Pots of gold they say, that's what you will find at the end of a rainbow.

I'm not so sure, I have photographed many rainbows over the years and upon inspection have never found any gold - perhaps those pesky leprechauns got there before me.

Here, the round tower and small church of the monastic city at Glendalough are seen above the fast flowing river and underneath the rainbow. These stones must have seen plenty of rainbows and rainy weather in their almost 1,000 years in their current positions.

Rainbows can only occur when the sun is located behind the observer, when the sun is low in the sky and when there is rain or mist in the direction of view. The colours are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Sunlight enters droplets of water in the atmosphere and is reflected back, undergoing refraction as it enters and leaves the water.

Anyway, for a photographer a rainbow is a little like gold in itself, find a rainbow over any scene and it is instantly improved and if you move around to find a new angle the rainbow will be accommodating in its desire to fit neatly into the subject in front of you as seen here on Croagh Patrick in County Mayo.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, on a photography workshop in Ireland when we can travel again (in 2021) and in the meantime check back for more images, stories and news from Ireland.

Glendalough in Co. Wicklow is one of the places where you will find me with my camera, spending time walking and waiting for the right conditions.