Photographing Lough Corrib

There is certainly no doubt that Panoramic Ireland loves photographing Ireland and there is also no doubt that Galway is one of the favourite places for Panoramic Ireland to photograph.

The changing landscapes of the second largest lake in Ireland, Lough Corrib — about 43.5 km (27 miles) long, up to 16.1 km (10 miles) wide, and roughly 175–176 km² (68 square miles) in surface area — is more characterful than the larger and almost rectangular 392 km² Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, being full of islands and surrounded in places by steeply sided woods. At its narrowest main crossing, between Kilbeg and Knockferry where the upper and lower lake meet, the water is only about 520 metres across. In the northern fringes the mountains of south Mayo and Connemara give an almost Italian feel to the lake while the eastern shores are dotted with ruined monastic settlements and bogland. To the south Lough Corrib drains via the very short River Corrib through Galway City into Galway Bay, at times a thunderous channel.

Lough Corrib is certainly one of the most interesting lakes in Ireland, and for the photographer holds a lot of interest.

For me it is a combination of the sunsets that the west of Ireland gets and the feeling of being West of the Shannon, somewhere wild and special or indeed the elusive pine martens that I get to photograph often here. But Lough Corrib is also a favourite destination for fishermen from all over Ireland, Britain and Europe, many of whom hire local guides to help find the best spots for fishing on the lake.

Panoramic Ireland offers skills and expertise to assist the experienced photographer in finding the best locations and to inspire those developing their interest in photography - professionally guided tours in the west of Ireland, Northern Ireland and elsewhere.

The scene in this image was taken at the start of a long day photographing the lake and its character from the western shore, in Connemara. The boats, trees and blue sky all combine with the path to create a colourful daytime scene, different to those images that I created later towards sunset from a different part of the lake seen on my Irish Images Facebook page.