Another shot of Castle Gregory beach looking south to the lumps of Caherconree and Baurtregaum. The former has the remains of a promontory hill fort on its western facing shoulder. Hopefully we'll haul our backsides up there in the not too distant future.
#kerry
#ireland
#dinglepeninsula
#castlegregory
Today, I did the Ring of Kerry and boy am I tired. Some things I saw today:
Ireland has a ton of derelict tower houses. You see them absolutely everywhere. A lot are in highly ruinous states and some are little more than stubs. Here's one I passed today and wondered about. It started as a 15th century tower house with a connected stairwell turret (making it nicer than 90% of such structures). Eventually, it got shortened and turned into a more modern dwelling, with holes punched in the walls to allow for more doors/windows.
Look down on Dunquin Pier
I remember the day I took this photo, in August 2020. When I arrived, a group of young women were taking selfies at this spot and from my perspective, they looked like they were standing on the edge of a cliff. It’s still dangerous, but it was a calm evening and there was plenty of space if you’re an invincible teenager, unafraid of your mortality.
Look down on Dunquin Pier
I remember the day I took this photo, in August 2020. When I arrived, a group of young women were taking selfies at this spot and from my perspective, they looked like they were standing on the edge of a cliff. It’s still dangerous, but it was a calm evening and there was plenty of space if you’re an invincible teenager, unafraid of your mortality.
At the time, only pubs that served were alllowed to open due to Covid restrictions, but B&Bs and hotels were open. Breakfast in our B&B in Dingle was strictly monitored, with guests having to book their times so the dining room didn’t become too crowded.
Apertureƒ/8CameraILCE-7M3Focal length38mmISO100Shutter speed3.2s#2020 #AtlanticOcean #coastalLandscape #DunquinPier #Ireland #IrishCoastline #Kerry #naturePhotography #Photo #Photography #ruggedBeauty #scenicView #SonyA7III #travelIreland
I love how Ireland's highest mountain is named Carrauntoohill. You become a mountain by being TOO HILL.
There's nothing to keep you from photographing the exterior, however, and Ross is a real photographic gem. Still looking good at ~600 years old.
[14:15] LNG granted planning permission for cable network
An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission to Shannon LNG Limited to construct five kilometres of 220 kilovolt underground cables, and fibre optic cables, which would connect its power plant in north Kerry to the electricity grid.
https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/0319/1502893-planning-permission-lng/
#ShannonLNGLimited #fivekilometres #220 #Kerry
Kayaking Adventures in Dingle Harbour
Two people kayaking at the mouth of Dingle Harbour in Co. Kerry while I was on a boat looking for Fungi, the Dingle Dolphin, back in 2017.
We saw Fungi that day. He broke the water a few times.
https://inphotos.org/2025/03/17/kayaking-adventures-in-dingle-harbour/
Wild Atlantic Waves
Waves crash onto the beach and rocks of Couminole Beach, Co Kerry near full tide. A dangerous beach for swimming at the best of times, it would be foolhardy to go swimming there in conditions like this!
Wild Atlantic Waves
Waves crash onto the beach and rocks of Couminole Beach, Co Kerry near full tide. A dangerous beach for swimming at the best of times, it would be foolhardy to go swimming there in conditions like this!
Apertureƒ/8CameraCanon EOS 20DFocal length20mmISO100Shutter speed1/640s#2007 #AtlanticOcean #Canon20D #cliffs #coastline #Couminole #greenHills #Ireland #Kerry #landscapePhotography #Nature #Photo #Photography #ruggedBeauty #seaSpray #waves
Nature’s Art: Fungi Patterns
I spotted this fascinating looking fungus growing out a dead tree trunk last weekend. I’d no idea what kind of fungi they were until an AI identified them as a Polypore.
This is a good sign, for that small forest I found them in, just outside Kenmare:
"Polypores have been used as indicator species of healthy natural forests or old-growth forests in Europe."
Nature’s Art: Fungi Patterns
I spotted this fascinating looking fungus growing out a dead tree trunk last weekend. I’d no idea what kind of fungi they were until an AI identified them as a Polypore.
This is a good sign, for that small forest I found them in, just outside Kenmare:
Apertureƒ/8CameraILCE-7RM5Focal length240mmISO800Shutter speed1/500sPolypores have been used as indicator species of healthy natural forests or old-growth forests in Europe. They are good indicators of invertebrate diversity on dead wood and include many endangered species. Polypores make good indicators because they are relatively easy to find – many species produce conspicuous and long-lasting fruiting bodies – and because they can be identified in the field.[
#2025 #bracketFungi #decay #fungus #Ireland #Kenmare #Kerry #naturePhotography #organicGrowth #Photo #Photography #SonyA7RV #texture #treeTrunk #woodland
The Edge of the Lake
Another one from that walk in Kenmare a few days ago. I spotted this couple walking by with their dog, and then they stopped a distance away with the dog exploring the shallows. I love silhouettes, so this photo came to be.
