Capturing the world with Photography, Painting and Drawing

Archive for June, 2013

The weekends fading light

The Weekends faiding light
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm lens, iso 100
Sunday evening sunset over the Nire-valley
Landscape photography by : Nigel Borrington

Sunday evenings are my most favourite time of the week, the weekends light is fading fast and we have a new week ahead of us, new chances to grow and reach our aims.


Its the weekend so….

Its the weekend so find a beach and watch the sunrise
Fujifilm X100, 35mm lens, iso 200
Glenbeg beach, Co.Cork
Landscape photography by Nigel Borrington

Its the weekend so why not find a beach for a morning walk then take in the views and watch the sunrise…..

Its the weekend so find a beach then watch the sunrise
Fujifilm X100, 35mm lens, iso 200
Glenbeg beach, Co.Cork
Landscape photography by Nigel Borrington


Our dog Molly, well she should have been an Otter!

Our dog Molly should have been an otter 1
All images using a Nikon D7000, 18-200mm lens, iso 200

Our dog Molly she should of been an Otter

Since she was a one year old our Golden retriever Molly just loved a swim in our local rivers, she is now ten and has had a good swim most days. She was diagnosed last year with arthritis and along with the medical products we get her a swim once a day is just about the best thing to keep her moving healthy and fit!

Molly’s Gallery

Our dog Molly should have been an otter 7

Our dog Molly should have been an otter 2

Our dog Molly should have been an otter 4

Our dog Molly should have been an otter 5

Our dog Molly should have been an otter 6

Our dog Molly should have been an otter 1

Arthritis in dogs

Spotting Arthritis in Dogs

Arthritis doesn’t discriminate. It affects not only people of all ages — including children — but also strikes our furry friends, too. If you’re a dog-owner, you make sure your buddy takes his heartworm medicine, eats well, looks bright-eyed and playful, and greets you as only a doggy can when you come home. You notice changes in mood and activity, so if your pet isn’t feeling his best you may suspect a cold or stomach virus – but it could be arthritis. In fact, arthritis affects one in every five adult dogs in the U.S. and is one of the most common sources of chronic pain that veterinarians treat.

Spot’s Pals Are Early Diagnosis and Treatment

How do you know if it’s arthritis? Your dog can’t explain what’s wrong with him, so it’s important to watch his non-verbal cues closely and take even subtle changes seriously.

Signs that your dog may have arthritis:

Favoring a limb
Difficulty sitting or standing
Sleeping more
Seeming to have stiff or sore joints
Hesitancy to jump, run or climb stairs
Weight gain
Decreased activity or less interest in play
Attitude or behavior changes
Being less alert

If your dog seems to have any of these symptoms for more than two weeks take him to your veterinarian for an arthritis evaluation, which will involve a physical exam and possibly X-rays. The best thing to do for your dog in managing his arthritis is to get a diagnosis and start a treatment plan as soon as possible. Treating canine arthritis is similar to that of human osteoarthritis.

Therapies may include:

Healthy diet and exercise to help maintain proper weight.
Working with your veterinarian to find a drug treatment that helps relieve the pain.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS): the most common form of pharmaceutical treatment for arthritis in dogs.
Over-the-counter pet treatments, such as pills or food containing either glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate or Omega fatty acids. Both have shown to help relieve the symptoms of arthritis in dogs.
A veterinarian-prescribed NSAID and an over-the-counter treatment that together may help decrease pain and disease progression.

Never give your dog human medication without checking first with your veterinarian. Certain medications can be toxic to dogs – particularly acetaminophen and ibuprofen – and a safe dose will differ between a greyhound and a dachshund.

No matter how you decide to treat your dog’s arthritis, make sure you work with a veterinarian to ensure that you select a program that helps your best buddy.


Kilkenny Slate Quarries

Kilkenny slate quaries 1
All images using a Sigma SD15, 15-30mm f3.5-4.5 lens, iso 100
Victorian Slate quarries, County Kilkenny
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

I can remember the first time I came across the Slate quarries near Windgap, County Kilkenny, there are about four or five of these sites in the area all of the now disused and flooded, How long they have existed varies but all of them go back to the Victorian period.

