County Dublin and the city's airport, note the sand and sediment being transported by the Irish Sea's waves along the coast.

Book your trip to Dublin.

ireland , panoramic ireland , travel to ireland , airplane , arriving in ireland , flights to ireland

April Heat Haze in Ireland, Rathlin Island

: Darren McLoughlin; Category: Guide; 30 April 2022; 01 May 2022

I have read a few articles recently, and many over the years, that in part mention how gloomy the weather is in Ireland, how you shouldn't move or holiday here because of the weather. Well, here is a fine April day of 17C to 19C temperatures on Rathlin Island off the Antrim Coast.

Pictured here is the East lighthouse, one of the island's three lighthouses, and in the background is the headland known as the Mull of Kintyre, just 10 miles beyond.

A warm and still day on one of Ireland's largest offshore islands, in April the heat haze is evident as seen below.

Join me, to photograph in Ireland throughout the year not just in hot and sunny weather but dark and gloomy weather too.

photography workshops , northern ireland , photography tours , rathlin island

Fantastic Fulmar in Flight, Fulmarus glacialis in Ireland

: Darren McLoughlin; Category: Guide; 29 April 2022; 29 April 2022

The fulmar Fulmarus glacialis is not a native bird to Ireland, although it is now resident here all year round having first been recorded on the island in 1911.

It is similar in size to a seagull but is a member of the tubenose family or procellariids, more commonly known as petrels.

It spends much time gliding, as it was when I photographed it here, using little energy to ascend and descend then flying low over the surface of the ocean - a common trait of petrels. Indeed the fulmar is related to albatrosses.

Each year the fulmar will return to the same ledge on the same cliff and will often mate for life. It lives for over 40 years and is a pelagic feeder of any type of fish.

The upper feathers are grey with brown feathers often visible, though most guides fail to mention these they are very evident in the image above. Undersides are white and the fulmar has a distinctive blue portion of the nose.

The fulmar is one of Ireland's fascinating seabirds, fantastic when seen in flight.

ireland , photography , wildlife , birds

Sunshine and Blue Skies Over the Green Irish Landscape, Spring in the Countryside

: Darren McLoughlin; Category: Guide; 02 April 2022; 02 April 2022

The weather has been marvellous over the past week in Ireland, although some cold air has arrived to bring frost but at least no snow.

Here, on a journey through one of Ireland's most scenic counties - Tipperary, I drove along the scenic road to a famous viewpoint known as The Vee to photograph the view of the Galty or Galtee Mountains.

The Galty Mountains reach a height of 917.9m and are Ireland's highest inland mountain range, most of the country's highest peaks are much closer to the coast.

Panoramic Ireland is working on a project featuring the area, if you want to see more of this region of Ireland send me an email.

ireland , photo tours , weather , tipperary , green , spring , scenery , the vee