Last week I had the opportunity to visit Ireland for the first time, in order to attend a meeting for my new job - I haven’t mentioned this to most folks yet, but I’ll be starting as a Research Scientist at the Wikimedia Foundation next month! I was mostly busy with work commitments, but I had a little bit of time to get outside and enjoy the city as well as the countryside. It really felt like spring in Dublin, with cherry blossoms on the trees and lots of yellow gorse blossoms.
I landed on Sunday afternoon and immediately faced my first challenge - British Airways had lost my checked bag, so having to sort that out wasted some of my remaining sunlight. I grabbed a rental car and headed out of the city. It was remarkable how quickly it felt like I got up into the mountains - I was driving through a quaint suburb, and then just a few kilometers later I was up in the moor, devoid of trees and beautiful in the afternoon sun.
Kippure (and radio tower) with an old road. The old military road that this photo was taken from is one of the oldest purpose-built roads in Ireland, built in 1800 by the Crown to permit their forces to track down insurgents from the Irish Rebellion in 1798.
I was a bit slow getting to Lough Tay, so it was already dusk by the time I arrived, but it was still gorgeous, with Luggala on the right.
Looking towards Scarr mountain at dusk from above Lough Tay
After dark, I drove back into Dublin and checked into my hotel. I wanted to watch the sunrise, but when I woke up naturally at 4 am (thanks jetlag!) I had plenty of time to head back up into the mountains before dawn. I headed back to the twin lakes of Lough Bray, which I had driven past the previous afternoon, for a nice (but muddy!) hike around both of them.
The sun rising over the Irish Channel, with Upper Lough Bray at the left.
Both lakes visible in the morning light.
Lower Lough Bray and the “Eagles Crag”
As I headed south, some rainstorms rolled through, making for dramatic light. This is Tonelagee and Carrigshouk Mountains, as seen from the Old Military Road.
I headed to Glendalough, where I poked my head in this beautiful Reefert Church, built in the 11th century.
The Poulanass River flows through lovely cultivated forests above the two lakes of Glendalough.
One of the primary attractions at Glendalough is the ‘Monastic City,’ which consists of several stone buildings built over hundreds of years. On the left here is St. Kevin’s Church, surrounded by tombstones.
St. Kevin’s Church detail.
Old mining buildings in the Glendasan valley. I believe copper was the most frequently mined mineral here, starting in the 1700s.
On the way back to Dublin, I stopped by Powerscourt waterfall, the second tallest waterfall in Ireland, and took this self-portrait using a tripod and self-timer.
The full height of Powerscourt Falls is visible a bit further away.
After my nice morning in the Wicklows, I headed back to Dublin to do some work and meet some of my new colleagues. The rest of the week was busy with work and the conference, but later in the week I took the train 20 minutes to Howth, a village on the outskirts of Dublin at the north end of Dublin Bay with a nice hiking path atop the sea-cliffs on Howth Head. It was a really delightful evening. I stepped off the train into a super cute fishing village, with plenty of fishing boats, pubs, a harbor, and walked out towards the sea cliffs. The path was beautiful, and the coast was steep and rugged, with lots of gorse flowers blooming. It was quite windy, which made taking photos tricky, and the coast faces east, which is less well suited for sunset photos. So, with a promising weather forecast, I got up early the next morning and came right back! I had a delightful time taking pictures in the quiet morning light, and took the train back to the conference just in time for the 9am session.
Wind blows the gorse in this long exposure at dusk. Baily Lighthouse in the distance.
When I returned the following morning, I scrambled down to this little beach just in time to watch the sun pop above the Irish Channel.
It was a beautiful sunrise with some clouds to catch the morning rays, and plenty of flowers.
Baily Lighthouse in the morning light.
I enjoyed strolling back through town on the way to my train - this belltower on the Catholic church looked nice with cherry blossoms in the foreground.