The Edge of the Lake
Another one from that walk in Kenmare a few days ago. I spotted this couple walking by with their dog, and then they stopped a distance away with the dog exploring the shallows. I love silhouettes, so this photo came to be.
Apertureƒ/8CameraILCE-7RM5Focal length240mmISO125Shutter speed1/500s#2025 #BlackAndWhite #dog #Ireland #IrishLandscape #Kenmare #Kerry #lake #People #Photo #Photography #shoreline #SonyA7RV #Water
After the government coup [#Maidam, 2014] , when we started talking to then Ukrainian President #Poroshenko, he promised that he would never allow a war between the Ukrainian army and the citizens of Eastern Ukraine. He promised then that they would be true to their commitment to national minorities.
We seriously discussed federalization with then U.S. Secretary of State J. #Kerry, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy K. #Ashton, and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine A. Deshchytsia. This was in April 2014. We had a serious discussion. No one mentioned #Crimea. The matter was already resolved. We developed a document (the Geneva Statement of April 17, 2014). It said that the heads of Ukrainian regions should jointly discuss how to continue to live in a state that used to be unitary, but that the rights of minorities should also matter. That was 2014. Then everyone “forgot” about it.
#Zelensky also came to power under the slogan that he would fulfill the #Minsk agreements. A few months after his inauguration, he said quite different things: that they are a unitary state, there will be no special status, that he does not talk to “separatists”, etc.
Another lie that the French president voiced in his recent pathetic statement concerns the December 2019 meeting in Paris between E. #Macron, then-French Chancellor #Merkel, Russian President Vladimir #Putin and Vladimir Zelensky. Allegedly, the Germans and French convened it to save the Minsk agreements. The preparatory work culminated in a consensus document agreed upon by experts and ministers of the four countries. It was then presented to the presidents and the chancellor. It spoke of the need for a separation of forces on the line of contact: first in three areas and then along the entire length of the line of contact. This was agreed. When it was shown to the leaders, everyone was satisfied. However, Zelensky said that he could only agree to try to do it in three “experimental” areas, not along the entire line of contact. No one could understand why, but he insisted. The main point is that he never withdrew troops even in those three areas. The hostilities continued.
...
The second aspect of the root causes of the conflict. I have already mentioned the eradication of the Russian language, the media, culture, the banning of opposition parties, some opposition media even though they write and broadcast in Ukrainian, the murders and disappearances of journalists, not to mention the war crimes against people in #Donbass immediately after the government coup. These people were called “terrorists”. All of this is in flagrant violation of the UN Charter, which states that all shall respect the rights of every human being, regardless of race, sex, language or religion. This is Article 1 of the UN Charter.
I spoke with the UN Secretary General A. Guterres. I attracted the attention of journalists at the UN when I came there and held press conferences. I also drew journalists' attention to a number of topics that were used by the West to condemn Russia as an “egregious criminal”. It all started in July 2014 with the shooting down of Malaysian Boeing Flight #MH17.
The trial was held with only one in-person witness, 12 others were not presented. Their names are unknown. But the jury said their testimony could be relied upon and they confirmed their words. So it's still a very dark case.
...
And another recent case. #Bucha. As a goodwill gesture for the signing of the Istanbul Agreement in April 2022, we withdrew from several settlements on the outskirts of Kiev. Two days after we left this settlement, the BBC showed the main street of Bucha with dead bodies neatly laid out along the entire route on both sides of the road. Of course, there was a wave of outrage. We insisted on an investigation. But so far, no one seems to care. We want to know the names of the people whose bodies the BBC showed.
Twice publicly raised this issue in the UN Security Council in the presence of the Secretary-General, as well as during personal meetings with him. We sent official requests to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. There has been no response. Twice I raised the issue in New York before all foreign correspondents, appealing to their professional duty. To no avail.
A bench by the Lake
A small bench is nestled among the trees in Kenmare, on the shores of Kenmare Bay. What caught my eye immediately were the three trees surrounding it. They frame the bench in a pleasing way, the bare branches providing a skeletal, natural, surrounding to the man made bench.
A Kenmare Robin
I spotted this little fella down in Kenmare, County Kerry the other day. A Robin, bold as brass, perched right there on a dead branch, posing like he owned the place.
He stayed there for a few minutes surveying the area, and let me get a little closer for a photo.
Kerry’s Quiet Corner
The bench here at the end of a spit of land near Kenmare, Co Kerry has a plaque that says:
HE NEVER LOOKS FOR PRAISES
HE WAS NEVER ONE TO BOAST
HE JUST GOES ON QUIETLY WORKING
FOR THOSE HE LOVES THE MOST
OUR DAD
The pillar has a plaque that has some writing I forgot to photograph, but the heading says, “Ode to Lem”.
A lovely spot to contemplate the world.
Unexpected Stop on the Slea Head Drive
The Dingle Peninsula is pure magic, isn't it? Beautiful scenery, wild oceans and if you're unlucky, a traffic jam caused by a cow walking up the road.
https://inphotos.org/2025/03/02/unexpected-stop-on-the-slea-head-drive/
