Golden Hour Dawn Swim in March at the Forty Foot, Dublin, Ireland

Early morning is a time to experience the true beauty of the world, daylight builds before sunrise to bathe landscapes in golden hour colour.

I've written about this location before, it's the Forty Foot in Dublin and doesn't need a lot of introduction if you've been a regular visitor to the site. 

There is a special serenity to the morning, an ephemeral liminality as the short-lived golden light moves into bright daylight.

And at this time of year, it's getting bright around 06:00, with sunrise under an hour later.

Join Panoramic Ireland to photograph in Ireland throughout the year, especially at sunrise.

Are you planning to visit Ireland's famous Cliffs of Moher in 2025?

If so, keep an eye out for path closures at the stunning Wild Atlantic Way site. Currently, as of February 2025 only the paths around the visitor centre are open so it's impossible to walk from or to Doolin on the northern section of the trail at the moment and it's not possible to walk on the southern section of the trail to or from Hag's Head.

The surfers' path is still open on the northern section but not as far as the visitor centre.

With over 1.5 million visitors every year, the paths, which at times are close to the edge of the Atlantic, can be uneven and unfenced and have seen a number of unfortunate deaths in recent years.

To create new, safer sections of path the trails will be closed for most of this year, 2025 but with different sections open at different times.

The visitor centre remains open with viewpoints still accessible.

Check here for more information.

Ireland, despite a northerly latitude, sees little snow in the winter.

Indeed the countryside remains green for most of the dark months of the year, here mid-winter in the west of Ireland a scene of fields, wooded sections, a high water table and sheep grazing.

All under a dramatic sky to add character to the end of the short day.

So, while it does snow in Ireland in winter and spring, it looks a lot like this for the darker months of the year.

The west of Ireland is Panoramic Ireland's favourite part of Ireland, scenes such as this and a feeling of relaxation that only comes from the western seaboard.

Join me to photograph in the west of Ireland all year round.

When you think about Ireland in March, the first thing that often springs to mind is Saint Patrick's Day, the 17th of March. And no wonder, it's one of the world's most famous holidays with festivals and parades held in every continent. 

I have already written about visiting Ireland out of season, the summer months can, like any part of Europe, be incredibly busy and the autumn, winter and spring can offer the photographer much more in terms of access to Ireland at its best. 

Ireland in March can be warm, cold, and everything in between and I often get asked if March is a good time of year to visit. Yes is always the answer.

Colour begins to arrive in the hedges and certain trees, but snow can blanket the countryside turning green to white.

Here, below, are some of my favourite images from the month of March in Ireland over the years.

So if you are planning to visit Ireland in March or the other off season months, check out Panoramic Ireland's photography tours and workshops and enjoy the gallery on this post below.

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.