Valentia Island Lighthouse

Yesterday the club outing led us once again to Valencia Island lighthouse. Thanks to Richard we had access to the inside and could see how the lighting system was changed since the last time we visited the lighthouse in 2011. All mechanical moving parts were gone and replaced by a comparably small LED system. Luckily the original prisms are still in place and provide stunning colour and distortion effects. 

The stairwell in the lighthouse

Emergency light in the operating room underneath the prisms

The new LED light in the centre of the old prisms. Doulus Head is reflected upside down on the prisms.

My camera and Beginsh island are reflected in the prism and superimposed by the LED bulb.

Looking down on the rocks Valentia Island was built on

A prism shifts Doulus Head on two different levels

The LED bulb in front of the lights red sector facing the Valentia harbour side.

Looking from different angles on the prisms, various colour effects can be observed.

More colours and the rocks near the lighthouse upside down

View of the former lighthouse keepers home through a window in the staircase.

All pictures with Olympus E5 on tripod. Copyright by Franz Schenk

Doulus Head

On the evening of Thursday, the 6th of August, four members of the club set out from Caherciveen to Doulus Head, the headland north of Valentia Harbour, opposite of Valentia Lighthouse. It took us about an hour through pretty wet and rough sheep grazing land to reach from the place where we left the cars the most westerly tip of the headland. However, we were well rewarded with spectacular views and a grandiose sunset.

Patrick O`Neill, the proprietor of the land at Doulus head has not only kindly given us permission to enter his farm but also allowed us to take pictures of himself, one of the last old gentlemen who always had time for a chat and were so full of interesting stories and tales. 

 

 

 

 

 

View from Doulus Head over Dingle Bay

The Sun starts to settle over the Blaskets

View from Doulus Head south to Skellig St. Michael

Skellig St Michael

Valentia Lighthouse at the entrance to Valentia Harbour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evening clouds over Dingle Bay

Blaskets in Gold

Valentia Radio Station and Skellig St Michael

Evening cruise

Knightstown in evening light

Dramatic clouds form over the Blaskets

Preparing for the last shot

The last shot

Rocks - with Art and without Art and a Sunset

Last Sunday Tech Amergin, Waterville has organised a workshop on Rock Art and Even guided the group after an highly interesting introduction showing Rock Art all over the world to several locations where this carvings can be found on the Iveragh Peninsula. Unfortunately the weather was not very fortunate and some of the objects had even to be inspected in the light of a flashlight. However, using this artificial lighting generated a few quite interesting pictures.
The next day the sun came out and we walked the dog on the very North-Eastern end of Valentia, on the Cliffs underneath the Valentia Radio Station.
The day finally ended with one of those glorious Sunsets which you must photograph, even if you have already loads of similar ones on your harddrive.

Stone Cross Carving above Waterville

Cups and Rings on Slab above Waterville

Engraved Cross with Cups on Slab above Waterville

Slab with above Rock Art Carvings over Waterville

Cups with Ring and other Carving

Maltese Cross and Bird on standing slabs at old Burial Ground at Teeromoyle

Cross with Cups at Teeromoyle

Maltese Cross at Teeromoyle

Rock with multiple Cups in field near Caherdaniel

Manmade Cups incorporating natural straight Cracks in the Rock

Using the Torch to bring out Carvings

Valentia Island near Radio Station

Dry Stone Wall going down to the Entrance of Valentia Harbour

Gargoyle

Valentia Radio Station

Groove going down to the Sea

Ponds on the Cliff

Rising Tide

Sun over Bray Head

Geokaun Mountain and Fogher Cliffs

Quartz Layers in the Cliff Rocks

Wave Splash

Rocks in the setting Sun

Ancient Ruins

Sunset with Skelligs

Clouds and Sun going down

Even the Cows think it is beautiful