The green roads or lanes of Ireland are impressive but can often be quite hard to find.

They are unlike other small country roads in Ireland, they don't have a metalled surface, they weave between fields through the Irish landscape but often have become disused or paved over. These green roads often would have been routes between townlands, forming part of the cultural landscape of Ireland.

Today they are important for wildlife, with hedgerows providing wildlife cover, berries and seeds for winter and with limited traffic - usually walkers, cows and horses are the only passers-by now.

Green roads give character to an area and provide a link to our past as well as being incredibly scenic.

A bright sunset behind deep cloud over the Atlantic fades to blue as night sets in on Ireland's west coast, the Wild Atlantic Way.

And it was a wild night on the Atlantic with the wind blowing, clouds forming and the cold spread of night after a long day of photography of Ireland's wild landscapes.

This was not a disappointing scene, rather one of joy and delight as the texture and colour of the Irish sky at blue hour made for fine scenes to finish a day of photography.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to photograph on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way with a Panoramic Ireland Photography Workshop / Tour in 2024 or 2025.

The Irish summer is a strange thing, one day can be hot and sunny and then the next day is cloudy, cold and raining.

And of course we can get all of that in one day too. 

Here, a lush scene of Irish farmland ringed by mountains, a river runs through it. All under a cloudy sky.

It's a patchwork of 1,000 fields, trees line the river and tree-filled hedges mark the boundary between fields all helped by the long daylight hours in summer, plenty of rain and gentle heat.

January and February are months that see the beginning of colour in the Irish countryside, in gardens and in hedgerows but also in woodlands.

Here, a little patch of fresh green and white from snowdrops Galanthus nivalis known as Plúirín sneachta in Irish.

As I spent the first weeks of 2024 photographing Atlantic rainforest in the west of Ireland, natural woods covered in mosses, lichens, ferns and native trees - all under the influence of Ireland's relatively mild and wet climate, I encountered these random patches of fresh white bobbing in the wind.

The woodland floor is red and brown, ivy, moss and ferns providing green throughout the winter yet the standout of any woodland in January are these delicate-looking but very hardy plants. Especially in a winter and spring with little to no snow such as 2024. Don't forget that spring starts on Saint Brigid's Day (1st of February) in Ireland.

And there were already a few primroses coming through too. These little native flowers flower usually from February through to May, depending on location. The latin name Primula means first flower and the Irish name Sabhaircín comes from sabhairc which is the Irish word for fresh - little fresh or freshy in this case.

I have written about snowdrops before of course.

More on the woodlands of the west of Ireland to follow.

To join me photographing in the woods of Ireland, including the temperate, Atlantic rainforest use the contact page to find out more.

It's no secret that the West of Ireland is one of Panoramic Ireland's favourite places.

Join me in 2024 to photograph in the beautiful scenic surroundings of Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.

Here, the first sunset of 2024 in the west as the sun heads for the horizon. 

We've had the solstice on December 22nd, 2023 and around now, early January we see the mornings getting brighter earlier here in Ireland.

The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year and from then on the sunset gets a little later until the start of January when sunrises also become a little earlier. 

So, lots to look forward to even though January and February are the coldest months on average in Ireland.

The days continue to get longer.

Panoramic Ireland's photography workshops and tours are running right through the coldest months, the spring and the warmest months of the year in Ireland - all year round - Join me when you visit Ireland.

Storm Gerrit has raged across Ireland bringing stormy winds and rain in December 2023.

Here, a flooded landscape with water levels rising rapidly, covering ground passable just the day before as sunset approaches along with crepuscular rays in the colourful but ominous sky.

Storm Gerrit has brought severe winds, flooding and downed trees across Ireland as well as snow across parts of Scotland.

Storm Henk it seems will also be an incredibly windy event happening from Saturday December 30th bringing up to 100mph or 160km/h gusts of wind across the west of Ireland.

This will mark the third named storm, includig Pia, Gerrit and Henk to hit Ireland over Christmas and the New Year.

And expect more flooding.

From a photographic point of view, storms can provide opportunities to photograph amazing and incredible scenes but always with caution, particularly near the coast and watercourses.

Panoramic Ireland photographs in all weather, from the west of Ireland to inner city Dublin. Join me to learn more about landscape, street and architectural photography.

I have photographed many cows throughout Ireland over the years but rarely somewhere as scenic as this.

On top of a grassy hill in County Wexford, the south-eastiest part of Ireland's sunny south-east we came across a herd of grazing cattle enjoying the bright summer weather.

And here it was as we were photographing the bright pastoral scene that my clients, a Swiss couple, told me of EdelAlp - a scheme where you can sponsor a cow for the summer. 

The mountain pastures above Verbier in Switzerland, a good bit higher than the hill pictured here, are home to Herens cows which are a small breed perfectly suited to the slopes.

For the summer, you can go and visit your cow in her pasture and at the end of the season you get a 5kg wheel of cheese.

A smart idea and one that might also work in parts of Ireland, with Irish breeds of cow.

Now, which of these lovelies would you sponsor?

On we went to find more scenes to photograph.

To join me, Panoramic Ireland, to photograph in Ireland use the contact page to enquire about places and availability.

Winter is a perfect time for photography in Ireland, there are stormy days and calm days like here in this image - days with bright golden sunshine.

The Mournes are one of my favourite places to photograph in Ireland, situated in County Down, about an hour south of Belfast; Slieve Donard, pictured here, reaches 850m above sea level and is the highest peak in the Irish province of Ulster.

The recent cold weather, icing over the roads and landscape of Ireland, has ended for now but winter is really only getting started.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, in the winter months when Ireland is much more quiet, to photograph in the Mourne Mountains of County Down, or the Giant's Causeway, Belfast or Dublin.

Summer, or the light half of the year, ends at Halloween or more accurately, Samhain, in the Irish tradition.

Here, a sunset seascape from the Irish coast as the light half of the year ends, the Celtic new year begins and although this will be the dark half of the year, the light will be fantastic.

While daylength shortens now until the winter solstice on December 21st, what light we do get is often bright, clear and colourful. 

On those rainy, cloudy days where the sun really doesn't make an appearance the light is still great for photography.

Autumn, winter and spring are perfect seasons for photography and with the added bonus of fewer tourists, Ireland in winter should be a photographer's preference.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to learn how to photograph and to see Ireland. Tours and workshops available all year round.

Two friendly Irish donkeys in the Irish countryside, a field of green and yellow under a drumlin.

The donkey, Equus asinus would have been a common sight in Ireland before the age of the tractor, now a rare enough treat to spot these friendly creatures although I have photographed and written about them before here on Panoramic Ireland.

The drumlin is the hill in the background with cows, a drumlin (Irish word used in geomorphology) is a hill formed by glacial action - the ice moving along flat ground and sculpting it through mechanical action.