Capturing the world with Photography, Painting and Drawing

Posts tagged “Nigel Borrington

On The Beach – A Poem by Michael Williams

Beach Photography Nigel Borrington

Beach Photography
Nigel Borrington

On The Beach –

A Poem by Michael Williams

At dawn, bare footed, viewing as far as eyes can reach,
the water’s edge advances and recedes along the beach.

Before me I see a carpet of half-buried shells of sea-creatures,
tide washed and rippled in sodden sand along the beach.

I move, exploring, sodden sand oozing between my toes,
beyond me the wavelets breaking on the sand along the beach.

On the Beach April 2015 2.

Behind me, my wandering trail is blurred and indistinct,
as the water’s edge advances and recedes along the beach.

At mid-day, on the soft dry sand behind the water’s edge,
undressed worshippers lie in the sun that beats down along the beach.

On the Beach April 2015 3.

At night, the moon’s reflection at the water’s edge
resembles sea serpents playing in the wavelets along the beach.


Irish Photographer Francis Browne and his lucky escape from the RMS Titanic …..

Francis Browne's pictures of the Titanic April 14th 1912

Francis Browne’s pictures of the Titanic
April 14th 1912

Francis Browne’s Finest Pictures

In 1985 an Edward O’Donnell was searching in the basement at the Irishjesuit Provincial’s House when he came across a large black metal trunk, in it he found a large colletion of negative albums, photographs and most amazingly of all an album containing photographs of Titanic’s voyage.

All these photographs were the work of Francis Browne who died in 1960 and was almost forgotten by this time. Subsequent investigations revealed he had enjoyed worldwide fame in 1912 when his photographs of the Titanic’s journey to Cobh were published worldwide. He had travelled first class to Cobh having been given a ticket by his uncle Robert Browne, Bishop of Cloyne. His remarkable pictures proved to be unique.

Titanic 05

So it was that Frank was presented with a first class ticket for the Maiden Voyage of the Titanic to bring him as far as Cobh. The morning of the 12th.April 1912 he arrived at Waterloo Station in London to catch the Titanic Special. He immediately started taking photographs, first recording the train journey and then life aboard the Titanic on the initial section of the voyage. Having made friends with a wealthy American family he was offered a ticket for the remaining part of the journey and no doubt excitedly telegraphed a request for permission to go on to New York, to which he received the terse response “Get Off That Ship——Provincial!” That telegram not only saved Frank’s life but also meant that this unique record of the voyage was saved for posterity and guaranteed overnight fame for Frank Browne.

Browne later described the event as “the only time holy obedience saved a man’s life.”

“Get Off That Ship——Provincial!” – I guess many have wondered about this instruction ? , its almost prophetic in its nature – I guess we will never know how or why it was such a strong and clear order . I think it relates to the fact that while many embraced the new-world of 1912 technology, many also stood in fear of it and in this case clearly for good reason.

Frank Browne , April 1912 – Titanic Gallery

Titanic 06

Titanic 05

Titanic 04

Titanic 03

Titanic 02


When Dorothea Lange Visited Ireland in 1954

Dorothea Lange A Chat at the O’Halloran Farm [Ireland]

Dorothea Lange A Chat at the O’Halloran Farm [Ireland]

For myself, Dorothea Lange is right at the top of my list of most loved Portrait photographers, I find her images just amazing even after all the years that have passed since she took them.

It is amazing the range of her photography work and telling just how brave and out there she was to capture the vast majority of her subjects. During the great depression in the USA she captured the massive Migrant of farmers from east to west (Dorothea Lange : Migrant Farm Families ).

I have studied much of her great depression images and I am in love and have total admiration with them as a body of work, a hugely important historic study !!!!

One body of Dorothea’s work that I have until recently not looked at, is here images of 1950’s Ireland, I have shared a couple here, living in Ireland for this last ten years or so I have visited and photographed many of the locations she visited – so its wonderful to see these images and amazing to compare just how much life and these places has changed.

I am only starting to collect some books and look at the images from her 1954 Irish visit, however as you cam see the b
lack and white film images she took at just amazing !!!!

