Picturing Ireland – the Wonder of the West
He may not be the talk of the dinner table, but we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.
He’s the brainy chap who devoted his life’s work to invention and ultimately (well, with a little help from some Italian brainboxes a few years previous) took the world’s first ever photograph in 1825. Today, 186 years later, photography has come a long way, and to demonstrate that blissful evolution we have enlisted the help of visual maestro Sean Tomkins.
Sean is an landscape photographer who captures Ireland’s West Coast in such heart-melting vistas we want to climb into the photo with him. Explaining below each image where the beauty spot is and how he captured it, he even gives us the means to try snap it ourselves, or at least see these magical pockets of the West with our own eyeballs.
So prepare yourself for some jaw-dropping, some dreamy wanderlust, and a heartfelt toast to Mr Niépce and Mr Tomkins…
'Derryclare Lake Connemara' by Sean Tomkins
is almost my back garden. I live in the western side of so I am lucky to have such rugged beauty just a stone’s throw away. This is the Derryclare Lake in Connemara with some of the Twelve Bens mountain range in the background. I was parked in the lovely village of Roundstone just after sunrise when way off in the distance I noticed a long line of fog running in front of the Bens. I hopped into the car for the 4 mile drive and I can tell you that while “patience” is one of my four necessities for good photography (light, composition and good waterproof boots are the other three in case you are wondering!) it was not used here as that fog was burning off fast. I arrived at the lake just in time to capture this image.
'Burren at Galway Bay' by Sean Tomkins
in northwest is an amazing place: 50 square miles of limestone, crushed, eroded and folded into a surrealist moonscape. This image was taken half way between the village of Ballyvaughan and on the southern shores of Galway Bay. Rare Alpine plants flourish in this strange environment but here I captured a few simple Sea Pinks.
'Finnlough' by Sean Tomkins
Finlough is located in the wild and unspoilt Delphi Valley in the southwest corner of and is a place of extraordinary beauty. I arrived here on a dark afternoon but just knew that if the light appeared I would experience something wonderful. My patience paid off and I think you will agree I captured something quite striking.
'Conor Pass' by Sean Tomkins
is a stunningly beautiful place. The Conor Pass, which runs from the town of Dingle on the southern side of the peninsula towards Brandon Bay to the north is the highest mountain pass in the country. It’s a tight precarious road, weaving its way around sharp cliff faces and past the high corrie lakes. But don’t let that description put you off, it is a superb drive, not at all dangerous, with amazing views. Just north of the car park at the top you can pull in and admire this little waterfall. Way off in the distance is Brandon Peak.
'Early Morning' by Sean Tomkins
The is the largest and busiest of the five Kerry and Cork peninsulas. It is completely encircled by one of the most scenic routes in Ireland, known as The Ring of Kerry. This shot is from the heart of the Ring, close to Glencar: a really quiet area surrounded by mountains on all sides. It was about 7am and I liked the way one sheep and one lamb seem to be admiring the sunrise. Get there yourself by starting at and head towards Beaufort via the Ballaghsheen Pass or the other way around but don’t forget to look back when at that pass. I think the area is twinned with the Scottish Highlands and I can see why.
'Brocken Spectre Cliffs of Moher' by Sean Tomkins
are a truly awesome meeting of land with ocean and one of the most magnificent stretches of coast in Europe. They are fantastic to shoot most of the time but boy did I encounter a strange and startling event. That’s my shadow down there and this is called a ‘Brocken Spectre’. It’s a rare optic phenomenon when a person standing on a higher altitude can see his own shadow cast onto a cloud or fog at a lower altitude. The cliffs are not to be missed, even if one does not capture a Brocken Spectre!
You can see more of Sean’s stunning landscapes, and buy prints of them, on his Irish Landscapes website.
Sean isn’t the only photographer we’ve had as a guest blogger. We had Dave G Kelly and his prettiest spots in Dublin to take a seat, Kevin Dwyer who shared his stunning aerial photography of Ireland, and John Eagle’s photographic tour of Ireland’s Lighthouses. Landscape photographer Chris Hill explained how he got this stunning picture of the Cliffs of Moher, and Simon Brown shared stunning landscape shots of his native County Down
Absolutely brilliant and stunning photography!
Absolutely stunning pictures! Took me back to past times in these locations. Wonderful. Thank you.
These are some of the most beautiful places on earth.
So thrilled to see Sean Tomkins photograph of the Cliffs of Moher. The shadow of himself in the Brocken Spectre is Amazing…very symbolic spiritually …I see it as The Spirit of Man in God’s Rainbow Circle of Promise…Wish I could share this picture, my friends and I on Facebook have just been sharing about the Rainbow actually being a Circle…Thank you for the picture, it really made my day!!
No place has the same magnetism as Ireland. These landscapes are so compelling that they whisk the mind away from the mundane to another plateau.
Thank you so much.
‘Brocken Spectre Cliffs of Moher’ and ‘Early Morning’ are AMAZING! It has just been a couple of months since I returned from a trip to Ireland…..and now I want to go back! Well, I would have wanted to go back anyway lol but these truly are amazing photos.
The photos are some of the best I have seen of Ireland. The beautiful mystic of the country is captured well. There were lots of ooohs and aaahs as I scrolled through. Well done!
bueatiful work, beatifully captured moments in time. Further proof that God lives in Ireland.
Fantastic pictures!
Now I really have to find a way to get to Ireland – this cannot be missed. Stunning!
That proves Ireland is the most beautiful country in the world ! – I should have never left this country…. There’s no way I can’t go back ! Erin Go Bragh! X
These photos give me goose bumps…. I love Ireland, it feels like my home and these pics make me ‘home sick’!!
Really stunning!
Thanks everyone for your lovely comments and so many “likes”.
Breathtaking scenes captured the moment beautifully.
Going to Clare on my holidays 23 july hope I can capture some of my own beautifull moments .
Brings Tears To My Eyes
fantastic shots, thank you.
Stunning photos that make me want to stop working and board a plane to take me there. I know that this is not a popular area, but I long to visit the town of Causeway (near Tralee) where all my Irish relatives came from. It’s very tiny, little over 200 people, but it’s my dream to visit and see where my grandmother lived. Bridget Church came to America when she was 20 years old and never lost her brogue. I loved her and want to visit her homeland.
Very, very beautiful. Love it so much!
beautifull pure and simple
great page … great people … great countryside … in fact great in every way. I live in a rugby area in west country England ..Though my Mam is Irish and my Dad Scottish. I have a few brothers and a sister and my family in Ireland call me the Irish one out of the lot. Must say I love seeing Ireland win at rugby. I was hoping they’d lift the cup in NZ this year being the most experienced team. Ah well, perhaps next time. God bless all who reads this, and God bless Ireland.