Ireland 2015
At the end of August I was in Ireland and Northern Ireland for a few days with a friend. It was a pure photo trip with a well-planned route and the objectives were mainly only landscape locations. We stayed directly at the places and slept in the car, which although was not exactly welcoming and relaxing, but very convenient and inexpensive. We flew with Ryan Air from Cologne/Bonn to Dublin, arrived there we got our rental car, a Citroen Cactus, not just a dream car, but it has done the job. The habituation to the left-hand traffic went without any problems, after a few hours it was even completely normal. Our first overnight target was Glendalough, a valley in the Wicklow Mountains.
We got up early in the morning, have visit the monastic site and are driven along a Wicklow Film Drive. The next target was Rock of Cashel, where we only stopped shortly before we went to Killarney. There we made a short trip to the Torc waterfall and the Old Weir Bridge. The journey continued through the Killarney National Park to the Gap of Dunloh. Driving on the thin road is really an adventure. Next we went to Sneem, then along the Ring of Kerry to Ballycarbery Castle. The last target of the day was Rossbeigh Beach. Here we wanted to photograph an old shipwreck, which was unfortunately no longer in a quite good condition. Since we were two years too late, but we could still make some pictures. we then slept in the car right on the beach.
Early in the morning we have again gone to the wreck and have made a few pictures. Then we went to Bunratty Castle and to the Cliffs of Moher. There we walked a little bit along the cliffs before we drove to the Burren. Here we visited an old tomb, the Poulnabrone Dolmen, the we went on to the Connemara National Park. We are even driven around the park, were at Kylemore Abbey and drove to a lake in the southeast.
The next morning we went on to the north, to Downpatrick's Head, a small cliff. Next we went to Ben Bulben and then drove to Crohy Head. A very unassuming place that you can easily be missing, and we had almost not seen the small path down to the sea. Then we went to a shipwreck in Bunbeg, but we were also too late, it was already very dilapidated and no longer a really worth value motif. Passing the Dunlewy Church we went to Fanad Head, a beautifully situated lighthouse in the north of Ireland.
The next morning we went to Northern Ireland, the switching of the speed (miles and kilometers) took at least a little moment. The first destination was the Mussenden Temple, then we went on to Dunluce Castle and to Old Bushmills Distillery. The next target was Giant's Causeway, which was swarmed by tourists. We went over to Kinbane Head and to a main target: the Dark Hedges, a small stretch of road and with the intersecting trees a truly magical place. Again, many tourists came in buses, to go along the street. But the later it goes, fewer tourists came and by sunset the were only a few people. We then stayed right on the street.
Early in the morning we made a few pictures and then again went to the Giant's Causeway. This time, not even a handful of tourist were at the spot, which was much more pleasant. Then we went to Murlough Bay, a tip from a local, before we went back to Ireland. The last target was the cemetery of Monasterboice, which was not that spectacular, before we went to Dublin Airport and back to Germany.
It was an adventurous trip, we drove many kilometers or miles and have seen a lot. The roads in Ireland are partly already hard, because in addition to the street directly is a bush or a wall and the strees are not really wide and added to this is the left-hand traffic. The weather in Ireland is funny, the shift from sunny to rain may occur within a few minutes. If you knew it, it does not really bother, "the rain will stop in a few minutes" and so it was. You can experience a lot in Ireland, and the landscape is truly beautiful. I would like to come again to Ireland with a little bit more time.
