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.

It was an early start, here on location already at 05:05 on 06/06. A still morning, high on the Quiraing, a landslip ridge on the north end of the famously beautiful Scottish Isle of Skye. Awaiting the sunrise

I was in Scotland to photograph puffins and landscapes and on this morning I photographed in the blue hour light, a stormy purple at this moment, rather than the classic view of this location as I wanted to save that for the golden hour

Imagine my surprise when a ship should enter view out on the Atlantic, I recognised her shape and sure enough, after a quick Google search I found that Swan Hellenic's SH Vega was indeed in Skye at that time.

I had been on board the small polar class cruise ship last year when she made her first visit to Dublin and Ireland. At that time I said "I hope to see her again soon." And here, now in Skye photographing in the most scenic of scenes.

The view along the ridge was spectacular, I can only imagine how this scene looked from one of the 76 staterooms on board the ship; seeing the Quiraing slowly lighting up with the clearing sky and shadows across the rocky ridge.

After an unusually warm start to November this year temperatures are taking a nosedive this week with colder than usual weather on the way for Ireland.

Snowfall accumulations are forecast for the northern half of Ireland and our northerly neighbours in Scotland have already had much more in the way of snow over high ground due to the presence of an artic airmass bringing cold air down from the north pole.

We might get a chance to venture into the wild mountains covered in white.

Join me to photograph in the Irish mountains during winter 2024-2025. 

Workshops and tours are available Monday to Sunday Sunrise to Sunset and are suitable for beginners to advanced photographers.

To find out more see the various booking pages on the site or simply, contact me to send a message of enquiry.

We might not get snow but we'll get great images!

It has been a strange year, 2024. A lot has happened over the past number of months, not least the opening up of new social media site Bluesky.

I have at last joined, along with millions of others - a number which is growing daily.

Anyway, here is my account https://bsky.app/profile/travelimages.bsky.social so if you're there stop by and say hello.

Cormorants are large seabirds well adapted to swimming and diving. You'll often see them floating, almost submerged on the sea, a river or a lake or standing on rocks with wings outstretched drying.

Broigheall is the Irish name and Phalacrocorax carbo is the latin name for these birds which are found extensively throughout Ireland.

Easy to confuse with shags, usually cormorants will have a white patch, as seen in the image above, around the thigh and also cormorants are more likely to be found inland even at lake and river sites.

Shags have a steeper forehead rising from the bill which is marked by a crest of feathers and almost always in Ireland remain coastal.

If you are wondering how seabirds get airborne, here's an interesting sequence from the west of Ireland.

Here, a lone cormorant taking off from the calm surface of a lake in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland shows that it is basically running on water, you can see the splashes of water kicked up by those webbed feet as its wings begin to generate lift.

Quite a sight, a fine sunny summer's day and the sounds of wildlife all around.

Finally airborne.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to photograph in the Irish countryside with guidance on locations and how to photograph in different scenes and scenarios. Now taking bookings for 2025.

A cloudy summer's day in the west of Ireland, 2008, and the crowd enthusiastically await the arrival of the cyclists in the Tour of Ireland.

Salthill, on the edge of Galway City marked the end of stage three of the five stage race and the world's greatest sprinter, Mark Cavendish, was making sure of a third win out of three on the flat sprint finish.

This cyclist, from the Isle of Man, a 35-stage winner of the Tour de France, more than any other in the race's 111-year history has retired after winning his final race in the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium.

The previous day, in Loughrea, County Galway, a pair of excited fans declared "The world's greatest cyclist is racing right here in Loughrea!" And that accolade coming only three years after turning professional, having won four stges at the Tour de France a month before.

I had the privilege of photographing Mark Cavendish, known as the Manx Missile, in 2008 on the Tour of Ireland and again in 2015 on the Tour de France.

The cycling world will miss one of its all time greats.

Ah November, the month in which winter is supposed to begin in Ireland. Not so this year, 2024 has seen records being broken across Ireland for warmest temperatures recorded in various locations.

