Recently while leading another photo tour to my own part of Ireland, County Antrim, we stopped off at the Dark Hedges.

Choosing a morning before all of the groups arrived we had the famous avenue of beech trees pretty much to ourselves as S.S. visiting from California photographed Bregagh Road on this, his first visit to Northern Ireland.

Snow - it's been a snowy winter here in Ireland.

As I've written before, and will no doubt again, it doesn't snow as much as you might think in Ireland but when it does snow it doesn't stick for very long.

The little stream, of no particular renown, continues tumbling down the slope towards the sea as it has done for thousands of years.

Here, in the shaded valley carved over time by the action of water continuously flowing and falling, we find lots of mosses, lichens and bryophytes.

It's all blue by the coast, before sunrise on the coast of Ireland and the stillness and calm of the open sea is immense.

Sometimes the weather isn't what we expect in landscape photography, and weather is a big factor in determining the look of an image. So landscape photographers are not just typical moaners about the weather, it's key to creating the final piece - we would stand out in any conditions to get an image and we only complain when it's the wrong weather for what we want.

Dublin Castle sits at the heart of the city, an important site first for the Vikings who settled in Dublin and then for the Anglo-Normans when they arrived into Ireland in the late 12th century.

The tower as seen here dates to the reign of King John and was completed during the reign of his son Henry III in the middle of the 13th century although the top section was added to and remodelled in the 19th century.

Dublin's Baily Lighthouse, overlooking the UNESCO designated wildlife reserve of Dublin Bay the lighthouse is a famous sight for locals and tourists alike in Howth and County Dublin.

The lighthouse on Dublin's Howth Head has guarded ships entering and leaving Dublin Bay, Dublin Port and Dun Laoghaire, as well as those moving through the Irish Sea, for over 200 years.

Dublin's Ha'penny Bridge dates to 1816 when it was built on a trial basis to replace a ferry that operated at this point on the river. It is built of cast iron and is still in daily use over 200 years later.

The ferryman was paid out of the toll levied on anyone crossing the bridge, costing half of one pence or a ha'penny.

I have been travelling extensively recently, far and wide but also in my own country - Ireland.

Many of the island of Ireland's roads look like this, scenic and green. Enough to enjoy the journey on most occasions.

Competition time! Win a Kilkenny Photo Tour with Panoramic Ireland Photo Tours!

To be in with a chance of winning a private photography tour of Kilkenny (3.5hrs) in the city just visit our Instagram page and follow us, comment on this post and let us know who you would like to share this experience with, who would you spend a few hours in Ireland's Medieval City with?

If you don't use Instagram then see number 3 below.

So here is how to do it again:

1: Follow @panoramicireland on Instagram.

2: Comment on this post with the name of who you would most like to visit Kilkenny with.

3: If you don't use Instagram then just send me an email here through the site with your answer - who would you spend time with in Kilkenny?

Good luck, winners will be drawn on the 1st of May 2018 and notified via this website and by email.

A colourful day in Kilkenny, to celebrate my latest New York Times piece. . . . . . . . . . #travelgram #wildernessculture #neverstopexploring #kilkenny #beautifuldestinations #adventureculture #earthpix #nakedplanet #bbctravel #natgeotravel #medieval #naturelovers #travelblog #ic_architecture #AdventureVisuals #folkarchitecture #panoramicireland #vsco #lifeofadventure #vscocam #vscotravel #tripadvisor #ireland #hikingadventures #livefolk #creativefolk #goldenhour #thecreatorclass #exploremore #magiclight

A post shared by @ panoramicireland on Apr 3, 2018 at 3:13pm PDT

Seen throughout the year, the Irish hare is most visible in the spring months when it leaps and bounds, twists and turns, flashing across the green fields of the Irish countryside as seen in this image.

The Irish hare Lepus timidus hibernicus is a distinct subspecies of the mountain hares found all over the top of the northern hemisphere. All Lepus timidus bar hibernicus change their coats of fur to white in winter to match with typical winter conditions of snow at such northern latitudes. But due to Ireland's mild climate and lack of white covering the landscape, the local hares keep a brown coat all winter long - an evolutionary change.