A few weeks ago I was hiking in the Irish mountains covered with snow and thought to myself that this is probably the last time until the end of the year that I will be able to photograph snow.

Not that snow is impossible to have in Ireland, at high ground especially snow may last into April. 

Winter isn't over just yet, despite the traditional start of spring in Ireland being 1st February - the feast day of Saint Brigid, the whole of Ireland is now covered in snow on March 1st and today March 2nd caused by the so-called Storm Emma and 'Beast from the East'.

This image is from Armagh City, the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, being the site of an ancient fort, Navan Fort, and the place where Saint Patrick established his principal church in Ireland in 444 AD.

The snowdrop is one of the most precious of any flower to grow in Ireland. It is one of the first signs of new life awakening before the winter has even finished.

With its delicate white flowers hanging on the end of pure green stems, often growing in clumps both in the wild and in gardens throughout the country, the snowdrop signals the start of longer days and the beginning of a new year, a new cycle of life.

Winter can often be described as a season without colour and lacking in sunshine, but it isn't usually the case at all in Ireland.

Recent weeks have seen plenty of sunshine and snow in the mountains, see some of my last posts for these here.

Not very high, the mountains of Ireland are nevertheless full of character and are actually often dusted with snow in the winter.

At 1,038m, Carrauntoohil is the highest point in Ireland; we don't have much in the way of high altitude but in the winter there is snow at 300m and above in many of the mountains for some of the year.

At the end of that beautiful hike in the mountains, after the day looked to have finished early with a snow-storm darkening the sky, this is the reward of a bright and colourful sunset.

Looking out from the snow-filled mountainside towards the sun as it passed across the horizon, there was the sound of silence save for the sound of our shutters, a gentle breeze and the call of some crows.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, for a private photography landscape tour in the magic of Ireland's mountains, snow or no snow and suitable for all levels. Honestly, if I can climb it then so can you.

Find out more and feel free to ask me any questions.

See more like this: Path to the Sun, Ireland in Wnter

The snow appears to be gone for the moment but while it lasted the landscapes of Ireland's mountains were transformed.

No doubt we will see more before the summer arrives.

To join me on a photographic expedition into the mountains, contact me here.

See more of the journey into the mountains on this YouTube video.

I often get asked if it snow in Ireland or does the sun shine in winter in Ireland.

And on certain days it is possible to say yes to both.

This week has seen plenty of snow here in Ireland, and it has also seen lots of blue sky and sunshine - with all three on the same day so I can answer yes to both of the typical questions. Yes, it does snow in Ireland and yes, the sun does shine in winter.

Here, a scene from the mountains of Ireland from a photography expedition above the snowline into the white world of winter.

To join me on a photography expedition in the mountains in any season contact me using the contact page.

Panoramic Ireland's favourite images from March 2017

I have uploaded my favourite images from March 2017 on to my YouTube channel here split into three parts for ease of viewing.

If you want to view the full video it is available just here on this page, see below.

Enjoy and if you do like it please sign up for the newsletter or subscribe on my YouTube channel.

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From an evening in Dublin, this short video features street scenes from around Ireland's capital city.

Two well-known pubs feature, The Ferryman and The Stag's Head, as does the River Liffey which was the main reason for our photographic adventure in the city.

On the photography tour we covered everything from long exposure architectural photography to street and documentary photography.

To join me, Panoramic Ireland, on a photography tour or workshop covering one photographic subject or many - contact me using the menu or see my Dublin page for more information. Private one-to-one tours start from €155.