The shortest day of the year has arrived in Ireland and the winter solstice occurred at just after 10:00 today, December 21st.

From here, the winter keeps on for many weeks until the first day of spring but along the way, every day the day length increases by just a little.

Here, in the west of Ireland blue hour ushers in the night; the last remnants of daylight fades lower in the sky as cloud builds to obscure the last warming glow from the western sky.

Morning, and a thin band of sunrise sunlight pierces thick cloud to illuminate the lower slopes of a cloud-covered mountain in the west of Ireland.

Roads like these take you into the splendid scenic views in Ireland as they twist and turn, roll and flow through the rocky, boggy and lush green landscapes of the Irish countryside.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, on a photography tour in the west of Ireland and the rest of Ireland.

A sunny day in Dublin and wandering in the back streets, a man on a bicycle passes street art of famous guitarist Slash from Guns N' Roses.

Guns N' Roses are due to play a rescheduled concert in Dublin's Marlay Park in June 2021, the 2020 date having been cancelled due to Coronavirus / COVID-19.

Taken on a Panoramic Ireland photography tour of Dublin.

The sky above the west of Ireland, in particular Connemara, is more impressive than those of the rest of Ireland.

Big, open blue skies and stormy skies stretching for miles are the likely scenes awaiting the photographer and visitor alike.

Panoramic Ireland's photography workshops run all year round in Connemara, in Dublin and throughout Ireland.

Contact me today to find out more about the places and options for 2021.

The flower sellers of Dublin's Grafton Street are a famous sight on the well-trod thoroughfare.

They have brightened the streets of Dublin, and the lives of Dubliners, for centuries.

Here, a colour-filled flower stall with fine blooms.

In the background, if you look carefully, you can see the Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy) statue outside of Bruxelles.

In 2019 the flower sellers of Grafton Street were accused of being "street clutter" by a property group who own several shops in the area, they later apologised and the flower sellers are indeed still there brightening up the streets of Dublin.

Golden light slowly fills in from the east as sunrise approaches on the Irish Sea coast of Ireland.

Mountains hidden by the night slowly emerge from darkness casting off their shrouds of cloud, gently pushed by the morning breeze.

It might not be possible to travel to Ireland right now, as we approach the end of 2020 but in spring and summer 2021 Ireland will be open to travel and to visitors seeking to view and photograph the seascapes and landscapes of the fine countryside.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, for a landscape photography tour in Ireland during 2021 - no deposit required.

Travel in Ireland - December 2020 Coronavirus Update

As of yesterday, December 3rd 2020 Ireland has exited from six weeks of Level 5 coronavirus lockdown meaning that shops can now reopen, pubs serving food and restaurants can open also. Traditional pubs, not serving food, can't reopen as yet - there are many restrictions as the country is now on Level 3.

Travellers from most countries still have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Ireland but as of 29th November 2020 visitors can take a PCR test for COVID-19 after five days of being in Ireland. Here's the text:

Post arrival testing of passengers

With effect from midnight 29 November 2020

Passengers arriving from an “orange” or “red” or “grey” region are to restrict their movements for 14 days (other than the categories outlined above).

This period of restricted movement can end if you receive a negative/’not detected’ result of a PCR test that has been taken a minimum of five days after your arrival in Ireland. You should wait for your negative test result to be returned before ending the period of restricted movements.

From: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/b4020-travelling-to-ireland-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/#covid-19-tests-for-international-travel

And yes the above first applied to European arrivals but now applies to all overseas visitors into Ireland.

So you can take a test no less than five days from arrival and upon a negative result you can travel throughout the country.

At the moment most Irish people are limited to staying in their own county for some bizarre reason that I have talked about before, so with checkpoints on the motorways and around the towns of Ireland don't expect your journey to go swiftly. It's difficult to say what the law is for overseas visitors, maybe you would be limited only to travelling in the county where you are staying. The usual rules of wearing a mask, staying 2 metres apart etc... still apply.

Also, having 1,2 or 3 negative PCR tests does not entitle Irish people who have been a close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 to reduce their quarantine from 14 days, so expect some strange looks, disbelief and attitude from the locals when you tell them that you can travel freely while they can't.

Ireland currently has the lowest rate of infections from COVID-19 in Europe, but expect that to increase again as we get towards Christmas and the New Year so we are likely to see another change in lockdown level, potentially around January 6th 2021.

Numbers will rise again and movement will need to be restricted again before vaccines are distributed and become effective.

But we should see plenty of travel opportunities opening up beyond Spring and into Summer 2021.

For Panoramic Ireland's photography tours you can make a provisional booking now for 2021 - no payment is required until we are closer to the time so it is a no-risk no deposit booking.

If you are planning a holiday to Ireland in 2021 do contact me to enquire for availability.

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.

The greenery of a woodland clearing is a relaxing place to stop and admire the scenery of the natural environment.

Here, a mixed woodland of native Irish trees on the left gives way to imported, planted sitka on the right, the forest here becomes dark and uninviting.

But in this small boundary area, grasses and mosses grow in the light-filled clearing and of course I found my eye drawn through the scene deeper into the deciduous woods.

Here, an ancient Irish woodland: https://panoramicireland.com/photo-tours-blog/116-ancient-woodland-co-kerry-ireland

Rivers, streams, waterfalls and deciduous woodlands are a favourite photographic subject of mine and for many photographers.

Here, it is easy to see why. An old stone bridge sits spans a small river as it flows through a green, autumnal woodland before cascading over a six foot fall.

Fallen leaves and bracken add plenty of colour to the woodland floor.

While we may not be able to travel far at the moment due to travel restrictions, next year will see lots of opportunities - particularly towards the second half of the 2021.

Join one of Panoramic Ireland's private (non-group) photography workshops in 2021.