The 2014 Irish Distillers Midleton Food & Drink Festival was held in the town centre on Saturday 13th September and East Cork Camera Group were there once again to cover the event and display our photography.
Blessed again with a beautiful day, Main St was alive well before 7am as stalls were erected between the Gooses' Acre and Broderick St. and food put on to cook. Then, as 9am passed, the street appeared to be ready for business as the first of the many thousands who visited during the day began to arrive, no doubt drawn by the variety of culinary smells wafting about in the air.
As the day unfolded the record crowds enjoyed the good food and drink, music, entertainment and fashion show as they strolled the length of the town while down at The Jameson Experience, Master Distiller, Barry Crockett, who has just retired after 47 years of whiskey making in the town, hosted a tasting presentation of some of the premium whiskeys made in Midleton. A vintage fayre was also in full swing and the craft sector was also well represented.
With a carnival atmosphere in Connolly Street along with stilt-walkers and face-painters, the kids were well catered for while the Midleton Brass Band lead the musical entertainment.
Congratulations to the organisers on another successful Food and Drink Festival and roll on 2015!. Mouse over the images below to activate the slideshows and get a flavour of the day through the images captured by the members of East Cork Camera Group. Enjoy!
Midleton Food and Drink Festival Website
The annual Jailbreak Triathlon hosted by the local Cobh Triathlon club took place on Saturday September 6th 2014 in Cobh. This is the third consecutive year that this national sporting event was held with sponsorship from the Port of Cork and local businesses. The ECCG group was on hand to take some memorable photographs of the extraordinary events of the day. Sunny skies and calm waters greeted competitors in their escape bid as well as photographers capturing the event on camera. The event also attracted huge crowds who lined the streets in their droves to cheer on the race participants.
The multi-stage competition involved the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance disciplines – swimming, cycling and running in immediate succession over various distances. The levels catered for in this flagship event were Olympic and Sprint triathlon distances. The Olympic distance consisted of a 1,500m swim from Spike Island to Cobh followed by a 40km flat fast cycle race finishing with a 10km run along the Cobh waterfront and promenade and back to the heart of the Cobh town centre. A shorter distance was available for the Sprint option consisting of a 750km swim, 20km cycle and 5km run. Relay teams consisting of 3 individuals also participated on the day – one completing the swim, one the cycle leg and the remaining person doing the run.
Shortly after 2pm competitors in the Olympic event, who had already been transported across to Spike, gathered for the start of their race, which commenced at around 2.15pm. Meanwhile, competitors in the Sprint event made their way to Whitepoint for their 3pm start. Both events commenced with a swim in open water without stopping, the Olympic competitors swimming from Spike Island to Cobh while the Sprint competitors swam along the shorefront from Whitepoint to the town centre. On completion of the swim competitors made their way to the transition area where they changed gear to begin the cycle segment through the main street of Cobh town and out the coast road.
The bright coloured outfits of the cyclists, together with their athletic prowess were admirable as they were cheered on by the clapping spectators. We availed of the opportunity to capture the participant’s facial expressions of intense determination, hard hitting motivation and undefeatable attitude on camera.
Of course we were present at the finishing line to capture the emotion and delight of those who had completed the triathlon reaping the rewards of their strict and challenging training regimen, many of which participated in support of various charities such as animal welfare groups and cancer societies.
As we left Baltimore Harbour we enjoyed panoramic views of the rugged West Cork coastline, taking in landmarks such as the conspicuous, conical, white painted Baltimore Beacon, rugged landscapes and cliffs, secluded bays and inlets, Cape Clear and Sherkin Islands.
En route the boat stopped momentarily for us to photograph seals, sea birds and other marine life which inhabit the West Cork shorelines. The appearance of dolphins riding the pressure of the waves generated by the boat presented its own individual challenges to capture the ideal/perfect dolphin photo - with their excessive pace, energy and sheer athleticism emerging to breathe and then disappearing under water as fast again.
This amazing 177ft high tower of Cornish granite stands on a rock 8 miles off the coast. The first lighthouse was built in 1854 and rebuilt in 1903 as the original building became too weak to cope with the often severe weather. In 1989 the lighthouse ceased manual operation and the last keeper left the island with the implementation of a fully automatic operation. In times past Fastnet was nicknamed the ‘teardrop of Ireland’ as it was the last part of Ireland that the Irish emigrants passed as they sailed to America in the 19th century, some never to return again. Its other claim to fame includes being the turning point of the celebrated Fastnet Ocean race – a 615 nautical mile dash from UK to Ireland and back.
As sunset approached, vantage points were taken up, fingers positioned over the shutter buttons and all cameras were poised and ready to take the desired shots of this magnificent sight. We were not deterred by the rockiness of the boat as we tried to stay upright at all times and not fall over board, while holding onto cameras for dear life, navigating our way from side to side whilst dodging the spray of sea water. We were on a mission to capture this spectacular lighthouse silhouette against a backdrop of a splendid sunset and sea with fervour and gusto.
Once darkness fell it was time to return to Baltimore, all cameras were packed away and stories were exchanged about the events of the day. Jerry our skipper kindly made tea, coffee and hot chocolate for the weary photographers a welcome sight on a chilly evening.
