Ireland's weather is dominated by the Atlantic Ocean. The mild weather brought by southwesterlies from the Atlantic means that Ireland does not suffer from the same extremes of temperature experienced by regions at similar latitudes.

The same weather fronts that bring mild, temperate weather also bring rain. It is true, in Ireland it rains a lot but not as much as you might think. Anyway, there is always something to do come rain or shine. The image above shows a summer's day in the West of Ireland, and the following image shows the end of November, colourful and warm enough for some brave locals to swim in the Irish Sea.

There are practically no days of the year when it is impossible to photograph in Ireland, you just need the right preparation and the right attitude.

The winter of 2013-2014 has seen some of the most powerful and prolonged storm systems to hit Ireland in living memory. The largest wave ever recorded in Irish waters, coastal flooding and storm surges in many cities are just some of the problems caused by a mild winter with storms coming in off the Atlantic Ocean.

This is in contrast to recent winters 2009-2011 that were snowy and icy for long periods.