Golden Hour Dawn Swim in March at the Forty Foot, Dublin, Ireland

Early morning is a time to experience the true beauty of the world, daylight builds before sunrise to bathe landscapes in golden hour colour.

I've written about this location before, it's the Forty Foot in Dublin and doesn't need a lot of introduction if you've been a regular visitor to the site. 

There is a special serenity to the morning, an ephemeral liminality as the short-lived golden light moves into bright daylight.

And at this time of year, it's getting bright around 06:00, with sunrise under an hour later.

Join Panoramic Ireland to photograph in Ireland throughout the year, especially at sunrise.

I took a return to Dublin's famous swimming location, the 40-Foot or Forty Foot on Dublin Bay recently.

Swimmers were braving the not-so-cold, but stormy waters of the Irish Sea south of Ireland's capital on Dublin Bay.

A beautiful place to swim, to visit and to photograph I'm sure you'll agree.

Here, one of my previous visits: https://panoramicireland.com/blog-ireland-guide/forty-40-foot-dublin-irish-sea-swimming

Dublin's Forty Foot is one of the most famous swimming spots in Ireland, and possibly the world.

With recent visitors including Matt Damon, Loudon Wainwright III and of course me, the Forty or 40-Foot also featured in James Joyce's Ulysses.

I have of course written here on Panoramic Ireland about the 40-foot, where I mentioned that the water is definitely not 40 feet deep. The name of this small coastal area in Sandycove comes from the 40th Regiment of Foot, a regiment of the British Army that were stationed here.

Dublin's Forty Foot is a famous swimming location, perhaps one of the most famous in the world, attracting the likes of Loudon Wainwright III when he visits Ireland and thousands of locals on Christmas Day each year.

Despite the name, the Forty Foot is not home to waves forty feet high, nor is the water forty feet deep. The Forty Foot was home to the British Army's 40th Regiment of Foot, hence the name Forty Foot or 40 Foot.

Anyway if it was forty feet deep we would have to rename it to "The 12.2 Metre" or "The Twelve Metre".

Here is one of my videos made at the Forty Foot on Christmas Day 2018, when thousands of people turn out to swim in the cold Irish Sea, many for charity and good causes but also for a challenge and some fun.