On the glorious Sunday afternoon that was on 22/3/15, ECCG members headed for Kinsale, mainly in the hope of a good sunset at the Old Head lighthouse. We spent some time around the town initially which, with it's narrow streets, interesting shopfronts and harbour area, always provides a variety of shots to the photographer.
For inspiration alone, a visit to the Giles Norman gallery was a must on the itinerary before we headed out to the Old Head to continue our lighthouse project. While the sunset let us down to an extent, there was some nice colour in the sky and some great images were created nevertheless.
Some facts about the Old Head of Kinsale Lighthouse
Light first established: 16/05/1814
Present light established: 01/10/1853
Fog signal established: 01/02/1893
New light and fog signal established: 17/12/1907
Converted to unwatched automatic: 01/04/1972
Converted to electric: 25/04/1972
Nominal range of the light: 20 Nautical Miles
Character of the light: two white flashes every 10 seconds
Height of the light: 72m above mean high water springs
Mouse over the image below to activate the slideshow controls and click here for some more images. Enjoy!
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.