Dorothea Lange Michael Kenneally on His 30 Acres [Ireland]

Dorothea Lange Michael Kenneally on His 30 Acres [Ireland]


A Thursdays evening walk at the bay …..

Thursday evening Landscapes Irish Landscapes : Nigel Borrington

Thursday evening Landscapes
Irish Landscapes : Nigel Borrington

Just a quick image share today 🙂

It is hard to believe that after all the long winter months with their dark evenings, at last we are here in the early days of the summer 2015.

Its has been a perfect start to the summer here in Ireland with long warm days right from the beginning of the Easter Holidays.

I cannot wait for the long warm evenings, with long walks until the sunsets ……….

Summer evenings Gallery

Evening in the bay 2

Killarney National Park 7

December in Ballykeefe, County Kilkenny Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Monday Morning Sunrise 01


Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night – Poem by : Dylan Thomas

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night  Photography : Nigel Borrington

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Photography : Nigel Borrington

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

By : Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage into the light 2.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage into the night 1.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


MIR-1 37mm f/2.8 lens , from 1954 to 2015 – Using old lens

Mir 1b 37mm f2.8 m42 lens Nigel Borrington

Mir 1b 37mm f2.8 m42 lens
Nigel Borrington

Its a while since I posted anything about photography equipment, even though I do keep one eye on making sure I have what I feel to be very good cameras and lenses (Mainly Nikons) , I don’t feel that equipment is what photography is really all about. To me photography is about capturing the world around me and so long As I feel my camera can still do this I am very happy.

Old lenses

At the Same time some of the lenses I have, have been with me for many years and I have used then with many subjects and at many locations with both film and digital cameras.

mir 1b 2

My MIR 37mm f2.8 lens, I have had since my very first SLR camera back in the 1980’s and I still have complete confidence in it 🙂 even using a Pentax K3 24 megapixel SLR.

Why Pentax ? , The lens is an M42 lens which means that it connects to a camera body using an adapter and the best camera bodies on the Market for using these lenses are Pentax SLR bodies as they only need a metal lens mount adaptor that allows the lens to function without any changes in focus distance, basically all the lenses setting and scales work as they were originally intended to.

mir 1b 3

There are many things I love about using this lens. the focusing is manual as is the setting of the lens apertures but however the dials used for both these settings are just perfect in operation, no modern plastic jumpy manual focus rings here- just smooth and perfectly controlled movements. One thing also great about this lens is the fact that there are no click stops for the aperture blades , there are marking that show ” f 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8. 11 and 16″ but you can set the blades to any setting in between, this is a huge help for video !!

Another great thing for Video is that this lens is 100% silent , simply no noise feeds back through the camera body !!

The back of the lens shows depth of field and focus distant marks, its not a macro lens as its closest distance is only .7 meters so Landscapes only here !

Some History

mir 1b 4

The production of this lens originally started all the way back in 1954. It was manufactured in USSR (along with my favourite Helios 44-2) and was mainly made in 2 mounts, M39 and more popular M42 (although both are adaptable to modern cameras). The design of the lens was based on Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f/2.8 and unlike Helios 44-2 was not a complete clone, but using same optical formal as Flektogon 35mm f/2.8, which is definitely a good sign considering how much more affordable they are than just about any Zeiss glass.

In 1958 Mir-1 received a prestigious Grand-Prix Award during the Brussels World Fair. Russians were probably so proud of the award that every Mir-1 lens produced since the 1958 World Fair, sports the “Grand Prix Brussels 1958” inscription on the side of the lens, so don’t mistake these lenses for some sort of special/limited edition.

Lens Flare

Another great asset of this lens is the lens flare it can produce , this link shows some lovely deep spherical Studio flare results 🙂

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Compared to other Classic M42 lenses and modern lenses

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MIR 37mm f2.8 Gallery

The following are some local Kilkenny landscape images that I feel show just how good this lens still is at capturing some great sharp and contrasty black and white images , even with 24 megapixels to expose any defects!

