For the first time in a while I ventured back to one of my favourite locations for landscape photography today.

And, although the prevailing conditions were cloudy and windy, for a moment late afternoon sunshine broke through to illuminate the mountain ridge and enhance the red hues of the bracken and heather covered landscape.

Seven sheep are just visible, grazing the meagre mountainside.

Even in winter, in late January, the weather was mild with temperatures of 11C.

The little bit of snow we have had in recent days in Ireland has now gone, melted more by heavy rains than warming temperatures.

Today saw some bright and sunny winter clear skies but also almost-night winter sleet and rain brought by thick, dark clouds.

Here, in the image above this afternoon, a weather front spreads across the green Irish landscape towards me bringing with it sleet, followed by dark, wintry showers just out of scene.

Ireland remains green and often bright in winter, the days are now lengthening again after the winter solstice on December 21st. 

No images from the recent snow but some video that I might get posted soon.

Join me, perhaps later in the year, when weather conditions improve to learn how to photograph in the Irish countryside.

Panoramic Ireland's photography tours and workshops run all year round.

Today, December 21st, marks the shortest day of the year in Ireland and the northern hemisphere.

Daylength in Dublin has shortened to just under 7 hours and 30 minutes today with sunrise at 08:38 and sunset at 16:08.

Although this is the shortest day, the winter solstice, sunset has been getting a little bit later over the past few days with today's contraction in daylight hours coming from a later sunrise.

From here the days will gradually lengthen even if, typically, our winter weather remains dull and grey for several weeks as the coldest months of winter are yet to arrive.

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.

We have had a lot of snow so far this year but not all winter days in the Irish mountains are white with deep drifts, here in the Wicklow Mountains deer stop on the frosty-white uplands.

A brief moment of calm before they bound and leap across the terrain deeply cut from centuries of peat or turf cutting.

Herds of deer do roam throughout Ireland, particularly in the mountains such as Wicklow where there is an extensive upland with little human habitation and agriculture.

It's still winter for now, just for a day as according to Irish tradition the 1st of February sees the start of spring on Saint Brigid's Day.

Ireland has had some snow, as in the image above, this winter but not as much as Britain. This is usual, Ireland typically receives less extreme weather than Britain where there has been much more snow in recent weeks.

From a journey in the mountains, snowy paths and pine trees covered in a light dusting on a calm day close to sunset.

Winter is of course a fine time to photograph in Ireland.

It doesn't snow that often in Ireland, but it does snow more often than you think, particularly in the meteorological winter months of December, January and February.

The middle of January 2021 has seen some snow falling over much of Ireland but accumulations have been small; lasting, as snow typically does in Ireland, for only a few days at upper elevations and for only a few hours closer to sea level.

The upper slopes of this hill are more snowy than those towards the bottom, the triangle field here as much green as it is white.

It is likely that we will see more snow in 2021 but for the moment warmer weather is on the way.

While spring traditionally begins in Ireland on the 1st of February, on Saint Brigid's Day, meteorological winter continues through until the 1st of March.

We have had some snow already in 2021 here in Ireland but most has now melted with warmer and wetter temperatures returning. In fact we had a 14C temperature change in 48 hours from -7 degrees Celsius to +7 degrees.

Typically we would see about a week of snow in the southwest, the warmest and wettest part of Ireland, to three weeks in the higher ground of the Wicklow Mountains and north midlands of Ireland. Away from the west coast essentially.

Rural lanes in Ireland or Green Roads are remnants of old, sometimes ancient, paths through the countryside. Here on a fine winter's day I headed into the green and colourful landscape to view the mountains under the blue sky.

Ireland has had some cold nights recently in January 2021, winter is well and truly here but for now milder conditions have returned and little remains of the snow even at higher altitudes.

I have written about green roads before, here.

The low, setting sun slips below the ridge and at this time only illuminates the higher slopes of the mountains ahead.

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.