The finest lighthouse on the Irish coast, the Fastnet stands proud on an unusually calm fine Summer's evening.
A granite tower constructed of interlocking blocks, it's a virtual monolith which presents itself like the bow of a ship to the incoming Atlantic swells, dissipating their energy before they reach peak force.
So effective is the design and construction that it has survived the worst the Atlantic can throw at it for over a century with nary a scratch. In 1985, it was struck by a 48m rogue wave (the same height as the focal plane of the lantern). This stove in the glass of the lantern room and overturned the vat of mercury on which the lantern turns, but the structure took no other damage.

The Old Head of Kinsale is home to one of the world's most spectacular golf courses. Covering the end of the peninsula itself, bounded by cliffs on all sides with only a narrow isthmus connecting it to the rest of the peninsula, it's a strange mixture of wilderness and manicured beauty.
There has been a lighthouse at the Old Head since 1665. The original building is still present and was a cottage type with an open fire on its roof. The current 40-foot tower was built in 1853.
This photograph was made near sunset on a late summer's evening. The view is to the north with the golf course and lighthouse in the foreground and Kinsale town on the main coast to the right of frame. The low angle of the sun creates dramatic shadows which show the beautiful sculpting of the golf course very clearly.
Made with an ultra-high resolution digital sensor, in a large print golfers can be clearly seen on the course.

The Fastnet is certainly Ireland’s finest lighthouse. Difficult to land on, and all but impossible to step from a boat for most of the year, this aerial view shows the typical angry sea that surrounds it.
Cape Clear Island is visible on the horizon, the closest point of land to the rock, often called the ‘Teardrop of Ireland’ as it was the last thing emigrants saw of their home country when sailing to America and Australia.

Morning mists rise above a calm Gougane Barra.

One of my favourite spots in the Gougane Barra Valley, and a view I'd had my eye on for a few weeks before all the pieces fell into place.
This image was made while teaching a workshop student on a foggy morning when the light was no good for the usual "grand scenic" landscapes. Mist and woodland are often a magical combination, as can be seen here!
This is one of my most popular images, and it's easy to see why. There's a very appealing graphic quality to the image, which combined with the soft mood makes it a satisfyingly peaceful print.

Since my first visit to Cork as a photographer some years ago, I've had it in mind to photograph Toe Head, an imposing headland to the west of Galley Head on the south coast of Cork.
I hadn't found a vantage point I was happy with on the few occasions I'd been around when good light was threatening. However, serendipity paid a visit when I was out with Roger Overall, a commercial photographer and friend of mine.
We met up, I stabbed my finger at a spot on the OS map that looked promising and we arrived at the location in this photograph.
Made looking to the west as the sun was getting low in the sky, it shows the headland's most imposing aspect with the rocks in the foreground leading the viewer up to it.
Made using a filter which forces a long exposure, the water and waves take on a misty character which adds to the character of the scene.

The Fastnet is a place of extremes. One of those is the ocean - during the Winter months it's not unusual for green water to clear the top of the lighthouse almost 180 feet above sea level. One of the reasons for this is a steep shelf off the south-western side of the rock that throws up huge waves. This was photographed on a relatively calm day!

This is Illauncreeveen island in Glengarriff harbour. I'd been here on several other occasions and never really got an image I was 100% happy with. However, on this particular evening I was rewarded with some fantastic high-level cloud which caught the wonderful colours of the setting sun.
The Sugar Loaf mountain on the Beara peninsula is visible in the distance.

The Fastnet Lighthouse is one of Ireland's engineering marvels. There are several other images on this site which capture it from the air, the sea and from the rock itself, but this is one of the more unique. Made from inside the rotating lantern assembly itself, the strong graphic forms of the fresnel lenses combine with the diagonals of the ladder and other structures to show off the magnificent beauty of this early 20th century industrial masterpiece.
As I was composing the image, I noticed that every now and then a rainbow was projected on the pole to my left by the lenses. I made several exposures attempting to capture this split-second occurrence, and this one was successful.

Photographing the lighthouse from the rock itself can be challenging, both artistically and physically. High winds complicated my efforts, but as we were waiting for the helicopter to pick us up, the sun popped out from the clouds and I was able to frame this image.

The sun sets over the flooded Gearagh, near Macroom in Co. Cork.

The sun rises over Gougane Barra lake on a fine spring morning.

Made during my trip to visit the Bull Rock Lighthouse in early Summer, 2010. This image was made on the way down from the old fog signal station and shows the illuminated lighthouse against the empty sea beyond.
As this is a night image, the exposure was long and thus the waves and clouds are completely smoothed out, creating a timeless look.

This photograph was made in the evening after the lantern had come on in the lighthouse. The open door is very inviting - lighthouses were always very hospitable places. Unfortunately, since automation more often than not the doors are barred as there's no one present. When work is ongoing, for a brief time some of that old hospitality comes back to life.

Mizen Head is Ireland's most southwesterly point. A fog signal was established here in 1909, and a light in 1959. In 1993, when the station was made automatic, a local cooperative in cooperation with the Commissioners of Irish Lights opened the station up to tourists.
The original bridge giving access to the station had suffered badly from over a century of exposure to the severe weather in this area, and work on its replacement commenced in 2009. On March 17, 2011 the new bridge will re-open, allowing visitors access to the lighthouse once more.
This photograph was made on an early Spring evening. Looking over the rocks above the station (which is situated on Cloghan Island), all lines lead up to the setting sun.

The steps leading down to the old landing at Dunlough Bay on the Mizen peninsula

Gougane Barra is effectively my back garden, and it's also my office as that's where I run my Cork-based workshops.
Always beautiful, every once and a while you're treated to something really special, which is what happened on this beautiful October morning.