Kilkenny Landscape Images 5

Kilkenny Landscape Images 4

Kilkenny Landscape Images 3

Kilkenny Landscape Images 2

Kilkenny Landscape Images 1


Mornings and Coffee, Poem By : Gabryela Speaks

Morning Coffee Image : Nigel Borrington

Morning Coffee
Image : Nigel Borrington

Mornings and Coffee

By : Gabryela Speaks
Feb 2 2015

Cold mornings, warm coffee
The aroma comforts me
Pushing the freezing moment
of having to recall you.

You used to sit with me.
You would look into my eyes,
flash a beautiful smile
and I always wonder
what you see

But one day,
you stopped being you.


Three Poems with the title : Primrose

Springtime Primrose Nature Photography : Nigel Borrington

Springtime Primrose
Nature Photography : Nigel Borrington

Primrose

By Pud

Primrose Stirs Lifts Up Her Head
Stands Up Tall On Softened Bed
Resurrected, As Winter Dreams
Primrose Smiles Or So It Seems

Primrose 2

Primrose

By : Charlotte

You looked at me as if I were a
primrose
A delicate flower
with tiny petals
opening up to you
with little thorns to prick you with
when you make me angry
You plucked me up
away from the sun
and the moon
and the sky
and my little primrose friends
You put me in an expensive vase,
caring for me the best you could.
But sometimes you go away,
and alone
I am wilting

Primrose 3

Primrose

William Carlos Williams
(1883 – 1963)

Yellow, yellow, yellow, yellow!
It is not a color.
It is summer!
It is the wind on a willow,
the lap of waves, the shadow
under a bush, a bird, a bluebird,
three herons, a dead hawk
rotting on a pole—
Clear yellow!
It is a piece of blue paper
in the grass or a threecluster of
green walnuts swaying, children
playing croquet or one boy
fishing, a man
swinging his pink fists
as he walks—
It is ladysthumb, forget-me-nots
in the ditch, moss under
the flange of the carrail, the
wavy lines in split rock, a
great oaktree—
It is a disinclination to be
five red petals or a rose, it is
a cluster of birdsbreast flowers
on a red stem six feet high,
four open yellow petals
above sepals curled
backward into reverse spikes—
Tufts of purple grass spot the
green meadow and clouds the sky.


My father moved through dooms of love , By : E. E. Cummings, 1894 – 1962

Pentredwr, Hourseshow pass, Llangollen,  North Wales Landscape Photography Nigel Borrington

Pentredwr, Hourseshoe pass,
Llangollen,
North Wales
Landscape Photography Nigel Borrington

Its a personal post this one but a post I very much enjoyed getting together !!!

My Father and Mother sadly split when I was six years of age, something that these days I have very much been a peace with.

Over the last few years through accident more that any planning, I found the place he spend the last few years of his life with his second wife and family. He moved to a village “Pentredwr” in a valley near the horseshoe pass, Llangollen , North wales, Its a truly beautiful part of the world.

I visited again during the Easter Holidays and took these pictures of the landscape he must have enjoyed for so many years 🙂 🙂

my father moved through dooms of love
By E. E. Cummings, 1894 – 1962

My father moved through dooms of love
through sames of am through haves of give,
singing each morning out of each night
my father moved through depths of height

this motionless forgetful where
turned at his glance to shining here;
that if(so timid air is firm)
under his eyes would stir and squirm

My Father 5.

newly as from unburied which
floats the first who,his april touch
drove sleeping selves to swarm their fates
woke dreamers to their ghostly roots

and should some why completely weep
my father’s fingers brought her sleep:
vainly no smallest voice might cry
for he could feel the mountains grow.

Lifting the valleys of the sea
my father moved through griefs of joy;
praising a forehead called the moon
singing desire into begin

joy was his song and joy so pure
a heart of star by him could steer
and pure so now and now so yes
the wrists of twilight would rejoice

My Father 2.

keen as midsummer’s keen beyond
conceiving mind of sun will stand,
so strictly(over utmost him
so hugely) stood my father’s dream

his flesh was flesh his blood was blood:
no hungry man but wished him food;
no cripple wouldn’t creep one mile
uphill to only see him smile.

