It might make more sense to post the first sunrise of a new year from New Year's Day rather than the first sunset. But where I am, in the west of Ireland, with wide views to the west and high ground to the east, sunset is a more appropriate time of day for photography. 

So here, a scene from the colourful west of Ireland at sunset. 

Indeed, my last post of 2024 was of one of the final sunrises of the year - weather and aerial perspective suited here.

Keep an eye out for more posts here on Panoramic Ireland, or come to Ireland to join me and learn how to photograph in the landscapes of the west of Ireland.

Well, we're only an hour away from the start of a new year here in Ireland, 2025 is soon upon us.

The West of Ireland is one of Panoramic Ireland's favourite places, here a scene from sunrise in the last days of 2024 before the weather turned wet and windy for the 31st.

The end of the year is of course a time to reflect on what has happened over the past twelve months but also a time to look forward to another 365 days orbiting around the sun. 

Here in this image, intense colour from sunrise between the horizon and that low cloud, a brief moment for the light of life to shine across the landscape bringing warmth to the winter landscape.

Happy New Year from Ireland.

Come and join Ireland and the world enjoying one of the most amazing human-natural spectacles, the winter solstice sunrise into the burial chamber at Newgrange, Ireland.

I have written about Newgrange before here on Panoramic Ireland, the ancient burial mound that should rightly be considered Ireland's greatest.

Older than the pyramids (by 600 years!), older than Stonehenge and much superior to that monument in terms of its construction, Newgrange covers more than an acre and it's possible to climb inside on a guided tour - by lottery on the days closest to the winter solstice on 21st December.

For approximately 17 minutes on the shortest day of the year, and a shorter amount of time on the days either side, the chamber receives direct sunlight - if there is any to be had.

In 2024, the solstice will be the morning of the 21st of December at 09:20 when the Sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn and hence at it's lowest latitude relative to Earth. From here on the days get longer.

So for 2024 the livestream from inside Newgrange will be on Saturday December 21st from 08:40 (Irish Time, obviously) and will have voiceover by Dr Clare Tuffy and Dr Frank Prendergast. It's available to watch in these places:

• RTE Player
• OPW (Office of Public Works)
• Heritage Ireland
• OPW - YouTube

If you're in Ireland for the winter solstice or beyond, Panoramic Ireland (that's me) create photography tours in Ireland for photographers and anyone interested in seeing more of the beauty of Ireland including our wonderful landscape and heritage.

For more information contact me via the contact page.

Deep in the heart of Ireland lies County Tipperary, a beautiful and scenic place with lush green countryside and prominent mountains including the Galtees and Ireland's highest inland mountain, Galtymore.

Here in the south of the county lies the Vee, a twisty mountain pass forming a scenic drive between Cahir, the Golden Vale of South Tipperary and Lismore in West Waterford.

This is a an area, off the usual track, with views all around and stopping places to admire the stupendous views. 

Captured here on a sunny day with blue sky and white cloud in spring.

Here is my YouTube video of this fine journey through the Tipperary countryside, up to the Vee and to the viewpoint over Bay Lough, close to the Tipperary / Waterford border.

Finally, Ireland's famous stone walls have been added to UNESCO's list of protected heritage world practices.

In 2018 France, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and Cyprus were all inscribed onto the list. 

Strangely, Ireland wasn't included despite the prevalence, both geographically across the island of Ireland, and historically through time from the neolithic Cedide Fields through to modern field boundaries that vary by region from Connemara to the Mournes of County Down.

The Céide Fields of County Mayo have some of the oldest field systems on the planet, fields bounded by stone walls dating back 6,000 years.

I've written about stone walls before here on Panoramic Ireland, but this is the first time that Irish stone walls have gained international prominence.

It's interesting that intangible cultural practices include customs, traditions, crafts, games and practices that are part of people's lives and identities both individually and wider communities, and are passed on from generation to generation.

Yet surely a stone wall is tangible, a physical structure which is of course touchable, viewable and part of the wider community.

Anyway, the ancient Irish, and modern, landscapes are filled with traditional Irish culture and adding Ireland to this list will undoubtedly help in the realisation that stone walls are more than just a scenic addition to the Irish landscape, they are an integral part of Ireland.

