The spring is colourful in Ireland, summer is also colourful as seen here with the pinks of rhododendron lining a path through the mountains.

A recent visit into the Irish mountains took me through large rhododendron groves, often over 12 feet in height and covering acres of upland.

The pinks of spring cherry blossom are gone, see here for more of those.

The pink flowers are very attractive and of course a source of food for bees but these invasive, non-native shrubs are taking over much of the Irish countryside unchecked.

In places it is difficult to find a way through these large thickets or groves, the impossibility of viewing anything in the distance means wayfinding is impossible.

Despite this the pink colour is nonetheless impressive alongside the green leaves and blue sky.

Join me on a photography tour of Ireland's mountains in summer or Dublin's parks in spring.

A stormy day on Ireland's west coast, known now as the Wild Atlantic Way.

Here small fields enclosed by stone walls running straight to the Atlantic separate rough ground with little green in this landscape - is there any green indeed?

This image is a reminder of how difficult life was on the west coast of Ireland, here on the Atlantic - what little soil there is inundated with salty ocean water.

It has been a long time coming, after weeks of calm, warm and sunny weather the west coast of Ireland is now receiving storm winds and rain straight off the Atlantic.

Hopefully of course it won't last too long and the real Irish summer weather takes hold again soon.

Here waves crash all over the west coast, topping over rocks of ancient origins and filling the air with salty sea spray, but what a day to be alive and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells - don't you think?

Join Panoramic Ireland on a photography tour of the west coast of Ireland all year round and in any weather - here in conditions that a typical tourist would insist on staying indoors. Let's capture the energy of a day on the Wild Atlantic Way.

The landscapes of Ireland are by now lush and green, June is officially a summer month.

Here the beginnings of that green from this time last month in May shoes just how lush the landscapes of Ireland can be.

Two walkers just at the bend of the river show the scale of these mighty majestic deciduous trees lining the watercourse.

The sunny days of summer are here in Ireland.

Long days of bright, warm weather have helped to create a landscape filled with fresh greens.

Panoramic Ireland's photo tours have covered every Irish province this year with country lanes providing access to scenic views and photographic opportunities away from the busy tourist spots.

Join me for a photography adventure in Ireland this summer, the countryside is looking great with all this fine weather.

Use the contact page for more, or the blue tab at the bottom of the page if you're on mobile. Send me an email to enquire and ask if you have any questions.

The rugged mountains of Ireland stand over the flat boglands of waterlogged earth.

Here the peaks, not particularly high, rounded by erosion during the Ice Age stand guard over the Irish landscape as they have for aeons.

The past few weeks have been busy here at panoramicireland.com as I traverse the length and breadth of Ireland.

The little stream, of no particular renown, continues tumbling down the slope towards the sea as it has done for thousands of years.

Here, in the shaded valley carved over time by the action of water continuously flowing and falling, we find lots of mosses, lichens and bryophytes.

Competition time! Win a Kilkenny Photo Tour with Panoramic Ireland Photo Tours!

To be in with a chance of winning a private photography tour of Kilkenny (3.5hrs) in the city just visit our Instagram page and follow us, comment on this post and let us know who you would like to share this experience with, who would you spend a few hours in Ireland's Medieval City with?

If you don't use Instagram then see number 3 below.

So here is how to do it again:

1: Follow @panoramicireland on Instagram.

2: Comment on this post with the name of who you would most like to visit Kilkenny with.

3: If you don't use Instagram then just send me an email here through the site with your answer - who would you spend time with in Kilkenny?

Good luck, winners will be drawn on the 1st of May 2018 and notified via this website and by email.

A colourful day in Kilkenny, to celebrate my latest New York Times piece. . . . . . . . . . #travelgram #wildernessculture #neverstopexploring #kilkenny #beautifuldestinations #adventureculture #earthpix #nakedplanet #bbctravel #natgeotravel #medieval #naturelovers #travelblog #ic_architecture #AdventureVisuals #folkarchitecture #panoramicireland #vsco #lifeofadventure #vscocam #vscotravel #tripadvisor #ireland #hikingadventures #livefolk #creativefolk #goldenhour #thecreatorclass #exploremore #magiclight

A post shared by @ panoramicireland on Apr 3, 2018 at 3:13pm PDT

Seen throughout the year, the Irish hare is most visible in the spring months when it leaps and bounds, twists and turns, flashing across the green fields of the Irish countryside as seen in this image.

The Irish hare Lepus timidus hibernicus is a distinct subspecies of the mountain hares found all over the top of the northern hemisphere. All Lepus timidus bar hibernicus change their coats of fur to white in winter to match with typical winter conditions of snow at such northern latitudes. But due to Ireland's mild climate and lack of white covering the landscape, the local hares keep a brown coat all winter long - an evolutionary change.