Winter has been mild so far this year in Ireland, we haven't yet seen the snow and cold temperatures of early 2018; trees, shrubs and flowers that don't normally show much signs of spring growth are now sprouting and flowering.

Here, plenty of colour from crocus flowers seen with raindrops after a little rain.

Despite it still actually being winter, these flowers are providing a colourful addition to the Irish countryside.

It's a time of year full of inspiration as nature slowly returns to brighten up Ireland.

Join me to photograph flowers, landscapes and city streets in 2019.

The lunar eclipse of January 2019, often called a Super Blood Wolf Moon or variations to that effect - still scientifically called a lunar eclipse - as seen from Ireland.

This lunar eclipse will be the last full eclipse to be seen from Ireland until 2033, there will be partial eclipses but not full.

There can be no doubt that the west of Ireland is as scenic as any other place in the world.

Here is one example, a small coastal mountain capped with cloud, struck with bright sunshine on its lower slopes giving a portion of the countryside a bright, vibrancy.

Bright and characterful sunset sunlight on Ireland's Atlantic Ocean.

This image comes from the western edge of the Emerald Isle as the late evening sunlight fades behind rain-bearing clouds to give dramatic lighting on the ocean's surface.

As we waited for the same sunlight to strike the Cliffs of Moher we turned our cameras toward the west and were not disappointed.

After my post yesterday showing the beauty of the lake and mountain on which Kylemore Abbey is situated here is a more focused image of the building, once the home of a wealthy London Doctor called Mitchell Henry.

Kylemore was built in the late 1860s and Mitchell Henry later went on to become MP for the area, in 1875 after the death of his wife who was from County Down he spent less time in Connemara. He built a memorial church for her which is still there today hidden amongst the woods.

In fact, Kylemore comes from the Irish Coille Móire meaning large or big wood - an unusual sight around these parts.

One of Ireland's most famous buildings, Kylemore Abbey is situated in a scenic position at the foot of a mountain surrounded by lakes.

More to come on the abbey and its history in my next post - see here: https://panoramicireland.com/photo-tours-blog/kylemore-abbey-connemara-galway, for now enjoy the fine landscapes and reflections from Connemara.

Subscribe to the monthly newsletter:

The lanes of Ireland are a favourite photographic subject of mine.

Here, the final leaves of 2018 were falling - covering the ground with russety autumnal colour as the bright sunlight shines, casting shadows and making the whole scene more enticing.

Here are a few more of my favourite laneway scenes that I have photographed over the years:

https://panoramicireland.com/blog-ireland-guide/an-irish-laneway-with-mountains-in-the-distance

https://panoramicireland.com/photo-tours-blog/ireland-midlands-laneway-colour-sunset-sky-landscape-photography

https://panoramicireland.com/photo-tours-blog/irish-laneways-look-colourful-as-autumn-gives-way-to-winter

Join me on a photography day course at Northern Ireland's fine Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Learn more about when to use various settings on your camera - Av / Tv or S / M and how to choose which settings given the conditions.

Learn how to use filters, specifically for coastal landscapes and how to plan for the weather.

The schedule is varied depending on the season, weather on the day and due to other factors but we will organise the day to suit each of these elements.

I took a walk around Dublin's Merrion Square recently, finishing at the Oscar Wilde statue, see the video here on Instagram's IGTV.

View this post on Instagram

Merrion Square, Dublin. Statues and memorials including the Irish flag and Oscar Wilde's statue. . . #travelgram #neverstopexploring #beautifuldestinations #adventureculture #earthpix #instagood #nakedplanet #bbctravel #natgeotravel #travelblog #AdventureVisuals #Irish #panoramicireland #vsco #lifeofadventure #vscocam #vscotravel #tripadvisor #ireland #hikingadventures #dublin #urban #irishdefenceforces #architecturelovers #canon #architecture #getoutandexplore #merrionsquare #oscarwilde #lovedublin

A post shared by @ panoramicireland on Dec 12, 2018 at 2:55pm PST

I have been photographing rainbows a lot of late, with the recent stormy weather here in Ireland.

Here is one of those rainbows from a recent post from Dublin's Portobello: https://panoramicireland.com/photo-tours-blog/rainbow-portobello-dublin

And here another from Dublin in this Facebook post:

Here you can see the colour range that we get with rainbows - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet

Enjoy the rainbows.