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Castlerigg stone circle, Keswick in Cumbria, September Equinox

Castlerigg stone circle
Castlerigg stone circle, Keswick in Cumbria
Landscape photography, Nigel Borrington

September Equinox, 22nd of September

There are two equinoxes every year – in September and March – when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal. Seasons are opposite on either side of the equator, so the equinox in September is also known as the “autumnal (fall) equinox” in the northern hemisphere. However, in the southern hemisphere, it’s known as the “spring (vernal) equinox”.

The Earth’s postion during the September equinox (ill. not to scale).

September Equinox in Kilkenny, Ireland is on the
Sunday, 22 September 2013, 21:44 IST

Castlerigg stone circle

The stone circle at Castlerigg (alt. Keswick Carles, Carles, Carsles or Castle-rig) is situated near Keswick in Cumbria, North West England. One of around 1,300 stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany, it was constructed as a part of a megalithic tradition that lasted from 3,300 to 900 BCE, during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages.

Various archaeologists have commented positively on the beauty and romance of the Castlerigg ring and its natural environment. In his study of the stone circles of Cumbria, archaeologist John Waterhouse commented that the site was “one of the most visually impressive prehistoric monuments in Britain.”

Every year, thousands of tourists travel to the site, making it the most visited stone circle in Cumbria. This plateau forms the raised centre of a natural amphitheatre created by the surrounding fells and from within the circle it is possible to see some of the highest peaks in Cumbria: Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Grasmoor and Blencathra.

Sunday on the river bank

Sundays on the river bank 7
All images using a Sigma SD15
Images of the river Nore, County Kilkenny
Irish landscape photography : Nigel Borrington

Sundays at this time of year can be a great time to go for a river walk, its getting towards autumn but the walk along the river Nore towards St Mullins can still be green and full of life.

There were still lots of people around, including one family rowing in their Canadian Canoes, I got some images of them and we met them again later on outside a Cafe and shared a drink or two.

The River Nore in September – Gallery

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Sundays on the river bank 9

Sundays on the river bank 10

Its the weekend so ….

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Images taken using a Fujifilm X100
Mountains of county Kerry
Irish landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Its the weekend so why not find a mountain road and take a walk, look at the views, take your time and relax ……..

Find a place in the mountains 2

Going down to Littleton bog, County Tipperary

Littleton bog 3
All images using a Canon G1x and a Fujifilm x100
Images of Littleton peat bog, County Tipperary
Irish landscape photography by : Nigel Borrington

Going down to Littleton Bog.

To myself I feel that very little depicts the landscape of Ireland as much as it’s peat bog areas, peat has been cut from this landscape for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Littleton Bog is about 30km from my home and I visit this area many times during the year, too both walk our dog Molly and take sometime too take images and just be out in what can be a very wild place in the winter months along with a wonderful place in the summer.

Littleton bog 11

The mass production of peat from the Littleton area has left this landscape deeply affected as you can see from this photo and the photographs below. However I have also tried by best to show how the area around the bog can be reclaimed for both nature and wildlife.

Many Animals and Birds make the reclaimed lakes here their home during both the winter and summer months. Littleton bog is also home to many rare plants and insects with multiple entries in the Irish national biodiversity database.

Seamus Heaney

Last week the Irish Poet Seamus Heaney died and he wrote this Poem about the Irish bog lands.


Bogland

By Seamus Heaney

We have no prairies
To slice a big sun at evening–
Everywhere the eye concedes to
Encrouching horizon,

Is wooed into the cyclops’ eye
Of a tarn. Our unfenced country
Is bog that keeps crusting
Between the sights of the sun.

They’ve taken the skeleton
Of the Great Irish Elk
Out of the peat, set it up
An astounding crate full of air.

Butter sunk under
More than a hundred years
Was recovered salty and white.
The ground itself is kind, black butter

Melting and opening underfoot,
Missing its last definition
By millions of years.
They’ll never dig coal here,

Only the waterlogged trunks
Of great firs, soft as pulp.
Our pioneers keep striking
Inwards and downwards,

Every layer they strip
Seems camped on before.
The bogholes might be Atlantic seepage.
The wet centre is bottomless.