The quarry in these images is located near Ahenny, Co.Kilkenny and the reason I find it more interesting than the others is that it still has remains of some cottages that the workers would have lived in during the period that the quarry was in operation.

Quarry lake

Kilkenny slate quaries 2

Kilkenny slate quaries 3

Kilkenny slate quaries 4
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I don’t know how deep the lake is, I have been swimming in it many times and it feels deep very deep, the miners would have had to blast most of the slate out and the sides of the lake go strait down below the water. If you swim underneath the water and down the sides a little you still cannot see the bottom of the quarry, many would feel a little unhappy swimming here.

Workers Cottage’s

Kilkenny slate quaries 5

Kilkenny slate quaries 6
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There are some ten cottages in this row, its just around the corner from the lake, which when the quarry was in operation would have been a very dangerous location, with blasting and all the machinery in very close proximity to the cottages it cannot have been great living condition. This as-well the fact that the location is miles away from any village, the conditions for the worker must have been very poor.

The Quarries Today

Kilkenny slate quaries 7

Kilkenny slate quaries 8
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Today these quarries have become a wildlife and natural reserve, slate lies everywhere but this has provided a haven for plant life and wildlife, Herons hunt in the rive below the quarry and the lake is full of fish. The area covers about 2 square miles.

Kilkenny slate quaries 9
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When some of the local streams run dry in the summer you can see jut how much slate was left in the area after the mining finished, it covers the entire area.

I will come back to these quarries over the next weeks as they are wonderful places to post about and I love being around these quarries very much.


Slievenamon – A Mystery on the mountain

the modern megolithic monument on slievenamon
Slievenamon, county Tipperary
Landscape photography, Nigel Borrington

Slievenamon the mountain is covered with different type of megalithic remains going back many thousands of years and a lot of these areas remain undocumented.

It was in spring 2012 however while I was walking up the path that rises to the top of the mountain, about half way up I noticed this new monument. I have passed it a few time since and its a bit of a mystery.

If anyone can help with the symbols it would be very much welcomed….

A modern megolithic monument on slievenamon

modern megolithic monument on slievenamon


Mount Leinster

at the top of mount leinster
Canon G1x, iso 100
Image of Coolasnaghta ridge, Mount Leinster, Co Carlow
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

An image of the Coolasnaghta ridge walk, mount leinster, County Carlow. Taken back in February 2013, the mountains grass and heathers were still brown and yellow from the snow and cold of the winter.

This is a great walk along the ridges of mount leinster in Co.Carlow as it offers views of four of Ireland county’s below (Carlow, Wexford, Waterford and Kilkenny ). The mountain is best accessed from the village of Borris, Co.Carlow and is about a 10km drive away.


A sense of place – Disused quarry on the river Barrow

Quarry on the river barrow 10
Fuji film X100, 35mm and 28mm lens , iso 100
Old quarry on the River Barrow, Co Kilkenny
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Some weeks back I first noticed the images of Sharon K and her blog Sunearthsky , Sharon’s second post was called urban sentries and I loved this image a lot, the locations of old disused factories and industrial sites I find a geat subject for photographic imagery.

Its taken sometime for me here in county Kilkenny, without going looking just for this subject matter to find a location that matches. About two weeks ago however I came across this old quarry along the banks of the river Barrow. Its of a large scale consisting of both the quarry area and the building used to crush the stone and store it, It looks like all the stone was used to make blocks or for use in concrete or on the roads.

The following images are a Gallery that I hope gets across a sense of this place and I hope Sharon likes them as Much as I liked hers.

Gallery images

Quarry on the river barrow 5

Quarry on the river barrow 1

Quarry on the river barrow 2

Quarry on the river barrow 3

Quarry on the river barrow 4

Quarry on the river barrow 6

Quarry on the river barrow 7

Quarry on the river barrow 8

Quarry on the river barrow 9


If they can do this – You can achieve anything .