Panoramic Ireland has built many stone walls over the years and enjoyed every single minute.

But more importantly, Panoramic Ireland is continuing to photograph Irish landscapes such as stone walls.

The question is always: Does it snow in Ireland? Well, there aren't many days in the year when Ireland has snow, really only a few in a typical year and November is an unusual month to have a wee bit of the white stuff.

2024 has seen somewhat of a good dusting over the west and south of Ireland as well as the north. Actually, as is usual for Ireland, above 300 metres above sea level but there has been widespread disruption in places even lower.

Here, a snow-dusted landscape scene with a bright pink-orange sky behind, indicating according to time honoured tradition, the old phrase (red sky at night, shepherd's delight) that a good day tomorrow will follow, even if only tomorrow - ahead of Storm Bert set to hit Ireland this weekend.

Whether there is snow or not, Ireland is a scenic and at times magical place to photograph. Join one of Panoramic Ireland's photography workshops and tours in Dublin, Wicklow, Antrim, Connemara, Donegal and beyond to find scenes like these.

Panoramic Ireland's tours and workshops run all year round, when it's snowing like here in November or when it's roasting hot in July.

It was an early start, here on location already at 05:05 on 06/06. A still morning, high on the Quiraing, a landslip ridge on the north end of the famously beautiful Scottish Isle of Skye. Awaiting the sunrise

I was in Scotland to photograph puffins and landscapes and on this morning I photographed in the blue hour light, a stormy purple at this moment, rather than the classic view of this location as I wanted to save that for the golden hour

Imagine my surprise when a ship should enter view out on the Atlantic, I recognised her shape and sure enough, after a quick Google search I found that Swan Hellenic's SH Vega was indeed in Skye at that time.

I had been on board the small polar class cruise ship last year when she made her first visit to Dublin and Ireland. At that time I said "I hope to see her again soon." And here, now in Skye photographing in the most scenic of scenes.

The view along the ridge was spectacular, I can only imagine how this scene looked from one of the 76 staterooms on board the ship; seeing the Quiraing slowly lighting up with the clearing sky and shadows across the rocky ridge.

After an unusually warm start to November this year temperatures are taking a nosedive this week with colder than usual weather on the way for Ireland.

Snowfall accumulations are forecast for the northern half of Ireland and our northerly neighbours in Scotland have already had much more in the way of snow over high ground due to the presence of an artic airmass bringing cold air down from the north pole.

We might get a chance to venture into the wild mountains covered in white.

Join me to photograph in the Irish mountains during winter 2024-2025. 

Workshops and tours are available Monday to Sunday Sunrise to Sunset and are suitable for beginners to advanced photographers.

To find out more see the various booking pages on the site or simply, contact me to send a message of enquiry.

We might not get snow but we'll get great images!

It has been a strange year, 2024. A lot has happened over the past number of months, not least the opening up of new social media site Bluesky.

I have at last joined, along with millions of others - a number which is growing daily.

Anyway, here is my account https://bsky.app/profile/travelimages.bsky.social so if you're there stop by and say hello.

Cormorants are large seabirds well adapted to swimming and diving. You'll often see them floating, almost submerged on the sea, a river or a lake or standing on rocks with wings outstretched drying.

Broigheall is the Irish name and Phalacrocorax carbo is the latin name for these birds which are found extensively throughout Ireland.

Easy to confuse with shags, usually cormorants will have a white patch, as seen in the image above, around the thigh and also cormorants are more likely to be found inland even at lake and river sites.

Shags have a steeper forehead rising from the bill which is marked by a crest of feathers and almost always in Ireland remain coastal.

If you are wondering how seabirds get airborne, here's an interesting sequence from the west of Ireland.

Here, a lone cormorant taking off from the calm surface of a lake in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland shows that it is basically running on water, you can see the splashes of water kicked up by those webbed feet as its wings begin to generate lift.

Quite a sight, a fine sunny summer's day and the sounds of wildlife all around.

Finally airborne.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to photograph in the Irish countryside with guidance on locations and how to photograph in different scenes and scenarios. Now taking bookings for 2025.