Scorning the Pomp of must and shall
my father moved through dooms of feel;
his anger was as right as rain
his pity was as green as grain

septembering arms of year extend
less humbly wealth to foe and friend
than he to foolish and to wise
offered immeasurable is

My Father 4.

proudly and(by octobering flame
beckoned)as earth will downward climb,
so naked for immortal work
his shoulders marched against the dark

his sorrow was as true as bread:
no liar looked him in the head;
if every friend became his foe
he’d laugh and build a world with snow.

My father moved through theys of we,
singing each new leaf out of each tree
(and every child was sure that spring
danced when she heard my father sing)

then let men kill which cannot share,
let blood and flesh be mud and mire,
scheming imagine,passion willed,
freedom a drug that’s bought and sold

My Father 1.

giving to steal and cruel kind,
a heart to fear,to doubt a mind,
to differ a disease of same,
conform the pinnacle of am

though dull were all we taste as bright,
bitter all utterly things sweet,
maggoty minus and dumb death
all we inherit,all bequeath

and nothing quite so least as truth
—i say though hate were why men breathe—
because my Father lived his soul
love is the whole and more than all


St Anne’s Pier, a Sunset beach walk…..

St Anne's Pier, St Anne's-on-the-Sea, Lancashire Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

St Anne’s Pier,
St Anne’s-on-the-Sea, Lancashire
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Well I am back on my Blog following a great Easter holiday, spent visiting much loved family and friends. It was great to see them and to visit some great locations and share some time with, food and drinks and chat.

My Aunt lives near the town of St Anne’s Lancashire, located in the north west of England.

I can remember visiting the town as a kid and one of the most exciting locations was the Pier.

Half way through this last visit I took an evening walk to the Pier and took this series of images.

These days the Pier looks a little less visited than I remember when I was younger but its looking in great condition and it was perfect to see in just as the sunset out at sea…..

St Anne’s Pier, St Anne’s-on-the-Sea, Lancashire, UK

St Anne’s Pier is a Victorian era pleasure pier in the English seaside resort of St Anne’s-on-the-Sea, Lancashire. It lies on the estuary of the River Ribble. The pier, designed by A. Dowson, was completed in 1885 and was one of the earliest public buildings in St Anne’s, a 19th-century planned town. The pier was originally intended to be a sedate promenading venue for the resort’s visitors, but attractions were later added. Changes made to the estuary channels to improve access to Preston Dock left the pier on dry land and ended its steamer services to Blackpool and Liverpool.

A Tudor-style entrance was built in 1899. Early 20th-century additions included a Moorish-style pavilion in 1904 and the Floral Hall in 1910. The Moorish Pavilion was destroyed by fire in 1974, shortly after the town’s centenary; the Floral Hall burned down in 1982. Originally 914 feet (279 m) long, the pier was reduced to 600 feet (180 m) by the demolition of the seaward end. English Heritage has designated the pier a Grade II listed building.

St Anne’s-on-the-Sea is a planned seaside resort on the Fylde coast, at the mouth of the River Ribble, in Lancashire. It was developed in the 19th century, largely by the St Anne’s Land & Building Company. The company was formed in 1874 and leased land for the new town from the estate of the local Clifton family. Towards the end of the 19th century, pleasure piers became a common feature of English seaside resorts, and by the 1870s there were already two piers in nearby Blackpool, one in Southport and one 3.5 miles (5.6 km) away in Lytham. The wording of the land company’s original lease indicates that a pier was probably planned for St Anne’s from its beginning. A subsidiary, the St Anne’s-on-the-Sea Pier and Improvements Company was formed in 1877. The company directors believed that a pier at St Anne’s would offer visitors better conditions for fishing and boating than those at neighbouring resorts.

More ….

St Anne’s Pier, a Sunset walk beach walk : Image Gallery

St Annes Pier 2

St Annes Pier 5

St Annes Pier 55

St Annes Pier 25

St Annes Pier 50

St Annes Pier 100


Friday , Beach Photography day. – Taking some Easter down time :)

Irish Beach Photography County Waterford Nigel Borrington

Irish Beach Photography
County Waterford
Nigel Borrington

Over the next two weeks of the Easter Holidays, I am taking some Offline time, I just want to get the garden ready for the summer,read and walk and maybe visit a beach or two.

