This week's photographic adventures took us through much of the Irish countryside, including here green fields full of cows relaxing.

Behind sits woodland and forest stretching out of the valley towards the higher slopes on the mountains.

The landscapes are looking particularly lush at the moment and the cows agree.

Spring, and May in particular, is the month of hawthorn Crataegus.

In Ireland hawthorn trees are associated with faeries and superstition exists even to this day. It is considered bad luck to cut down or remove a hawthorn tree so they are often seen growing in the countryside in the middle of fields surrounded by green pasture.

Here in May and into June the tiny white blossom flowers of hawthorn brighten hedgerows throughout Ireland, covering rural laneways and fields with delicate petals.

Here is a short video of hawthorn before it gains its leaves and blossom in spring - http://panoramicireland.com/photo-tours-blog/calm-solitude-from-irelands-west-sunset-at-the-lake

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to photograph the ephemeral beauty of the Irish landscape.

The landscapes of Ireland are by now lush and green, June is officially a summer month.

Here the beginnings of that green from this time last month in May shoes just how lush the landscapes of Ireland can be.

Two walkers just at the bend of the river show the scale of these mighty majestic deciduous trees lining the watercourse.

The sunny days of summer are here in Ireland.

Long days of bright, warm weather have helped to create a landscape filled with fresh greens.

Panoramic Ireland's photo tours have covered every Irish province this year with country lanes providing access to scenic views and photographic opportunities away from the busy tourist spots.

Join me for a photography adventure in Ireland this summer, the countryside is looking great with all this fine weather.

Use the contact page for more, or the blue tab at the bottom of the page if you're on mobile. Send me an email to enquire and ask if you have any questions.

No journey through the west of Ireland can be complete without seeing one of the most characterful sights of the Irish countryside, the Irish Donkey.

Here on a recent photo tour by Panoramic Ireland, we sought out horses and donkeys.

It was a hot day and in a field of energetic donkeys this one stood, resting momentarily with sunshine and shadow.

During the 19th century and for much of the last century donkeys played a vital role in rural life, doing most of the heavy work on farms before mechanisation particularly on those farms where horses were too large for the small fields or expensive to keep.

Now there are few working donkeys in Ireland but there are many neglected Irish donkeys, as a result the Irish Donkey Sanctuary looks for suitable places all over Ireland to rehouse these long-eared friendly creatures.

And thankfully so, the Irish donkey is an essential component of rural life.

So keep an eye out for the long ears sticking up over a stone wall or the loud braying sounding throughout the countryside.

Why not join me on a photography tour in the west of Ireland?

A busy few weeks has seen me covering various parts of Ireland as a travel photographer leading photography tours and workshops.

This image shows the Irish countryside, on this occasion County Cork, as I have seen it in recent weeks - the road leading on into the distance, representing the onward journey.

The rugged mountains of Ireland stand over the flat boglands of waterlogged earth.

Here the peaks, not particularly high, rounded by erosion during the Ice Age stand guard over the Irish landscape as they have for aeons.

It has been a busy few weeks here in Ireland, I have been photographing all over the island leading photography workshops and tours.

The past few weeks have been busy here at panoramicireland.com as I traverse the length and breadth of Ireland.

Early morning, after the bright pink awesomeness of the first sunlight, more subtle scenes appear in the brightening sky.