Though over 90Km away, a trip to Gougane Barra is never a chore. Tranquil, contemplative, scenic are words that readily come to mind about the place; photographers’ haven are others.

With a reasonably favourable evening forecast we decided to make the journey and following radio reports of record downpours at the K Club and Semple stadium where Rory McIlroy and Cork were respectively bidding for glory, we hoped the bad weather was not coming our way.

On arrival, all was quiet with very few visitors around so we had an unobstructed view of the place from all angles and, with only a few light squalls to contend with, the evening was beautiful with intermittent sunshine, interesting cloud cover and above average temperatures.

To some extent a photographic cliché, Gougane Barra is charming and it is impossible to resist pressing the shutter release even though you are well aware that there are no ‘new’ shots to be had there. One man who set out to disprove this though was ECCG member, James Brady who sent his drone off on an exploratory flight around the lake in search of the alternative shot which he certainly got. The place is as beautiful from the air as it is from the ground.

With an hour and a half left to sunset, we decided that enough was enough. We packed the gear and headed east happy with a successful shoot. In common with us, Rory Mcllroy was also a happy camper having won his first Irish Open Golf Championship by three strokes. Not so good in Thurles however, where the Cork senior hurlers were outclassed by Tipperary in the first round of the Munster championship. Best not even mention the score! Instead, take a look at James Brady’s stunning (and calming) aerial footage below.

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