You can do anything 5
Nikon D700, 50mm lens, iso 200
Two men walking the summit of Slievenamon, Co Tipperary
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Sometimes in life you cannot help but stop in order to admire the abilities that some people hold and have inside themselves.

Last week I came across two of those people and one of those moments. A couple of weeks ago I posted about slievenamon a local mountain that is located about 8km from our home, I wanted to produce a series of posts over time that cover the area of this mountain. I started this project by doing a walk to the top during the week and after sitting down for a little rest got out my camera to photograph the views below.

I had already quickly said hello to two other walkers sitting down on the cairn at the top but at that stage was just happy to find my own spot and get some energy back. As I started getting some images the two of them passed by me again and we started talking about the weather and the views, it was then for the first time I noticed that one of the walkers was blind and the other his friend was attached to him with a cord.

The walk up Slievenamon takes about two hours and uses a strait path up from the village of Killcash below, it’s not a simple walk its rocky and you have to keep your eyes open every step.

For every step these two took the leader had to pass on information about the conditions, rocky or if the ground was level, how close to the edge of the path they stood and if the ground was solid or likely to move under foot. A lot of the path can slip under foot as its just loose stone.

I don’t think I need to say to much about how this experience made me stop and think, Its just one of those moments you will never forget and I wanted to share it here as I think it could inspire anyone who thinks they cannot do something – We can do anything if we truly want to !!!

Gallery of images

You can do anything 1

You can do anything 2

You can do anything 6

You can do anything 7


Drift wood on drift wood beach

Two images from driftwood beach

Drift wood beach
Nikon D700, 18-200mm lens, iso 400
Driftwood beach, north Wales, UK
Landscape Photography by : Nigel Borrington

Drift wood
Nikon D700, 18-200mm lens, iso 400
Driftwood beach, north Wales, UK
Landscape Photography by : Nigel Borrington


Finding Samuel Richard Grubb

Grubb Monument at the Vee county Tipperary
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm lens, iso 200
Monument to Samual Richard Grub, Sugarloaf Hill, Knockmealdown Mountains, Co Tipperary
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

If you visit (Sugerloaf hill, Knickmealdowns, Co Tipperary) you will come across the Sanuel Richard Grubb monument, the monument was constructed in 1921 as a tribute to this man.

So who was this man and why even today does both the monument and his grave below it, sit looking out from the Knockmealdowns, county Tipperary.

The only records I can find are as follows:


Samuel Richard Grubb

M, #619382, b. 26 September 1855, d. 22 September 1921
Last Edited=1 Feb 2013
Consanguinity Index=6.64%
Samuel Richard Grubb was born on 26 September 1855.1 He was the son of Richard Davis Grubb and Margaret Butler Grubbe.2 He married Alice Hannah Binney, daughter of Edward William Binney, on 8 July 1885.1 He died on 22 September 1921 at age 65.1
He held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.).1 He held the office of High Sheriff in 1914.1 He lived at Castle Grace, County Tipperary, Ireland.1
Children of Samuel Richard Grubb and Alice Hannah Binney

Richard Raymond De Cruce Grubb+2 b. 11 Jun 1886, d. 28 Dec 1970
Joan Mary Grubb+2 b. 30 Jul 1889, d. 2 Feb 1968

Citations

[S47] Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, editor, Burke’s Irish Family Records (London, U.K.: Burkes Peerage Ltd, 1976), page 527. Hereinafter cited as Burke’s Irish Family Records.
[S47] Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, Burke’s Irish Family Records.

