As I write, Storm Barra - only the second storm of the Winter 2021 season is set to bring incredibly strong winds over Ireland

Storm Barra is set to batter Ireland for over 24 hours with forecasts showing sustained speeds of up to 80km/h and gusts of over 130km/h.

It has been, as is usually the case, a very calm day here in Ireland ahead of the stormy conditions. 

Twelve of Ireland's counties have been issued with top level and second level warnings for wind and rain with the associated problems of damage, fallen trees and flooding.

More to come on Panoramic Ireland over the next few days.

Today, August 31st, marks the end of summer - meteorologically speaking - as the three hottest months of the year have now passed.

The weather has already begun to change with cooler temperatures and full, grey skies overhead in recent days.

That of course doesn't mean that the good weather is gone for the year.

Oh no, we are just about to get into the brightly coloured season of autumn where we still get plenty of sunshine and all that character in the countryside.

Why not join me, Panoramic Ireland to photograph in autumn, winter, spring or summer in Ireland.

Ireland has seen some weather in the past few weeks of summer 2021. A heatwave covered the island in a thick layer of warm air with temperatures regularly in the high 20s Celsius, even reaching 31.4C.

Then, the inevitable rainy weather where now, a week later, we are seeing rain and wind and unseasonably cold weather of 14 to 16 degrees Celsius.

Yet it's not all doom and gloom, the weather often gives landscape photographers a fine spectacle at sunset.

That's what we got tonight as a full day of rain cleared to give a cloudy sunset with spreading rays of orangey-red light across the sky. Quite an experience, initially we saw the rays of sunshine lighting up the landscape so turned to find the view obscured somewhat as we were photographing from behind a tall hedge; after spending some time and effort climbing through hawthorns and elder to get a clearer view of the final burst of colour in the sky and were not disappointed.

Join Panoramic Ireland, that's me, for a landscape photography adventure in the Irish countryside.

Summer in Ireland, it's a fine season - warm winds, long days and occasionally a heat that envelops everything. It isn't the first thing people think of when they think of Ireland; usually changeable conditions and rain is what comes to mind, not the 31C-plus temperatures that the island has seen in July 2021.

In most years there is a balance, warm days and mild nights; rain followed by sunshine and so on. This year we have had a cold and wet start to spring and summer, but the second half of July 2021 has made up for a lot of that with record breaking temperatures across the northern half of Ireland.

From a scenic drive through the Wicklow Mountains on a fine, summer's day.

The long and open road looks almost plonked down across the sloping, almost treeless landscape of the Irish countryside only 40 minutes from Dublin City.

This road, closed due to snow in winter and melting under scorching sun in the summer, is a fine example of the scenic drives in Ireland.

Join Panoramic Ireland for a photography tour/workshop/experience in the scenic Irish countryside in 2021, 2022 and beyond.

July 2021 has brought some interesting weather to the island of Ireland with a new record for Northern Ireland set in Armagh at 31.4 degrees Celsius. Unusually for summer, Ireland has had warmer temperatures than neighbouring Britain for much of the month and a 'Tropical Night' was recorded when night-time temperatures didn't drop below 20C.

So far the hottest place has been Armagh with a recorded temperature of 31.4 Celsius on July 22nd 2021.

Known as the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, with both the heads of the Catholic Church and Church of Ireland being based in the city founded by Saint Patrick in 444AD, Armagh sits in a drumlin belt (hills created by the movement of ice across the landscape) that stretches across Ireland from County Down on the Irish Sea to County Mayo on the Atlantic.

Here, overlooking the City of Saints and Scholars, both of Armagh's cathedrals dedicated to the patron saint of Ireland can be seen in the green landscape of the lush Irish summer countryside. In the distance the twin peaks of Sawel and Dart in the Sperrins - a mountain range running through Tyrone and Derry.

Every so often a little bit of colour catches your eye, here by the coast of Ireland I noticed every breaking wave and its spray carrying a rainbow of colour towards the white cliffs of the Antrim Coast.

Rainbows are usually fleeting, relying on a mixture of sunshine and water vapour meeting at the correct angle to create the separation of light into its constituent wavelengths - for us we see the visible spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Rainbows can occur anywhere, as seen here in the wave spray or on top of a mountain in a ringed glory, in urban settings and in fine autumnal scenes.

The first week of 2021 in Ireland has seen the return of cold, clear and typical winter weather.

A Sudden Stratospheric Warming is taking place that could see the return of the cold conditions that brought the Beast from the East in 2018 and the cold winter of 2010 and 2011.

Here, one of the first sunsets of 2021 from the Irish countryside. A green field, frost and distant mountains under a blue winter sky.

More snow has arrived since, although not much; however, winter 2021 has some way to go yet, it is not over and we should expect more cold, ice and, likely, snow.

Happy New Year from Ireland.

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 myth that Ireland suffers from bad weather year round, especially outside of the summer months, is definitely not true.

Autumn and Winter in Ireland can be full of fine, clear and bright weather, just like in this image from the spectacular coastline. Low tide exposes golden sands as a small stream slowly trickles towards the steady motion of small waves.

This coastline is full of sea stacks and crags and while it looks peaceful here it can be stormy too.

Join Panoramic Ireland for a private photography workshop in Ireland from the Causeway Coast to the Copper Coast or anywhere else.

Weather plays a big part in outdoor photography, here the evening was cloudy and getting dark after a decent amount of sunlight during the day.

With little hope for sunlight we instead hoped for some interesting clouds and we weren't disappointed. There was plenty of movement and gaps in the cloud cover.

Blue hour came a little early but was well received.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to photograph in Ireland's West and anywhere else in the Irish countryside.