Category: Ireland

Ewe, Lambs with abandoned hay wagon.

Abandoned II

So much depended on this wagon

MichaelStephenWills5 Comments

Quickly moving sheep pass the hay wagon on May morning, early. A great start to this week.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
  • Ewe, Lambs with abandoned hay wagon.
    Ewe, Lambs with abandoned hay wagon.

This mountainside pasture is grazed by a flock of sheep alongside a long unused farm wagon. Slievenaglogh Townland, Cooley Peninsula, County Louth, Ireland.

This is the fifth of a series using the Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Here is a recap of recent posts with the 200 and 24 mm lens. Can you tell the difference?

  • Slievenaglogh View, north northeast
    Slievenaglogh View, north northeast
  • Abandoned Hay Wagon
    Abandoned Hay Wagon
  • Ewe and Lambs
    Ewe and Lambs
  • Ewe and Lambs
  • Ewe and Lambs
  • Ewe, Lambs with abandoned hay wagon.
    Ewe, Lambs with abandoned hay wagon.

Click for another interesting Ireland post and story

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Torr Head from Greenhill

Exploring the view

MichaelStephenWills1 Comment

Twenty five minutes before the photos of Pam on Torr Head we enjoyed this view from high above. The placard, below and the header image of this post, captures and explains it all.

The view of the placard, to the north, starting left, Greenanmore is a height on Ireland, the site of a prehistoric passage tomb. Rathlin Island (with the East Light) is Ireland as well. Mull of Oa is on the Scottish island of Islay. A “mull” in Scotland is the same as a “head” or “point”. It turns out, the closest point of Scotland is the Mull of Kintyre, 12.4 miles across North Channel, is to the east. Islay is 27.4 miles north.

Click photographs for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.

Pam was standing on the edge of the head, short for headland (“point” is another name for it). The Paps of Jura are part of the Isle of Jura, 40.7 miles distant.

Later, in March, I will share more of the wonder of Torr Head. In the meantime, here is a post published last year from nearby.

Here is a gallery for easier flipping between photographs. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills
Ewe and Lambs

Balwen? Shetland?

Or neither?

MichaelStephenWills2 Comments

This breed may be a Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep, as it fits the description. When the ewe caught sight of me, she hightailed it for cover, the lambs followed.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
  • Ewe and Lambs
    Ewe and Lambs
  • Ewe and Lambs
  • Ewe and Lambs

The Balwen is bred for meat and that is the rule in this area, the lambs are sold.

The description is of a black color with a white blaze on the face, four white “socks” and white on the tail. This individual is missing a white tale, so might be a Shetland and even more so as the others of the herd are white (Shetlands are a variety of colors), Shetland is common and the other rare.

These are on the hillside of Slievenaglogh Townland, County Louth, Ireland.

This is the fourth of a series using the Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Click for another interesting Ireland post and story

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Creeping up on 800 Readers….

….or 800 creeping up on me.

MichaelStephenWills30 Comments

797 is the count of subscribers to this blog, an interesting number. The individual numerals sum to a prime number, 23. The first and last can be swapped to yield the same number. I appreciate each and every “1” added together, you readers. Thank You.

Here is a selection of images from post posts.

Click any photograph for a slide show. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
  • The trail at Petrohue Falls is packed with tourists on a sunny summer afternoon.
  • Pam and Mike Wills stayed with Marantha House B&B, during our Spring 2014 Ireland Tour. It was our base in County Cork. Our day of arrival, that evening, I visited Charlemagne and fed him an apple, saved from dinner. We learned from our hosts, Olwen and Douglas Venn, he is a retired show horse they rescued. The following morning I visited Charlemagne again with an apple and my camera. As I walked up, starting from the far end of his field, Charlemagne rewarded me with a series of astounding poses, trotting toward me in fine form. The morning mists, hawthorn in bloom, distant hills came together for this memory.
  • Newlyweds on Cocoa Beach waiting for the photographer in a perfect early evening light. A cruise ship departing from Port Canaveral in the distance.
  • Trillium bloom April through May in central New York State. I found these blooming on the rim of Fillmore Glen near Owasco Lake and the town of Moravia.
  • Don Roberto, Maritime pilot, approaches the Regatta
    Don Roberto is on the bow
  • Mexican Poppies bloomed in profusion throughout the Superstitions after the plentiful winter rains of 2008.
  • Pamela and Michael Wills with Iceberg Glacier, Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, Fjord Tempanos, Chile aboard the Oceania Regatta
  • A swan and cygnet feeding from the pristine waters of the River Cong, County Mayo, Ireland. Outside the door of Ashford Castle.
  • Ocotillo Sunset
    Ocotillo Sunset
  • My son, Sean, and I traveled to New York City for the first Saint Patrick’s Day parade after September 11, 2001. Every one there shared in the pride and resolve of the New York City Fire Department delegation. They had a huge presence. All of 5th Avenue from side to side, as far as we could see, was full of firemen. Each held a full size American flag, so there was a block of American flags up the street. I composed this image to capture the feeling of this moment.

Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Ancient fort wall with tourists and Cliff Edge of Dun Aonghasa (Dun Aengus)

Where a fort falls away

An abrupt emptiness

MichaelStephenWills9 Comments

Here is the east side of the inner enclosure wall of Dun Aonghasa (Dun Aengus) where it ends at a cliff edge over the Atlantic ocean.

Visible are the last 60 feet or so of the limestone strata supporting the inner ring.

When first constructed, the inner ring was complete, the western side 1,000 feet from the cliff.. Today’s form of a semi-circle was created by nature when the force of Atlantic Ocean waves eroded the cliff, undercutting the strata.

Look close to see a fracture where the next block of limestone will fall into the waves.

  • Ancient fort wall with tourists and Cliff Edge of Dun Aonghasa (Dun Aengus)
    Ancient fort wall with tourists and Cliff Edge of Dun Aonghasa (Dun Aengus)

Wishing a blessed All Saints Day (November 1st) for all my readers.

Click me for the first post of this series, “Horse Trap on Inishmore.”

Reference: wikipedia Dún Aonghasa, Sea Campion

Copyright 2019 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved