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.

Beautiful golden light in the Mourne Mountains, County Down, as the recent cold weather comes to an end.

Ireland has in recent weeks seen days with low temperatures, as low as -9C - winter is well and truly here. 

But now, in a quick change, we have reached 11C - a change in some places of 12 degrees in 24 hours, 20 degrees in less than a week.

The Mourne Mountains are the highest and most dramatic mountains in Northern Ireland.

The Mournes sit some 35 miles south of Belfast and visible from parts of the city, most notably those views served as inspiration to CS Lewis for Narnia in his famous tales.

Composed mainly of granite the Mourne Mountains are rugged and peaky, crossed by many paths and surrounded by lush green countryside as seen here.

And of course, the Mournes are the subject of a famous song by Percy French called Mountains of Mourne.

The whole town of London stood there to look on

But for all his great powers, he's wishful like me

To be back where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea

Here in the image below, Slieve Donard at the highest point in the Mournes at 853m as the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea under a sky filled with sunrays that would inspire any writer or musician, or indeed photographer.

Join Panoramic Ireland to photograph in the scenic landscapes of the Mourne Mountains and County Down.