52 week Black and White

Week 11

Continuing this week with another Irish photo rally point. This one is just a couple of mile from my home. The Dromara Destroyers roadracers. Here in Ireland a lot off motorcycle racing is done on public roads that are closed to the public for the days racing. The four that made up The Dromara Destroyers are Brian Reid, Ray McCullough, Trevor Steele and Ian McGregar. I grew up watching this racers through the1960’s, 1970’s and into the 1990’s.

I grew on one of the oldest road racing courses in Ireland, the Temple 100. I include a YouTube link

So back to the Dromara Destroyers garden in the village of Dromara, County Down, Northern Ireland.

Temple 100 road race.

These are just four of the many racers that gave us some great racing here in Ireland. I take my hat off to all of them, the ones that are still racing, the ones retired and those that died too young.

This week one of the biggest road races in the world is happing, The Isle of man TT. Yesterday a local racer lost his life competing on the island.

Davy Morgan R. I. P, and deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

Thank you for dropping by.

George☘️

52 week Black and White

Week 9

This week I’m in Downings (Na Dunaibh) in the north of County Donegal.

This photo is of the Laurentic Gun at Downings Pier.

Laurentic gun at Downings Pier.

The following links give the history of the gun the ship and the gold that it was carring when sunk. .

https://www.inishowennews.com/LGun.htm

https://www.whitestarhistory.com/laurentic1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Laurentic_(1908)

Thank you for visiting.

George ☘️

52 week Black and White.

Week 5

Another Irish photo rally point this week. It comes from the town of Pomeroy in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

http://www.irishphotorally.ie/

It is number six on the Irish photo rally map.

The lady with the golden hair, Pomeroy, County Tyrone

If you would like to see the colour photo it’s on my Instagram account.

Vision_of_Seoirse

Thank you and wherever you are in the world be kind to one another ☘️

Black & White Wednesday

This weeks photograph come from County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It was one of the Photo points (No.6) on the Irish photo rally 2020. (Link below) The idea is to ride and photograph your motorcycle at each of the given locations. You get to see parts of Ireland you would never dream for going to.

Rossinver Mór National School.

Picture info: Nikon D7200 camera, Sigma 17 – 70mm lens: 1/20sec @ f11 22mm and ISO 126

Irish Photo Rally 2020 info here: http://www.irishphotorally.ie/map

Thank you for visiting.

George.

Two more photo rally points.

For those that don’t know the Photo rally points are, they are from The Irish Photo Rally 2018. Info about the photo rally and a map with the photo points on it are HERE .

So my route for my first photo today take me across Ireland toward the west coast. It’s number 21 on the map and it’s in county Sligo. It was a foggy start to the morning but traffic was light and after 30 mile the sun had broke through. It was going to be warm, my first stop for a coffee and fuel was in Enniskillen . Jacket air vents opened it was southwest to the village of Belcoo

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Lough MaCnean

then Manorhamiton.  A few miles pass Manorhamilton I turn onto the R826 , pass the shore of Lough Gill and on to the town of Drumahair. I followed small single track roads till i was south of Sligo Town. Back roads around to the Beach Bar and follow the coast through Easky where another coffee had my name on it. Continuing on the R297  till i was south of Enniscrone at the Photo rally point ‘ The Black pig’

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The Black Pig.

With the photo taken another motorcyclist arrived and a few minutes chatting about the rally points and where I was going next. Well my next point was number 23 on the map, County Rosscommon . Put the coordinates into the Sat-nav  and set it of winding roads. Love doing this for it takes all the small roads that winds through the country side. I stopped a service area to get a bite to eat and refuel the bike. Sitting outside in the sun this Blacksmiths workshop was across the road.

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I looked the internet and found he is an artist/blacksmith. a link to some of his WORK.

One of my problems while riding is I enjoy it so much, I forget to stop and take photos. I keep saying I will but ….. so not a lot to show on this next leg of my trip. My next point was the Albert Lock.

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The lock on the left with Lough Nanoge in the background. The lough os part of the river Shannon network.Photo rally 2018-3240.jpg

The Lock keeper’s cottage.

A chat with the lock keeper and the chance to see a boat using it it was time for a long ride home. That ride would see me cover another six counties. Near 12 hours on the road that day, it was a tired body that walked into the house.

Thank you for visiting and joining me on my trips.

George.

Irish photo Rally 2017

A beautiful morning greeted me on awaking, sun lighting up the bedroom and birds singing. Shower and dressed I was ready for the road. Open vents in my jacket and sort light weight gloves, fire up the bike and I’m off. Four mile up the road and I’m riding in thick fog, forty miles later and I’m still in it. My first point today is on the north coast of Ireland, its number 2 on the rally map . Portstewart harbour and the Jimmy Kennedy memorial. The Fishing boat.