I just want to say thanks to everyone for all your great comments and likes here 🙂 🙂 over the months and I look forward to sharing much more of Ireland and reading your great posts when I get back online – have a great holiday period !!!

Friday Is Beach Photography day

Taking a Friday evening trip down to the beach’s along the Waterford coastline is something I love to do in the summer months and I am very much looking forward to doing so again this summer.

I hope to get lots more images to post and share here 🙂

Beach Photography , Friday

Some Downtime 3

Some Downtime 2

Some Downtime 4


The Ice house , Woodstock Gardens , County Kilkenny

The Ice House, Woodstock Gardens, Co. Kilkenny Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

The Ice House,
Woodstock Gardens, Co. Kilkenny
Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Woodstock Gardens, County Kilkenny – dates back to 1737.

The Gardens and the remains of the old house are one of county Kilkenny’s most popular locations, located above the River Nore and the small town of Inistioge.

The Ice house is most likely less known, as it is located on the banks of the river Nore on the very limits of the grounds, it is however one of the best preserved ICE houses you could wish to find.

The details on the information board nearby are a little unclear as to when this building was constructed but it is considered to be sometime in the 1800’s, it was used for visitors to the smaller river side lodge, named the “Red House”.

The ‘Red House’ was a hunting lodge that at the time could only be accessed via boat along the river, today however you can find this location via a half an hour walk from the town of Inistioge.

A General History of ice houses

Irish Ice house 1

The Romans were the first to build ice houses, though not very widely in the UK and Not at all in Ireland. Ice houses were usually built close to sources of winter ice, such as freshwater lakes. In the 17th century, grand country houses followed the fashion of having one built, and then ice houses fell from fashion until about the late 18th century.

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Uses of ice houses

Irish Ice house 3

On country estates from about 1660, the ice was mainly used not to chill food, but for its own sake: for ice creams and increasingly popular desserts such as syllabubs.

Meat and fish did not need to be preserved on a large estate because they could simply be caught from estate lakes and ponds when needed. Ice was also used for medicinal purposes: to treat fever and inflammation. At one time, a common prescription for indigestion was being told to suck on ice.

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Woodstock House,

now a ruin, was for generations the home to the Tighe family. In 1737, the twenty-six-year-old Sir William Fownes inherited the estate and commissioned an elegant mansion, completed in 1745. He hoped to establish himself with the gentry of the area and to impress the 2nd Viscount Duncannon, soon to become the first Earl of Bessborough, whose daughter Elisabeth he planned to marry. Over the next forty-five years, Woodstock was the background to a series of dramas that led to the deaths of William, Elisabeth and their son-in-law William Tighe.Woodstock house Kilkenny 4

Many gardens and walks were laid out between 1840 and 1900 by another William Tighe and his wife Lady Louisa Lennox.[1] The gardens contain many exotic plants from Asia and South America, including the Monkey Puzzle tree and the Noble Fir tree which form two of the walks in the gardens,[2] as well as specimens of the Coast Redwood.

In 1921, the property was occupied by the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries, which caused much local resentment, and then by troops of the Free State Army, who were withdrawn from the premises during the Irish Civil War, on 1 July 1922. The house, left unguarded, was burnt down the next day, and remains a derelict empty shell, overgrown with vegetation

The River Nore, County Kilkenny, located below the Ice House. Nigel Borrington

The River Nore, County Kilkenny,
located below the Ice House.
Nigel Borrington


Twilight on the Beach : A poem by : Mary Dow Brine

When Twilight falls upon the beach, Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

When Twilight falls upon the beach,
Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Twilight on the Beach.

By : Mary Dow Brine

The crimson glory of the setting sun
Hath lain a moment on the ocean’s breast,
Till twilight shadows, gathering one by one,
Bring us the tidings, day is gone to rest.

Far out upon the waters, like a veil,
The mists of evening rise and stretch away
Between the horizon and the distant sail,
And earth and sea are clothed in sombre gray.

When Evening falls upon the beach 4

The tide comes higher up the smooth, wide beach,
Singing the song it has for ages sung;
Recedes, and carries far beyond our reach
The freight my idle hands have seaward flung.