A justice of the peace in Ireland

Justices of the Peace existed in Ireland prior to 1922, sitting in a bench under the supervision of resident magistrates at Petty Sessions to try minor offences summarily, and with a County Court Judge (in his capacity of Chairman of Quarter Sessions) and jury to try more serious offences at Quarter Sessions. In the Irish Free State the position was effectively abolished by the District Justices (Temporary Provisions) Act 1923[11] and permanently abolished by the Courts of Justice Act 1924. Their judicial powers were replaced by full-time, legally qualified District Justices (now called District Judges) and their quasi judicial powers by lay Peace Commissioners. Peace Commissioners may sign statutory declarations and affidavits, and may issue search warrants to the Garda Síochána (Irish police).[12]

As with many of the tourist attractions around Clogheen, such as Bay Lough Shanrahan and The Vee, a visit to Samuel Grubb’s Grave, and the wonderful views across the Vee Valley. It is a wonderful area for a day trip.

According to Samuel’s descendant, Nicholas, the burial took place on the Sugar Loaf partly because it was requested by the deceased. This request, however, was largely because the family had been removed from the Society of Friends (better known as the Quakers) in 1844 (11 years before Samuel was born) for engaging in ‘amusements or entertainments of a hurtful or injurious tendency’, more specifically for attending ‘Balls at which music and dancing form a chief part’ and which were forbidden by the rules of the Society.

I cannot find on-line any death records to indicate how he died, I will keep looking ….

Gallery on the Monument and its views

Grubb Monument the Vee county Tipperary

Tipperary landscape photography

Grubb Monument Tipperary


Trees on the river bank

Trees along the river bank
Sigma SD15, 18-50mm lens, iso 50
Trees moving in the river breeze, River Barrow, Co Kilkenny
Landscape photography by : Nigel Borrington

Walking along a river bank at this time of year offers many great views but one of the most powerful for myself is the sight of a bank of tall and majestic trees in full leaf and at the hight of their summer growth.

I took these two image in black and white because I was more interested in the different tones, levels of brightness that they offered sitting in the midday sun.

Trees on the river bank
Sigma SD15, 18-50mm lens, iso 50
Trees moving in the river breeze, River Barrow, Co Kilkenny
Landscape photography by : Nigel Borrington


Flowers along the river bank

Flowers on the river bank
Sigma SD15, 18-50mm lens, iso 50
Flowers along the river bank, River Barrow, Co Kilkenny
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Yellow Iris Iris pseudacorus Flower
Sigma SD15, 18-50mm lens, iso 50
Flowers along the river bank, River Barrow, Co Kilkenny
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington


This old sail boat

This old boat 1
Sigma SD15, 18-50mm lens, iso 100
An old sail boat on the river Barrow, Co Kilkenny
Landscape photography by : Nigel Borrington

Walking along the River Barrow in Co Kilkenny, I noticed this old sail boat just sitting tied to the bank. Maybe one day someone will come along and restore it and sail in it again but from its current condition I think its future rests here along the banks of the Barrow for sometime to come.

This old boat 2
Sigma SD15, 18-50mm lens, iso 100
An old sail boat on the river Barrow, Co Kilkenny
Landscape photography by : Nigel Borrington


Images from a dog show

Images from a Dog show 2
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm Vr2 lens
Kilkenny dog show
Nigel Borrington

Each year we have a local dog show and for me its one of the best events held local.

I just love watching the dog as they show off their abilities, through different stages of the afternoon, here are just some images that I wanted to share.

Images from a Dog show 1
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm Vr2 lens
Kilkenny dog show
Nigel Borrington

Images from a Dog show 3
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm Vr2 lens
Kilkenny dog show
Nigel Borrington

Images from a Dog show 4
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm Vr2 lens
Kilkenny dog show
Nigel Borrington

Images from a Dog show 5
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm Vr2 lens
Kilkenny dog show
Nigel Borrington


Sunday evenings by the river

Sundays on the river bank 6
Sigma sd15, 18-50 os lens, iso 50
The River Barrow at Graignamanagh, Co Kilkenny
Landscape Photography by Nigel Borrington

Sunday evenings are just a wonderful time in June, a time to take to your feet and get out for a long wall before the weekend is over.

These images are from a walk we did along the river Barrow, Co.Kilkenny today 23rd of June.

