North Atlantic Skyline » ireland

Ever decreasing stones

John Smyth — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:20:39 +0000

Stones on the seashore between Spiddal and Inverin, worn smooth and round by the sea, and getting smaller year after year.

Picture taken last Sunday morning with a Canon 5D DSLR, Canon 17-40mm zoom lens @ 40mm, 0.9 Neutral Density filter (reduces light by 3 stops), ISO50, shutter speed = 4 seconds. Manfrotto tripod fitted with a pistol grip head also used.

Galway construction: retail development at Newtownsmith

John Smyth — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:34:59 +0000

When I first moved to Galway, the walkway beside the river at Newtownsmith in Galway consisted on mainly derelict buildings close to the bridge in front of Galway Cathedral. The buildings, which included offices owned by the Electricity Supply Board, overlook both an old millrace once used to generate hydroelectricity and the river Corrib. It was probably not a great time to build yet another shopping complex – just before the economy crashed. However, the completion of the centre, which includes an outdoor cafe overlooking the waterways, means that the area on the eastern bank of the Corrib between the Salmon Weir and Wolfe Tone Bridge has been completely redeveloped over the last 20 years [which started with the building of Jury's Hotel in the early Nineties].

More pictures here.

The spire in NUIG

John Smyth — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:27:50 +0000

The tower in the Quadrangle in the university [NUIG]. This is the view from my bedroom window (if I hang a camera out the window and use a telephoto lens). I had plans to do some early morning photography this morning but slept in late. Hence this picture.

Last call of the curlew ?

John Smyth — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:20:57 +0000

The sound of the curlew is one of my earliest memories. Our family farm is located near a large stretch of bog, and we would often hear, and occasionally see, curlews feeding on the bog. It is hard to believe that curlews have nearly disappeared as residents from the Irish landscape. Though it is possible to see curlews along the west coast, many of them are wintering visitors. The native curlews are dying out, so much so that Birdwatch Ireland have launched a campaign to try to stabilize breeding numbers.

I photographed the curlew pictured above at a turlough near Kilmacduagh before Xmas – I wonder if it is a local or a tourist ?