The 2014 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Midleton was another great occasion with a large crowd turning out to get the best view. The weather played its part too, holding mostly dry for the duration.
ECCG members were out in force to capture the day in photos. Take a look at a selection in the slideshows below. Mouse over the image to access the slideshow controls.
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With more than just a nod to the adventures of Joe McNally and his penchant for getting his camera into unusual (very high) places, TIME magazine’s, Jonathan Woods, decided to make a Gigapan image of New York from the top of No.1 World Trade Center. Here’s how they did it:
Link to “Top of the World – The making of an image from 1,776 feet”
http://youtu.be/EzNvL_PmnPM
The MailOnline has reported the death of the US sailor made famous in the iconic photograph made by celebrated photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt in Times Square, New York on VJ Day, 14th August 1945.
“Glenn McDuffie passed away on March 9 in a nursing home in Dallas, his daughter, Glenda Bell, told The Associated Press.”
“A mail carrier and semi-professional baseball player after he returned from World War II, McDuffie’s life became more exciting about six years ago when Houston Police Department forensic artist Lois Gibson was able to identify him as the young man leaning over the woman in his arms to kiss her.”
Captain Kevin Oprey stands on the bulbous bow of the Queen Mary 2
Sydney based photographer, James Morgan, took this epic shot to mark the 10th anniversary of the Ocean Liner, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2.
Here’s how The MailOnline reported it:
“The Queen Mary 2 is the largest ocean liner in the world and on Sunday her captain got a fresh view of her size and majesty.”
“Captain Kevin Oprey stood on the ship’s bulbous bow, which protrudes from the front of the 151,200 tonne liner, to pose for a portrait with his ship.”
“The photographs, taken to mark the tenth anniversary of the liner in May this year, were shot while she was docked at a port off the coast of Bali.”
“It took months of strategic and safety planning to work out how to get Captain Oprey onto the bulbous bow, which helps to stabilise the ship and streamline movement, and dips in and out of the water depending on currents and swell.”
“But it was an idea too good to pass up.”
“‘When I suggested we photograph the captain standing on the bulbous bow, they all looked at me like I was a tiny bit mad, but the fact it hadn’t been done was why we had to do it,’ photographer James Morgan told MailOnline.”
“Mr Morgan was in Sydney last week when he got a call that the conditions in Bali were perfect for the shoot and so he hurried to the Indonesian island to capture the images.”
“However, by the time he arrived the conditions had worsened and he spent a ‘nervous five or six hours on the bridge’, before the weather calmed and they were able to get the captain safely onto the bulbous bow.”
“Mr Morgan said ‘safety was paramount’ and they used two safety boats to transport Captain Oprey to the bow. He took the shot from a small boat floating in front of the Queen Mary 2.”
See more photos on the MailOnline site.
http://youtu.be/36_DbZrEdB0
On Saturday 8/3/14, ECCG members visited the Naval Base at Haulbowline, in Cork harbour. While the weather wasn’t ideal, it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm for the tour which was lead by Petty Officer, Brian Murphy.
While being a modern military base, its long and illustrious history was inescapable with historic buildings, a martello tower and a nameplate commemorating a 19th century Royal visit, featuring among the reminders of times past. Records show a continuous military presence on the island since 1602 when the island was fortified against seaborne attack.
In 1720 the first yacht club in the world, now known as Royal Cork Yacht Club, was founded in Haulbowline. In 1806 the first naval presence was established on the island and in 1865, work commenced on the building of the Naval Dockyard and Drydock which was finished in 1884 but didn’t become operational until 1894. Haulbowline was an important support base for the Royal Navy and US Navy during WWI.
In 1921 the Irish Free State was established but Britain kept control of the seas and “Treaty Ports” of Cork, Berehaven and Lough Swilly (handed back in 1938). Haulbowline was handed over to the new Irish Free State in 1923 and was kept on a “care and maintenance” basis until 1939.
In September 1939, the Government purchased 6 Motor Torpedo Boats and the Marine and Coastwatching Service (a forerunner to the modern Naval Service) was established at the Naval Base and in 1946, the Government established the Naval Service as part of the Defence Forces at Haulbowline to patrol Irish Waters.
Haulbowline island – known as “Inis Sionnach” – “Fox Island” in the Irish language – has been home to the Naval Base and Dockyard since 1946.
Many thanks to P.O. Murphy and his colleagues at the Naval Base for the welcome given to us and for sharing their knowledge and facilities with us during our visit.
Check out some images from our visit below. Mouse over the images to reveal the slideshow controls and photographers’ names. At the beginning of the slideshow are four interesting black and white images shot by David Hegarty on an Ondu Pinhole camera.
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