Gallery – from the river Borrow

Sundays on the river bank 1

Sundays on the river bank 2

Sundays on the river bank 3

Sundays on the river bank 4

Sundays on the river bank 5


Its the weekend so…….

Its the weekend so find a beach
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm lens
Glenbeg cove, county Waterford..
Irish Landscape photography : Nigel Borrington

Its the weekend so, why not find a coast-line to walk along, Locate a beach and stop for a while to take in the views.

Its the weekend so find a beach and watch the boats go by
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm lens
Glenbeg cove, county Waterford..
Irish Landscape photography : Nigel Borrington


Mid-summers day 2013

Pagan beliefs Air
Fuji film x100
Sunrise over kilkenny

Midsummer’s day 2013

Midsummer’s Eve/Litha/Feill-Sheathain/Alban Hefin/Gwyn Canol Haf

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year falling circa June 22 when the Sun enters Cancer (this year 20 June 2012 19:09 EDT). This is the time of celebrating the Earth’s bounty. The God is vibrant and at the peak of his power and the Goddess is fertile and pregnant. This reflects in our fertile gardens, brimming with life and and the fruits of our labor. The Sun is bright and strong. Animals in nature have established families they are showing off to the world. Midsummer is a celebration of the Earth and all she provides for us, also known as Litha after an ancient European fertility Goddess. This is also time sacred for the Fae and is one of the days one can see the them (keep a sprig of rue in your pocket so they don’t lead you away!!)…This is the time when the Oak King and Holly King battle for supremacy again, Holly King emerges triumphant this time around, they meet again at the Winter Solstice when the Oak King shall prevail.
Activities:

Midsummer is a good time to see the Fae folk; skip through your garden ensures fertility (not necessarily your own fertility) for the season; renew your vows/affirmations/bond with the God/Goddess; Stay up the entire night (old custom); harvest your herbs and other light garden work (weeding, etc.); have a bonfire (if you are oh, so lucky to have the place & clearance to do so!!); If you practice sex magic today is a powerful day to do so; ideas for family: spend a day at the beach, go birdwatching (be sure to bring a bird guide!), gather flowers and make Midsummer crowns or garlands for you hair and/or altar.

Incense: Wisteria, Rose, Mints
Decor: Suns, green plants, flowers, early garden bounty, herbs, bees, butterflies, birds, dragonflies,etc.
Herbs/Flowers: St. John’s Wort, Fennel, Vervain, Trefoil, Mugwort, Lavender, Rose, Fern, Daisy, Elder, Honeysuckle, Oak, Chamomile
Colors: Red, Yellow, Gold (represents the Sun God), various shades of green
Stones: Jade, Garnet, Lapis Lazuli=psychic awareness & fertility of mind & body (for more info on lapis visit http://www.earthbow.com/crystals/lapis.htm) ,diamonds

Knockroe, County Kilkenny

Knockroe passage tomb
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Each midsummers there is a meeting at knockroe passage grave, Co Kilkenny to mark the rising and setting of the mid summers sun.

Knockroe Markings


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We welcome in Mid summers day !


Water lilies, on the river Barrow

lillys
Nikon D7000, 105mm focus length, iso100
Water lilies on the river Barrow, co.Kilkenny
Irish landscape photography: Nigel Borrington

Walking along the river Barrow in Co.Kilkenny I came across this small collection of water Lilies and took some shots. I also noticed that last years leafs still sat underneath the water only now being replaced by this years new growth.


By the lake, a poem

By the lake
Sigma SD15, 18-50mm lens, iso 50
Irish landscape photography : Nigel Borrington

By the lake : By Jon Coe

I watched the ripples, as I drifted away
the lake was deep, on this golden day
Lured by reflection, in this tranquil deep
I lost my mind, then I fell asleep

Trees were talking, murmured rustling leaves
sunlight glistened, on catkin weaves
Dragonflies, and fish that spawn
could not awake me, from this dawn

Images from the lake
.

