Photos taken on a trip to the Republic of Ireland as well as Northern Ireland in 2005.
When I visited Clonmacnoise, the weather changed rapidly. Here, I got a shot of the surroundings, just a moment before rain started pouring down.
Fortunately, the AV-show was interesting and the rain had disappeared when we came outside again.
When I was in Galway (Ireland), I was lucky enough to see this scene - and have my cameras ready…
now that the “troubles” are (mostly) over, the Belfast murals are mainly a tourist attraction, visited by bus and taxi tours.
There are many modern political references, however, and even paintings by non-Irish underground organisations such as the ETA…
modern houses reflected in the Corrib river in Galway.
Its setting makes Clonmacnoise a very special photoopportunity.
However, the heritage Centre is also well worth a visit - the original, invaluable stone carvings from the monastery are preserved here and presented in an almost magical light.
The audiovisual about the history of Clonmacnoise is also quite interesting.
This was maybe the most pleasant Internet cafe I visited in Ireland: A very nice atmosphere, someone playing on an acoustic guitar and, next to me, this huge bear was sitting on a stool, clutching his International Worker’s paper!
Oh, if you want to meet the bear himself, you have to go to Athlone, in the geographic centre of Ireland.
Custom House is one of the most architecturally important Georgian buildings in Dublin. The house was finished in 1791
To get this night shot, I put my Lumix FX8 on a mini tripod and shot from the next bridge.
For some reason, this relatively small country has produced many literary giants, including 4 Noble price winners.
The one author that is most often associated with Ireland is James Joyce (”Dubliners”, “Ulysses”, “Finnegan’s Wake”) and “Bloomsday” (16 June) celebrating the adventures of Leopold Bloom (the main character in “Ulysses”) in Dublin is a sort of National Holiday.
To name just a few of the other Irish classics:
Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett,WB Yeats, Elizabeth Bowen, Bram Stoker (”Dracula”), Seamus Heaney, James Connolly, Oliver Goldsmith and modern author Brendan Behan.
Clonmacnoise was founded by St. Ciaran about 1500 years ago.
Although the monastery itself was destroyed by the English, it is still regarded as a place of high religious significance - and also is a major tourist attraction.
I especially like the beautiful setting.
The cliffs of Moher and the Burren (the barren landscape next to the cliffs) are two of Irelands major tourist attractions and rightly so.
Unfortunately, a new visitor centre is being built at the cliffs, so large parts are inaccessible now and when the Centre is opened, admission to this natural wonder will no longer be free…
Within a couple of hours, I”ve seen this river in rain, beautiful sunshine and many different lights.
The weather changes rapidly here…
I took this photo only a few minutes ago with my small Lumix - digital photography sure has its advantages.
Still looking forward to the slides from my Minolta SLR though…
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