Images of the Bog – Gallery

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Littleton bog 12

Littleton bog 14

Littleton bog 3

Littleton bog 2

Littleton bog 1
Littleton bog 7

Littleton bog 5

Littleton bog 4

Littleton bog 6

Littleton bog 10

Littleton bog 8

St Johns, Kilkenny. Images from a wedding day.

St Johns church kilkenny 6
All Images using a Nikon D700
A Wedding in St Johns, County Kilkenny
Kilkenny wedding photographer : Nigel Borrington

These are just some of the images from a wedding I photographed in St Johns, county Kilkenny a little time back.

The couple asked for some black and white images, so here are just some of the one’s that I worked on for them.

A wedding at St John’s

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St Johns church kilkenny 19

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St Johns church kilkenny 11

St Johns church kilkenny 10

St Johns church kilkenny 8

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Wedding musicians, St Johns, Kilkenny

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Images using a Nikon D700
Wedding Musicians, St John, County Kilkenny
Kilkenny wedding photography : Nigel Borrington

During a wedding at St Johns, I took a moment to get some images of the Musicians as they played.

Their Music was just wonderful to listen too and I was also very pleased with the photographs when I got back to the studio.

Images of the musicians

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St John, Kilkenny

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All images using a Nikon D7000
St Johns parish church, county Kilkenny
Kilkenny photographer: Nigel Borrington.

St Johns, Kilkenny is one of the counties best known churches and I have photographed weddings for a few wedding couples here since I have been working as a photographer here in Ireland.

It’s not the main church in the town but I have to say I think its the best looking of them all, the images below were taken the very first time I worked on a wedding here. I always if possible attend the church a day or two before a wedding just to do some test shots and check on my access around the church along with the lighting condition.

As you can see in these images the hight of the church and the windows creates some very dramatic lighting.

Gallery of St Johns, Kilkenny

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St Johns church kilkenny 4

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St Johns church kilkenny 3

St Johns church kilkenny 2

St Johns church kilkenny 1

Our dog Molly at Malin Beg, County Donegal

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Molly our Golden Retriever
Malin beg beach, county Donegal

Molly our ten year old Golden Retriever has been swimming in the sea all over Ireland, she has loved the water since she was about one year old.

We have been on holiday with her during this ten years to just about every coastal county in Ireland. The beaches being our favourite places to visit. One of the most memorable beaches was Malin beg, in county Donegal.

We stayed here for an afternoon about three years ago and we all went for a swim in the warm waters.

If you get to visit Donegal, I would highly recommend this beach as a must visit location.

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Mollys day at the beach 1

Mollys day at the beach 2

Mollys day at the beach 4

Mollys day at the beach 5

Mollys day at the beach 6

Ormonde Castle

Ormond Castle 1
All images using a Nikon D7000
Ormonde Castle, County Tipperary
Irish Landscape photography: Nigel Borrington

Sitting on the bank of the river Suir ( Carrick-on-suir, county Tipperary ), Ormonde Castle calls out of Irish history and it’s fifteen hundreds.

From the misty past this castle still stands on the edge of a town whose history is completely dependant on this castle and the Ormonde family who built it. I will post with more details on the town and castle but for the moment I just wanted to give you a sense of this place.

These pictures where taken last December, about four day before Christmas and on a very foggy morning, the Castle stands on the banks of the river Suir and is often covered in mist during the winter months.

Ormonde castle a gallery

Ormond Castle 2

Ormond Castle 3

Ormond Castle 4

Ormond Castle 5

Ormond Castle 6

In a September hedgerow – Hover flys, Honey bees and Crane flys

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All images taken using a Fujifilm x100
In a Kilkenny Hedgerow, September 2013 – Hover flys and Crane flys
Landscape and nature Photography, Nigel Borrington

In September all the insects in the hedgerow seem to come to life, they feed frantically on the remaining flowers and fruit before the Autumn takes hold.

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In the hedgerow 8

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