I floated far and I drifted near
there was no time, as was not fear
Taken away, on this autumn noon
stars were shining, behind the moon

When crickets struck their evening call
the bullfrog chirped, his sombre all
And as the sunset shone, upon this land
the moon took me quietly, by the hand

I stretched and weeped, the night, it fell
I returned my spirit, to this inspired shell
The lake, my friend, shall always be
my place of relaxation, next to, and within me


The last Primrose of spring

Primrose 3
Fujifilm X100, iso200
The last primrose of spring
Irish landscape photography by,
Kilkenny based photographer : Nigel Borrington

On an early morning walk along our local river bank, I noticed these fading Primrose’s. Spring was very late this year and as a result all the spring time flowers have lasted a long time. The primrose is always the first out but even now they are fading.

I think its made for some wonderful images so here they are, the last primroses of this year.

Primrose 1
The last primrose of spring
Irish landscape photography by,
Kilkenny based photographer : Nigel Borrington

Primrose 4
The last primrose of spring
Irish landscape photography by,
Kilkenny based photographer : Nigel Borrington

Primrose 5
The last primrose of spring
Irish landscape photography by,
Kilkenny based photographer : Nigel Borrington

Primrose 6
The last primrose of spring
Irish landscape photography by,
Kilkenny based photographer : Nigel Borrington

Primrose 2
The last primrose of spring
Irish landscape photography by,
Kilkenny based photographer : Nigel Borrington


Image from the Waterford coast.

Waterford Coast
Sigma SD15, 18-50mm lens,iso 50
Waterford coastline, June 2013
Irish landscape photography : Nigel Borrington

Last evening I went for a drive and stopping the car, I walked along the Waterford coastline. At some point I sat down and looked at the views. Just taking some time to really look!, we spend most of our life’s thinking and talking, watching tv and living other peoples life’s not our own.

Maybe! we should find a space, a space for our own life’s, a space in which we can grow something called “a mind of our own….”, this isn’t a sin! to give yourself time, to be individual.

So then, a Poem

Cool sea laps against the rocks,
following the sands of time,
Sometimes the sea seems suspended like a clear mirror reflecting peace
and sometimes the sea rages, undeniable in it’s quest to never cease.

People can gaze upon it and think they have found a reason to exist,
others gaze and see themselves and begin a peace with tomorrow.
But only the waters of the sea’s stay
yet the tides come and go and seem to show time drifting away.

One picture is not enough nor will any amount,
as the sea is all of them and none of them, calm and smooth or angry and rough.
It keeps the wheels of the world turning more than a single life,
as it will always be their giving life and gaining the respect it always should.

Time and space ….


Security – A Poem by : William Stafford

The island county cork
Nikon D700, 200mm focus length, iso 200
The Island off Ballymacoda, county cork, Ireland
Irish Landscape photography : Nigel Borrington

Security

Tomorrow will have an island. Before night
I always find it. Then on to the next island.
These places hidden in the day separate
and come forward if you beckon.
But you have to know they are there before they exist.

Some time there will be a tomorrow without any island.
So far, I haven’t let that happen, but after
I’m gone others may become faithless and careless.
Before them will tumble the wide unbroken sea,
and without any hope they will stare at the horizon.

So to you, Friend, I confide my secret:
to be a discoverer you hold close whatever
you find, and after a while you decide
what it is. Then, secure in where you have been,
you turn to the open sea and let go.

William Stafford


Merge – (a poem by : Kadambari Kashyap)

Merge
Sigma Sd15, 18-50 f2.8 lens, iso 50
Spirit of place, public sculpture, County Kilkenny
Photography by : Nigel Borrington

Poem By : Kadambari Kashyap.

When our spirits merge…
I or You won’t be there anymore,
But us.

There won’t be anyone talking,
Rather our souls would sing in
Ecstatic harmony.
In a language unknown.

When our spirits merge
There will be nothing left
But we will burn
As the sun and stars do every moment.

