Ireland, despite a northerly latitude, sees little snow in the winter.

Indeed the countryside remains green for most of the dark months of the year, here mid-winter in the west of Ireland a scene of fields, wooded sections, a high water table and sheep grazing.

All under a dramatic sky to add character to the end of the short day.

So, while it does snow in Ireland in winter and spring, it looks a lot like this for the darker months of the year.

The west of Ireland is Panoramic Ireland's favourite part of Ireland, scenes such as this and a feeling of relaxation that only comes from the western seaboard.

Join me to photograph in the west of Ireland all year round.

When you think about Ireland in March, the first thing that often springs to mind is Saint Patrick's Day, the 17th of March. And no wonder, it's one of the world's most famous holidays with festivals and parades held in every continent. 

I have already written about visiting Ireland out of season, the summer months can, like any part of Europe, be incredibly busy and the autumn, winter and spring can offer the photographer much more in terms of access to Ireland at its best. 

Ireland in March can be warm, cold, and everything in between and I often get asked if March is a good time of year to visit. Yes is always the answer.

Colour begins to arrive in the hedges and certain trees, but snow can blanket the countryside turning green to white.

Here, below, are some of my favourite images from the month of March in Ireland over the years.

So if you are planning to visit Ireland in March or the other off season months, check out Panoramic Ireland's photography tours and workshops and enjoy the gallery on this post below.

It might make more sense to post the first sunrise of a new year from New Year's Day rather than the first sunset. But where I am, in the west of Ireland, with wide views to the west and high ground to the east, sunset is a more appropriate time of day for photography. 

So here, a scene from the colourful west of Ireland at sunset. 

Indeed, my last post of 2024 was of one of the final sunrises of the year - weather and aerial perspective suited here.

Keep an eye out for more posts here on Panoramic Ireland, or come to Ireland to join me and learn how to photograph in the landscapes of the west of Ireland.

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.

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.