Category: Cork

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Herbaceous border at Blarney Gardens

A serene garden pathway leads away from the camera. Framed with vibrant plants and colourful flowers on each side. Showcasing this long and blooming herbaceous border.

Visiting Blarney Castle was high on my list of must see things in County Cork. I nearly skipped the gardens but I’m very glad we didn’t. The highlight of this 60 acres of gardens and arboretums was this herbaceous border. It was in full bloom when we visited in July last year. It’s a 100 metre long double herbaceous border topped with an 80 metre rose pergola. Amazingly we had this area all to ourselves. It seems the hundreds of other tourists on coach trips only had time to queue up to kiss the Blarney Stone. I suspect many of them would have preferred this garden. It is also a wonderful background for portrait photography.



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Fishing boats in Cobh harbour

Several boats are anchored in tranquil waters, creating a picturesque scene of leisure and nature's beauty.

These three fishing boats caught my eye as I was wondering along the waterfront in the harbour town of Cobh. I think it was the red, blue and green colours. The boat on the left is S-688 (I didn’t get its name). The blue boat in the middle is Mary C. and Inis Mór is the boat on the right. In the background are a couple of green boats with Turbot Bank Cork on the back of one of them. The pier behind with a few cars parked on it is J. F. Kennedy Pier. Unlike the previous days in Ireland this was more cloudy and overcast. Exploring Cobh was a lovely time. The weather wasn’t great and we were on our way to Dublin but it’s a must visit. Next time I’ll be sure to stay a night or two and maybe even take a boat trip around the harbour and its small islands.

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St Colman’s Cathedral – Cobh

Black and white photograph of a cathedral showcasing its tall steeple and intricate architectural details.

The Cathedral Church of St. Colman has had a few other names in its 100+ year history. Built in 1919, this Roman Catholic cathedral was previously known as Queenstown Cathedral, then Cobh Cathedral. It is the tallest church in Ireland with a steeple at 91 metres tall (300 feet). In the 1920s my great grandparents got married in this cathedral. It is a very challenging building to photograph. This was taken from the car park. I cropped out the parked cars at the bottom of this image. Given the Gothic Revival architectural style of this building, I felt that a black and white version of this photograph looked the best.

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Blarney Castle and Gardens

A majestic large castle featuring a prominent tower, surrounded by lush greenery and a clear blue sky.

Blarney Castle sits on the top of a hill in the town of Blarney, north of Cork in Ireland. The original timber house was built on the site before 1200. What we see today is a partial ruin of a Medieval stone castle built in 1446. The main tower is five storeys tall with 18 feet thick walls at the base. Entering the castle grounds we took the right path along Cherry Walk through the Castle Field Arboretum. I had visited the castle in 1991 as a child with my dad and uncle. It was good to come back as an adult but even better to see it in such wonderful weather. I’ve not explored enough of Ireland with my camera but Blarney Castle is worth the hype in my opinion. Try to get there when it opens or soon after. It gets more challenging to get photographs without tourists as the day goes on and more coach parties arrive.