Since 1974 the outline of The Irish Trader, a coal transporting ship, has made an interesting focal point on the long sandy beach at Baltray County Louth on Ireland's Irish Sea coast.

I have written about previous visits to The Irish Trader shipwreck here.

I decided to revisit the old, rusting frame this month, July 2018, to see exactly what remains and what damage has been done in recent storms during autumn and winter 2017/2018.

Last night's colourful sunset saw me clambering (and falling) over stone walls in pursuit of the colourful sky in the west of Ireland.

From this week's forecast I knew that if the conditions looked right then it would be worth the effort to photograph the sunset, the forecast for today was for better and sunnier conditions but Met Eireann like many forecasting services around the world, are often not accurate in the slightest and that indeed proved right once again.

I have spent a lot of time in the west of Ireland throughout the years, photographing and travelling through this beautiful Irish region.

This summer of course has been very warm and dry, yet the west of Ireland's landscapes often have more interest in the sky than in other parts of Ireland.

You can now book directly a private one-to-one photography workshop in Ireland's west with Panoramic Ireland, in Connemara which is the western part of County Galway.

Connemara is perfect for learning how to make better images, the landscapes as well as seascapes are big and wide open.

Join Panoramic Ireland on any day of the year, to suit your schedule, and take away a better understanding of light and landscape.

Click here to check availability and book: http://panoramicireland.com/photography-workshops-ireland/coastal-photography-course/galway-connemara-coastal-workshop

Zigzag clouds in the morning - altocumulus undulatus above the west of Ireland.

Over the years I have photographed many types of clouds but this is one of the most interesting skies that I have trained my camera on.

Early morning in July on Galway Bay and the diving tower at Salthill saw the formation of this dramatic skyscape but it was not until we got to Lough Corrib with its calm waters reflecting the unusual clouds above that the scene looked so impressive as to make you stop and breathe it all in. A moment never to be repeated, unusual enough that in 20 years of photographing the Irish landscape I have never seen similar before.

The landscapes of Ireland are renowned for their verdure. In a typical year the summer temperatures rarely exceed 30C and in winter mild temperatures mean little hard ice and snow.

This is not a typical year however, a harsh winter with several major snow and ice events and now a long heatwave with little rain since the end of May mean that typically lush scenes look yellow and brown like in this image above.

Many trees are now also turning autumnal with green leaves changing to brown, hedgerows with fuchsia and montbretia usually ablaze with reds and oranges too are lacklustre.

Most people are saying that it was in 1976 when they last had a summer like this and certainly the summers of late haven't had anything more than a day or two at a time of good weather.

It's quite amazing really, not a need to bring a rain jacket and often 16C overnight meaning that the countryside is warm enough to enjoy in the evening without long sleeves.

Photographically it is a challenge as many of the days so far have had only bright blue skies without clouds for interest and contrast in the landscape.

And of course that famous green has disappeared, for now. I'm sure it will be back when the rain and cooler temperatures return.

Panoramic Ireland's photo tours are available in Galway, Dublin, Cork and everywhere else in Ireland, join me and learn how to photograph the beauty of Ireland's landscapes.

Sunset at Glendalough after a long day of photography in Ireland

We spent from before dawn right through to sunset photographing in Ireland's County Wicklow, situated just south of Dublin it is an area that I know very well.

I recently upgraded my online booking system for Panoramic Ireland's Dublin Photo Tours, and the tours for the rest of Ireland. It is now possible to book online using mobile phones, tablets and computers. You can also send me an email to enquire about dates, it's easy.

Have a look through my Dublin page, read more about how I can help you to make more of your camera and your creative vision, with years of experience shooting images for the biggest names in the travel and publishing industries including Ireland's Irish Times, The Sunday Times, easyJet, Ritz-Carlton and The New York Times.

With extensive experience image making for architects, musicians and travel companies amongst others - have a look at my photography site here - I can guide you in improving your photography and showing you the places that years of exploring Ireland's highways and byways brings. Choose from early morning, middle of the day or evening seven days a week.

Join me, an Irish professional travel photographer with over ten years of experience leading private photography tours to learn ho to make better images in Ireland, my tours are private one-to-ones with just you or your friends/family.

To book a photo tour / workshop in Dublin with Panoramic Ireland, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page for the calendar booking system or search here:

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.