Dublin isn't just a city of amazing architecture, great pubs and leafy parks, it's also a city of impressive skies.

Here the iconic Ha'penny Bridge spanning the River Liffey is illuminated by a double rainbow.

Megachile is the scientific name for this species of bee, commonly found in Ireland.

This is a leafcutter bee, a solitary species that makes its nests in small sticks and holes in walls, sealed up with a portion of leaf that it has cut with its powerful jaws.

Above, collecting pollen from Erigeron flowers, below here it is seen resting on a calendula leaf amongst cultivated tomatoes with a cut leaf in its possession. I watched them flying in hot conditions with their cut leaves, a heavy ballast. They land on another plant and wait for about a minute, resting, before flying off again to seal up a hole not too far away.

Bees are important pollinators of plants and trees and it is always amazing to watch these industrious insects as they fly through the garden on their busy mission. I saw my first bee of 2018 back in January - alas Google Plus no longer exists.

Read more about Irish bees here: http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/projects/irish-pollinator-initiative/bees/solitary-bees/

Even the graveyards of Ireland are looking green, colourful and lush at this time of year.

Here an old gravestone has been broken, the dead cross section placed against the rest of the grave as long grass and wild flowers grow in the warm, dry summer.

Ireland is looking particularly colourful this summer as warm weather bathes the country in sunshine and heat.

This week saw Panoramic Ireland, that's me - a real person, photographing on Dublin's River Liffey on another of my one-to-one Dublin photo tours.

We covered some of the city sights before finishing up along the River Liffey, an exciting part of the city in which to photograph.

Using a tripod at this time of night is necessary, the long exposures required mean that the camera should be solid and steady and protected from movement.

The night lights of the various buildings, including the hoops on the Convention Centre, add to the atmosphere of the urban night time environment. These cityscapes are something that changes a lot along the river and through time but I'm sure you will find it to be a colourful experience.

T.N. from Australia was on this tour with me and this is what he had to say:

“Darren is a terrific guide and a very kind and personable host. He took me on a great walking tour of Dublin City where we explored and took some great photos of several sights off the tourist trail. Darren is genuinely passionate about Dublin city as he is about his craft and he was very generous with sharing his abundant knowledge and experiences. I had a really enjoyable day and took many tips away with me that I will apply in my photography going forward. I highly recommend this experience to anyone at all, local or from abroad, who is interested in photography and is after a unique personalized experience photographing Dublin city.”

To join me on a photography tour of Dublin, to photograph the night cityscapes of Ireland's capital, contact me using the Contact link.

The spring is colourful in Ireland, summer is also colourful as seen here with the pinks of rhododendron lining a path through the mountains.

A recent visit into the Irish mountains took me through large rhododendron groves, often over 12 feet in height and covering acres of upland.

The pinks of spring cherry blossom are gone, see here for more of those.

The pink flowers are very attractive and of course a source of food for bees but these invasive, non-native shrubs are taking over much of the Irish countryside unchecked.

In places it is difficult to find a way through these large thickets or groves, the impossibility of viewing anything in the distance means wayfinding is impossible.

Despite this the pink colour is nonetheless impressive alongside the green leaves and blue sky.

Join me on a photography tour of Ireland's mountains in summer or Dublin's parks in spring.

A stormy day on Ireland's west coast, known now as the Wild Atlantic Way.

Here small fields enclosed by stone walls running straight to the Atlantic separate rough ground with little green in this landscape - is there any green indeed?

This image is a reminder of how difficult life was on the west coast of Ireland, here on the Atlantic - what little soil there is inundated with salty ocean water.

It has been a long time coming, after weeks of calm, warm and sunny weather the west coast of Ireland is now receiving storm winds and rain straight off the Atlantic.

Hopefully of course it won't last too long and the real Irish summer weather takes hold again soon.

Here waves crash all over the west coast, topping over rocks of ancient origins and filling the air with salty sea spray, but what a day to be alive and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells - don't you think?

Join Panoramic Ireland on a photography tour of the west coast of Ireland all year round and in any weather - here in conditions that a typical tourist would insist on staying indoors. Let's capture the energy of a day on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Dublin's iconic Custom House seen here reflected in the city's calm River Liffey on a moody weather day.

The Custom House was built by Irish architect James Gandon and opened in 1791 and its function was to collect taxes or customs on goods being imported and exported through Dublin Port - and there were a lot of taxes applied.

Within a few decades the port area moved downstream and the Custom House was used for other purposes, today the port is built on reclaimed land in Dublin Bay.

Join Panoramic Ireland, that's me, on a photography tour in Dublin to learn more about the city and how to photograph urban scenes like the Custom House on Dublin's quays - find out more here.

The still of a calm say in Dublin, Ireland's capital city and its famous River Liffey reflecting all above.

In the left of this image is the Jeannie Johnston, a replica famine ship and through the back of the scene is the now iconic portion of Dublin's modern skyline - the Samuel Beckett Bridge projecting into the sky.

Join me on a photography tour in Dublin to photograph the city, its modern and old scenes.

One of my favourite Irish locations is no longer a secret place, my own County Antrim's Dark Hedges.

Known to us locally as Bregagh Road the Dark Hedges have seen a lot of visitors in recent years due to the influx of Game of Thrones fans from around the world.

This avenue of beech trees has become arguably Ireland's most photographed road, I've written about it before here on Panoramic Ireland of course but this is one of my favourites from 2006, long before this scenic road became famous and had hardly any visitors.

Join me on a photography tour of the Antrim Coast, a place I know well, to learn how to make better travel photographs here at the Dark Hedges and along the amazing Causeway Coast.