Although the overall maximum November temperature hasn't been broken as yet, November has seen eleven weather stations across Ireland register temperatures higher than ever recorded at those locations ranging from Tipperary to Donegal.

In some cases, such as at Athenry, County Galway and Claremorris, County Mayo weather stations recorded 18.6C and 18.2C respectively which are both 2C higher than previous maximums. 

The highest so far this year is 19.2C in Dublin's Phoenix Park but the record still stands as 20.1C in November 2015 at Dooks, County Kerry.

Minimum temperatures have been high too this year with 14.6C at Valentia, County Kerry observed, the third highest on record for the month in Ireland.

In the image, Ballycotton Island Lighthouse in County Cork on a warm, cloudy November day. This lighthouse was painted black in 1902 to distinguish it from the nearby Capel Island Lighthouse.

The forecast is for cooler conditions this week, for a few days, but with a return to warmer weather by next weekend.

Join me to photograph in the Irish countryside, in the city, or by the coast in November, December, January and the other nine months of the year - 2025 dates available now.

As a keen cyclist, like many Irish people, and someone who enjoys photographing cycling races (from the Tour of Ireland to the Tour de France), the opportunity to partake in one of the world's most famous cycling events is tempting, tickets for L'Étape du Tour go on sale 6th of November 2024.

The Étape du Tour is held every year, on closed roads covering one of the Tour du France's most challenging stages, with 16,000 participants taking to the scenic French roads with all the support of the real thing which follows a few days later. This is professional level organisation.

This is a non-professional cyclist's opportunity to ride as if part of the Grande Boucle.

You don't need to be a competitive cyclist, anyone who is fit enough can take part and you don't need to be a KOM rider, this event is doable with a good level of fitness.

For 2025, the Étape du Tour starts in Albertville, home to the Winter Olympics in 1992 and finishes in La Plagne, famous for skiing and the world's most popular ski resort in 2014.

But, in the heat of the French summer in July, skiing will take second place as La Plagne sees the arrival of 16,000 cyclists from all over the world, followed a few days later by hundreds of the world's top professional cyclists.

It will be the last mountain stage for the 2025 TdF but and it will be challenging for the professionals but on the 21st of July there will be a lot of sore legs in La Plagne, as it marks its fifth time hosting the Tour de France.

Interestingly, La Plagne will also host a SUPER8 mountain biking race on the 11th to 13th July, making it a cycling hotspot for 2025. Mayor of La Plagne Tarentaise Jean-Luc Boch said "...we are going to see a real celebration of cycling."

Leaving Albertville (355m) the Étape du Tour will cross some of the most famous mountain passes in France, the Col des Saisies (1,650m) which sees a 13.7km long climb at average gradient of 6.4%; before the descent to Beaufort at 724m followed by the tough climb to the Col du Pré at 1,748m with 12.6km of roads at a whopping 7.7% average gradient, which reaches 11.3% maximum. The Cormet de Roselend takes riders to 1,968 metres above sea level, dropping again to 806m ahead of the long (19.1km) climb to La Plagne at 2,052m with an average gradient of 7.2%! All that over 131km of Savoie tarmac.

What is it: L'Étape du Tour de France - a closed road, full stage of the world's most famous cycling race, the Tour de France run a few days before the professionals take on the stage

When is it: Sunday 20th of July 2025, 131km and 4,500m of ascent to finish at La Plagne

How to find out more (and only place to buy tickets/register unless booking with a tour operator or riding for charity): https://www.letapedutourdefrance.com/en/the-race/how-to-register

Hurry though, tickets go on sale on Wednesday November 6th 2024 at 16:00 and will likely sell out quickly - within a few hours.

**UPDATE** Registration has now closed, but you can find tickets through official tour operators or ride for charity, more information here: https://www.letapedutourdefrance.com/en/village/tour-operators or https://www.letapedutourdefrance.com/en/event/charity