Over the white-capped waves the seagulls soar
With heavy-flapping wing and restless cry,
As darkness spreads its deeper mantle o’er
The changing shadows of the twilight sky.

When Evening falls upon the beach 2.

No voice but mine to mingle with the sound
Of ocean’s melody- as one by one
The stars light up the vast concave around,
And live the glory that is never done.

Still higher creeps the tide with subtle power,
And still the waves advance with sullen roar;
But with the last faint gleam of twilight hour
I turn me homeward from the lonely shore.

When Evening falls upon the beach 1


An Evening walk above – Clonmel , County Tipperary , (Image Gallery)

An Evening Walk in the hillside woodland, Clonmel, County Tipperary, Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

An Evening Walk in the hillside woodland,
Clonmel, County Tipperary,
Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

I just love taking a evening walk at this time of year, the evenings are staying lighter but we still get the chance to be out when the sun is very low in the sky, ready to set.

These recent images, show just how perfect I feel our local landscape looks in the early springtime evenings, with deep colours.

I love making the most of the Sun in my images, as it sinks behind the forest trees.

Evening walk , March 2015

An evening in the hill side woods 1

An evening in the hill side woods 2

An evening in the hill side woods 4

An evening in the hill side woods 5

An evening in the hill side woods 6


Monday Poems : “Monday Mornings” By : Emily Helen Culver

Monday Morning Sunrise 01

Monday Mornings

By : Emily Helen Culver

breathing in and out
looking forward, ready to shout
the day might have started
but my brain just won’t function
it’s funny how they demand my attention
yelling out my name
won’t win you this game
keep on playing it
while I lay down and sleep a bit
the weekend hangover
taking over


Monday Poems : Donkey of Brown

Monday Poems : Donkey in Brown Photography : Nigel Borrington

Monday Poems : Donkey in Brown
Photography : Nigel Borrington

Well What a weekend we had here in Ireland SUN on SUN , just perfect 🙂 🙂

Its hard to believe its Monday already, my post and included Poem this Morning is just a reminder that while your getting your week going , don’t forget to take the odd moment to slow down and take a look at the world around you, it’s Spring-time so take just a few moments and check out what’s really happening in the world – your meeting / phone call or email can wait for a while 🙂 🙂

Donkey of brown

By : Patricia Higgins

Please let me know
Why is it that you go so slow?
He turned round gently and to me said
I have some sense in my little brown head.

Monday Donkeys 2.

By hurrying so as you go by
You miss the beauty in earth and sky.
So I took his advice and looked around,
And I saw diamonds in dew drops on the ground.

Daises that dance in the sun’s golden ray,
Things I missed as I hurried each day.
Gold in the buttercups, clouds in the blue,
What the donkey had said was perfectly true.


Saturday Morning on the Mountain : Slievenamon . Co, Tipperary

The Mountain of Slievenamon, County Tipperary Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

The Mountain of Slievenamon,
County Tipperary
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Its the weekend, so its a great time to get outside, Relax, walk or just sit and take in the landscape around you 🙂

From yesterday the Spring Equinox, the days are getting longer all the way until the 21st of June, the long evening will soon be here 🙂 🙂

It the weekend so get out into the country 7

It the weekend so get out into the country 8

It the weekend so get out into the country 9

It the weekend so get out into the country 10

It the weekend so get out into the country 11


Celebrating the Spring Equinox 2015, with its Pagan traditions

Sunrise behind the standing stone. Knockmealdown Mountains. County Waterford. Irish landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Sunrise behind the standing stone.
Knockmealdown Mountains.
County Waterford.
Irish landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

The Spring equinox 2015 celebrating

Today marks the arrival of spring, the date of the vernal equinox, or spring equinox as it is known in the northern hemisphere. Spring equinox. During an equinox, the Earth’s North and South poles are not tilted toward or away from the sun. (Ref :Wikipedia)

The oldest footprints in the world 2

This means the sun will rise exactly in the east and travel through the sky for 12 hours before setting in the exactly west.An equinox happens twice a year around March 20 and September 22 when the Earth’s equator passes through the centre of the sun.

