Tag Archives: Cork

ECCG Shoot at The Custom House, Cork – 10/02/19

On 10th February, we at East Cork Camera Group were fortunate to gain access to The Custom House, Cork. The Custom House was designed by William Hargrave in 1818 and built at Custom House Street between the North and South Channels of the River Lee. In 1904 it became the headquarters of The Cork Harbour Commissioners, now known as the Port of Cork Company. We visited the ornate boardroom designed by William Price in 1906 and also the Committee Room with its pale cream and
gold wallpaper and delicately patterned ceiling.

The Boardroom and Committee Room house a collection of maritime artwork owned by the Port of Cork Company. We strolled down the quay by the bonded warehouses in the Custom House yard The Warehouses were built by prison labour in 1820 to hold imported goods until duty was paid. The warehouses were built from rubble sandstone with squared and cut limestone. They were built on a trapezoidal plan having canopies to ground floor level. Vaulted stores to ground floor and stone spiral stairs within external semi-circular towers.

Having completed our visit to this landmark building within Cork City we were in time to capture the sunset over the River Lee. A truly memorable experience was had by everyone.

See a gallery of images from the shoot here. Enjoy!

– Eileen Upton

 

Scott Kelby’s World Wide Photo Walk 2018

2018 will be East Cork Camera Group’s fifth participation in the Scott Kelby’s World Wide Photowalk. In 2014 we walked in our hometown of Midleton, in 2015, we walked in Youghal, in 2016, we went to Cobh and last year we visited Kinsale. This year we’re going to walk in the real capital of Ireland – Cork City! So what is a PhotoWalk you might well ask? Well, it’s simply a leisurely walk, during which you take photographs of your surroundings. That’s all it is and you don’t have to be a professional photographer or have expensive gear either – even a mobile phone camera will do!

Trying to isolate one venue from all those available in this fine city is a chore in itself but we have decided that we will concentrate on the general area of the Western Road where we will have Elizabeth Fort, St. Finbarr’s Cathedral, UCC and Fitzgerald Park in our sights.

We’ve had great weather on all our previous walks and we’re hoping that this year’s exceptionally fine summer might make a reappearance on the 6th of October to allow us to walk and photograph this area at its best. The walk will be a leisurely affair and will end with lunch at a local venue to be decided.

You don’t have to be a member of East Cork Camera Group to participate either so if you simply have an interest in photography and would like to tag along, no problem! All under 18s must be accompanied by an adult, however. The walk is free but any nominal admission fees (more details after you register) and lunch will be at your own expense. As the walk is in aid of the Springs of Hope charity, a small donation to it at the time of registration would be appreciated.

Remember, you must pre-register at the official website, worldwidephotowalk.com, in order to participate.

We will publish your photos from the day on our website (www.eastcorkcameragroup.ie) and there will be competitions to enter if you so wish.

If our previous walks are anything to go by, this will be a great event and will be worth coming along. We look forward to seeing you there.

However, spaces are limited so, if you are interested in coming along, please register now by clicking the ‘Join Walk’ button at www.worldwidephotowalk.com.

 

Cork Harbour Festival – June 2018

Cork Harbour Festival is the largest annual event in Cork Harbour with a nine-day celebration of maritime culture and heritage. There are over 70 events in Cork City and the harbour towns and villages.

Ocean to City – An Rás Mór is the flagship event of the Cork Harbour Festival and is Ireland’s very own long-distance rowing race. The first race was held in 2005 and was originally a race for traditional fixed-seat boats. It has now grown into an annual event for an all-inclusive rowing and paddling event embracing everything from traditional wooden working boats, currachs, skiffs, gigs and Chinese dragon boats to contemporary ocean racing shells, kayaks, canoes and even stand-up paddle boards, attracting over 600 Irish and international participants from the U.S., Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, crewing over 200 craft.

On Saturday, 2nd June, our Group took up many vantage points along Cork Harbour and waited for the race to begin. The Irish Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter together with the Crosshaven Coast Guard Boat and the RNLI inshore Life Boat carried out a demonstration training exercise to entertain the crowds waiting on the Promenade in Cobh. At 2.30pm. the race began at Crosshaven and it was not long before the colourful spectacle of all sizes of boats and crews could be seen rounding the Spitbank and turning towards Cobh. As the rowers passed by Cobh, they were greeted by shouts of encouragement from all those waiting along the quay. Even though some participants were under pressure at times to keep going, they managed to wave to the crowds, such was the festive atmosphere on the day.

The magnificent tall ship, Pelican of London, paid a visit to Cork Harbour during the Festival. It was built in 1948 and first served as an Arctic trawler and then a coastal trading vessel. In 2007, after a twelve-year rebuild, she became a sail training ship with Sail Training Ireland.

Cork Model Yacht Club celebrates its 80th anniversary in existence at The Lough. On Sunday 10th June, the Club gave a demonstration of competitive radio controlled model yacht racing, based on the International One Meter Racing Class. These yachts cover a meter every 20 seconds and are quite spectacular to watch especially in the presence of a good wind when they really pick up the pace! Sailing takes place around a series of buoys and a race will last between 15 and 20 minutes.

East Cork Camera Group attended some of the many events of the Festival to capture the atmosphere and enjoyment felt by all participants and you can see a gallery of images from them by clicking here. Enjoy!

 – Eileen Upton

 

ECCG ‘Cork’ Competition – 06/03/2018

The image above, by Noelle Lowney, was the overall highest scoring image in our recent competition whose theme was ‘Cork’ and by a clear margin of 33 points to boot!

With another good entry of 29 images, the competition was intense but when the final votes were counted, this is how the top three in each Grade looked:

It was an outstanding performance in Grade B with the top two overall points going to Noelle Lowney and Remi Boron respectively. Grade C also was an interesting finish with Neil O’Carroll taking first place for the second time on the trot while a newcomer to the Group, Jim Corbett,  took second place with a very interesting ‘mini world’ image.

Well done to all our winners and everyone who entered, especially to those entering for the first time.

Click here to see a gallery of images from the competition. Enjoy!

See also:
How I took that Shot – Kevin Day
How I took that Shot – Noelle Lowney
How I took that Shot – Neil O’Carroll
Winners Presentation Photos
Competition Results and 2018 League Table

If you are interested in photography and would like to know more about East Cork Camera Group, click the ‘Contact Us’ link above.

Christmas Lights Shoot – Cork City – 06/01/2018

Our Group began 2018 with a Christmas Lights Shoot around Cork City on Saturday , 6th January. It was a bitterly cold afternoon when our members met in the hopes of capturing the festive atmosphere for just one more time before the lights would be taken down for another year.

We were in time to see the sun set behind St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral. The big ferris wheel turned with its occupants casting their eyes over the City as people hurried home to celebrate Nollaig na mBan. The lights on the Christmas trees and on the streets twinkled brightly as we bade farewell to Christmas 2017.

Click here to see a gallery of images from this shoot. Enjoy!

 – Eileen Upton