When our spirits merge
All things will come to an end
But to start again.
In a new form
In a new desire…

And as we make way for something new
In our sweet surrender
To each other
we will be healed
healed of the entire past
of me, you and the rest…

In that surrender, something
Will be on fire, death will inevitably
Consume it.
And soon after that
Divine creativity will bloom out
When our spirits will burn and merge.


Day of the – Rhododendrons

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 3

The Vee – County Tipperary

Arial shot of the Vee

The Vee in county Tipperary is one of Ireland most visited landscape locations. ‘The Vee’ refers to a V-shaped valley in the Knockmealdown mountains. Formed in the ice age the Vee itself is on the Sugar Loaf mountain , and forms a pass from Tipperary to Waterford between Knockaunabulloga (on which you will find Bay Lough) and the Sugar Loaf mountain.

The Vee is predominantly famous because of the breathtaking panoramic views afforded to travellers and sight seers going through the pass. The journey rises to about 2,000 feet (610m) above sea level above Bay Lough, and as it does so it gives wonderful views of a portion of the ‘Golden Vale’ between the Knockmealdown and Galtee Mountain Ranges.

On a clear day (or night) the Vee affords views along and across the valley to Clonmel, Cahir, Ardfinnan, Clogheen, Ballyporeen and even Cashel. You can also see the Galtee Mountains across the valley, the Comeragh Mountains along the valley and Slievenamon, behind Clonmel, quite clearly.

Each June however the entire area is covered in the bright pinks of Rhododendron flowers, I visited the area on Saturday just to photograph this event taking place, in the wild this plant is incredibly invasive and as you can see from these images has become the overwhelming feature the the entire area.

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 6

Rhododendron ponticum, in Ireland

This web site decribes Rhododendrons as an invasive species and for good reason.

Habitat: Mixed deciduous forest. Temperate heaths. Raised and blanket bogs.

Description: This species was first introduced to parks, gardens, and demesnes in Britain and Ireland in the 1700’s. Rhododendron ponticum is readily recognised by its distinctive attractive flowers and large dark green coloured, oval leaves. It can grow quite tall with specimens regularly attaining 8 m.

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 101

Origin and Distribution: The species is native to both Europe and Asia. It is believed that the current populations of Rhododendron in Ireland have been introduced from material taken from both the Iberian Peninsula populations and the Asian populations of this species. Rhododendron has a complex history.

Impacts: Rhododendron can from very dense thickets and out-compete native plants for space and resources, especially for sunlight. Other impacts on fish and invertebrate communities have been recorded. Rhododendron can also prevent access to sites by the shear mass of plant material blocking paths and right of way.

How did it get here? Natural dispersal by seed and vegetative means and planted by people.

Where is it found in Ireland? Planted in gardens, parks and demesnes.

Prevent Spread

Import only clean soil from known source
Ensure all vehicles and equipment are cleaned to avoid cross contamination.
Be aware of the threat of colonisation from upstream areas washing Japanese knotweed material downstream.
Promote native species and biodiversity – use alternative, native plants
Know what you are buying/growing and source native Irish seed and plants
Do not swap plants and cuttings
Clean plants before adding to ponds (dispose of water away from water courses)
Never collect plants from the wild
Safe disposal of plant material and growing media

In the aerial photograph above, the Rhododendrons show as the lighter green area in the middle of the image and rise the full hight of the mountain on the left of Bay Lough and follow the flow of the river that flows from the lough down the valley and into the woods below.

From a personal stand point, each June it is a wonderful site to see, many Tourists visit the area during this period just to take in the views it offers, however it is a little overwhelming to witness the extent this plant has taken over the mountains in this part of county Tipperary. When you take into account that it was only introduced in the 1700’s as a decorative plant into a local garden in the valley below.

Image Gallery

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 101

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 200

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 12

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 11

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 102

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 9

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 8

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 7

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 6

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 5

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 4

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 100

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 3

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 2

When Rhododendron Bloom at the Vee 1

All images taken using a Nikon D7000
Irish landscape photography : Nigel Borrington
The Vee, County Tipperary