For those in the southern hemisphere, this time is the autumnal equinox that is taking people into their winter.

In English there is open access to Stonehenge tomorrow. Access will be from 05:45am until 08:30am.

Druids and Pagans like to gather at Stonehenge early in the morning to mark the Spring Equinox, to see the sunrise above the stones.

Knockroe pasage tomb 4

The Pagans consider this is the time of the ancient Saxon goddess, Eostre, who stands for new beginnings and fertility. This is why she is symbolized by eggs (new life) and rabbits/hares (fertility). Her name is also where we get the female hormone, oestrogen.

From Eostre also come the names “Easter” and “Esther” the Queen of the Jews, heroine of the annual celebration of Purim which was held on March 15. At Easter, Christians rejoice over the resurrection of Jesus after his death, mimicking the rebirth of nature in spring after the long death of winter.

It is also a time to cleanse your immune system with natural remedies. In Wiltshire and other parts of rural Britain it used to be tradition to drink dandelion and burdock cordials as the herbs help to cleanse the blood and are a good tonic for the body after a harsh winter.

The Equinox of the sun : Gallery

Slievenamon 13 11 2013

Yesterdays Sun 1

Sigma SD15 Kilkenny sunset 1

That sun on Midwinters day 2013


Three Poems , all with the Title “Morning star”

Morning Star Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Morning Star, over Slievenamon , Co Tipperary
Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington


Morning Star.

By : Connor Sean McMurrick Crow

A kingdom in ancient history,
long before man was thought to exist,
stood in Hyperborean heartland.
Ruled in peace by a woman of antediluvian
beauty and her King-Groom.
Leviathan, a queen of rare black hair and eyes of velt,
rose every morning to greet the sunrise.
On this particular day, she woke Archon.
With a trailing gown of violet, she led him
by hand through perfumed gardens of
exotic sights.
Sunna broke over the hedges and
burnt the mist from frail orchids,
and all that was left of that kingdom
of runic beauty were two lovers entwined in stone.

Morning Star 2.

By : Scott Madden
Dec 22, 2014

The Morning Star

Have you seen the morning star?
It keeps it’s vigil in the East,
A prophet of the dawn.

It rises when the night is at its coldest,
The warmest light in the vast blackness.
It rises when the night is at its darkest,
The brightest light in the black vastness.

Have you seen the morning star?

Morning Star 3.

By : Justinian
Feb 2, 2010

Morning Star

The sun wakes and stretches its rays over the horizon.
Embraced is my heart and my smile shines on.
In my dreams,
you I did miss.
When I awake,
your lips I shall kiss.


Irish Landscape Photography : The River Suir

Irish Landscape Photography The River Suir, County Waterford Nigel Borrington

Irish Landscape Photography
The River Suir, County Waterford
Nigel Borrington

The River Suir that flows through Counties (Tipperary and Waterford) is only one of Ireland many rivers, with so many here its hard to say that its the most loved or the most beautiful but it cannot be far from it. I spend a lot of time walking the banks of this river so a little time ago I decided to get a flight booked from Kilkenny’s small Airport and get some pictures of the Suir from above, the above image being just one.

This was one of the most amazing things I have done with a Camera and it was a perfect day to do this trip, I will never forget looking down the river Suir towards Waterford city and seeing the river vanish into the setting sun …..

The River Suir

Irish pronunciation:, Irish An tSiúr or Abhainn na Siúire, is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Waterford after a distance of 185 kilometres (115 mi).[1] The catchment area of the River Suir is 3,610 km2. The long term average flow rate of the River Suir is 76.9 Cubic Metres per second (m3/s)- This is more than twice the flow of the River Barrow (37.4 m3/s)

Popular with anglers, it holds plentiful reserves of brown trout. While the Suir holds the record for a salmon taken from an Irish river (weighing 57 lb/26 kg, taken on a fly in 1874), as is the case in many other Atlantic rivers, salmon stocks have been in decline in recent years.

Rising on the slopes of Devil’s Bit Mountain, just north of Templemore in County Tipperary, the Suir flows south through Loughmore, Thurles, Holycross, Golden and Knockgraffon. Merging with the River Aherlow at Kilmoyler and further on with the Tar, it turns east at the Comeragh Mountains, forming the border between County Waterford and County Tipperary. It then passes through Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir before reaching Waterford. Near the Port of Waterford it meets the River Barrow at Cheekpoint to form a wide navigable estuary, capable of accommodating seagoing vessels up to 32,000 tons dwt. It exits to the sea between Dunmore East and Hook Head.

Together with the Nore and the Barrow, the river is one of the trio known as The Three Sisters.


50 + Landscape images of Ireland : Happy St Patricks Day !

It the weekend so get out into the country 4

Happy St Patricks day everyone 🙂 🙂

Below I have posted lots of images from the last few years, all Landscape images of this great Island of Ireland !


St Particks day 2015, an Irish Landscape Gallery

galway fishing boats 4

Tipperary Landscapes Nigel Borrington

The North wind and the Sun 1

Monday Mornings in Kilkenny 02

Images of a winters day 4

Black and white challenge 1

Images of a winters day 2

Kilkenny Rivers in December 02

allihies-copper-mines-1

The old bridge 2

The Morning Foggy Dew Callan, County Kilkenny Irish Landscape Photogaphy : Nigel Borrington

The Red Cottage door Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Monday Morning at the Beach, Monatray West, Youghal, Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

A view of the hills county carlow

Orion 2

The bog of Allen 3

The Lake 1

Green landscape 5

killarney castle 7

Molly swimming 2

The Harbour 2

Sunday evenings

Its the weekend 1

Nothing Gold can stay 4

A beach walk at tramor waterford

A Farmer by Trade 3

A beach walk at tramore

KIlkenny and tipperary ring forts 14

KIlkenny and tipperary ring forts 15

Ghosts house 2

Sunset over the moustain 1

Sitting in the blues bells 1

Slievenamon April 2014

Primrose 02

Walking down a country lane 2

Skellig Michael and the Skellig islands Irish Landscape photography : Nigel Borrington

Skellig Michael 24

Skellig Michael 26

Skellig Michael 10

Kilkenny Slate Quarries 4

Kings river 2

Spring equinox 1

Spring equinox 7

Spring equinox 5

saltees islands 003

saltees islands 002

Irish Landscape photography 3

A view from the Irish hills 5

river suir 1

Autonomy 2014 1

Waterford coast line 3


The Old stone bridge, a Poem by, Tony Mitton

Irish Landscapes : Nigel Borrington

Irish Landscapes : Nigel Borrington



The old stone bridge

By, Tony Mitton

The old stone bridge
is where folk stood to talk,

watching the water go under,
hearing its fluent music
gather their words

to carry notions, ruminations, gossip
away in a silver wrapping
of rippled sound.

The Old bridge 2015 2

Sometimes, too, the women would come,
down the stone steps to the brookside
to launder the linen, the clothes.

And again, all the soil,
the sweat and the swear of life,
would be washed in that water,
rolled in that bundle
of tinkling, tumbling sound,

to be carried down,
out of sight and of mind,
rinsed by the workings of water.


Monday Morning Poems – Dark Wood, Dark Water, by – Sylvia Plath

Dark water dark wood

Dark Wood, Dark Water

By : Sylvia Plath

This wood burns a dark
Incense. Pale moss drips
In elbow-scarves, beards

From the archaic
Bones of the great trees.
Blue mists move over

Dark water Mondays 2

A lake thick with fish.
Snails scroll the border
Of the glazed water

With coils of ram’s-horn.
Out in the open
Down there the late year

Dark water Mondays 3

Hammers her rare and
Various metals.
Old pewter roots twist

Up from the jet-backed
Mirror of water
And while the air’s clear

Dark water Mondays 1

Hourglass sifts a
Drift of goldpieces
Bright waterlights are

Sliding their quoits one
After the other
Down boles of the fir.


Its the weekend, so why not find a local lane and take a slow relaxing walk ……..

Images for the weekend Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Images for the weekend
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington

Have a great weekend , what ever you do 🙂