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Has you can see it was a gray day here, in fact its rain lightly. Jimmy kennedy was a song writer born in Northern Ireland, wrote songs sung by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and other great singers. Jimmy Kennedy There’s an art gallery and cafe across the road so a cup of coffee and its time to go. Head across the north coast towards the east coast and follow it south. A short ride over to Portrush take me along part of the North West 200 road race. The track is along public roads which they close while the motorcycle races are taking place. Speeds in access of 200 mph / 321kph are hit on parts of the circuit. Heres a link to a You Tube clip of the racing. NW 200 .

Leaving Portrush for the coast road running down the east side of the country the rain is falling but the sky is clear ahead.  The first town I come to is Bushmills. For any whisky drinkers out there this is where the famous Bushmills whisky is distilled. Bushmills . Okay for those that opened the link, I thought you might enjoy the it. Turning left in the centre of town and continue along the coastal route. Today I give the town of Dunseverick a miss and turn off for Ballintoy harbour.  Down pass the small white church and follow the narrow winding road down to the harbour.

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Just before you turn down into harbour you pass ‘Bendhu’, this house was built by a artist from Cornwall in the south of England. Another link Bendhu . Please visit this link to see and learn about this piece of art.

A coffee and a chat with a couple from Hungary touring on a motorcycle and its time to continue south. Has you climb out of Ballintoy village you pass the Carrick-na-reed rope bridge.

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The next town on route it Ballycastle. Every year they have Irelands oldest fair here in August, The Auld Lammas Fair is held over two days. Six miles off the coast is the island of Rathlin. A beautiful island where you can walk on roads and never see any traffic. There are three lighthouses on the island with one being a bird sanctuary where  sea bird come to breed every year.  Getting across is on a small ferry, foot passage only.

Out of town and I go down a small road that splits the golf course in two, and pull over to look across at Rathlin and the Scottish hills. Rarhlin was just showing through the sea mist and Scotland could not be seen.

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This is Ballycastle beach looking back towards the town. Has the photo shows it was still cloudy but warm and dry. The hills in the background is north and the road I traveled down follows them. South and I take the Tor head road that hugs the rugged coast with fantastic views across the Irish sea into Scotland. will there would be if this sea mist clears. Next stop is Murlough, a viewing point with great sea views.

 

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This shot see’s the mist clearing and the sun has dropped in to say hello. That is one of Rathlin Islands lighthouse’s in the mid ground and Scotland in the background. Scotland is only 13 mile across from Ireland at this point. From here its follow the road around around to Cushendun where there is a grand little tea room beside the harbour. No luck this time for it is full so needing fuel I head on to Cushendall. While stopped for fuel my sister and hubby stopped. Never know who you meet…. great to see them. My next point is inland a few miles from Ballygally, another small seaside town. This time its up into the hills and another view point and my rally point. A plaque To Judge Richard Campbell (1870-1935) link It was non stop down the coast road to Larne. If you ride a motorcycle this ranks has one of the great motorcyclist road in the world. Sandwiched between rock face and just a stone wall with the sea lapping on the other side it makes some riders nervous and others love the thrill of riding this fast.  From Larne I follow the coast around through Carrickfergus. There is a Norman castle here worth a visit if you happen to be passing this way. Castle.

From Carrick has we call it here in the north it was onto Belfast and Stop for a coffee. From Belfast it over to Comber on the shore of Strangford lough and follow the lough shore around to Mahee Island. These small isles are connected with man made causeways. And this time it Mahee/Hendrum castle is the rally photo. The temperature has climbed and now when I stop the jacket has to come off.

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With the sky clear and the sun high its not great for photography.  But its the last for this trip, I strap the jacket to the bike and its tee shirt and sunshine for the trip back home.

A few hundred metre’s from here is  Nendrum Monastic site, with some great views and the remains of an old Monastery dating  back to the 5th century. But that will be another trip and post.

Thank you all for visiting.

 

 

 

 

Photo rally

Coyles cottage, number six on the map. In my last post on the rally I said I done one more rally point on the way home. Well this is it. Coyles cottages, the last remaining fishermans cottage on the shores of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.

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Got here late in the evening has the sun was starting to drop but the flies were multiplying. So it was a quick photo stop before heading the last 70 miles home.

Here’s a link to a little history of the cottage: Coyle’s Cottage

Hope to do another 3 rally points numbers 2,3 and four tomorrow. Enjoy whats left of the weekend, have fun.

Thank you for visiting,

George

Eye of Seoirse

 

 

Irish Photo Rally 2017 (3)

So out on the road again, this time over to Boyle in County Roscommon. This is listed has number 23 on the rally map, link Here .

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While getting this photo I met a local lady, No name given but was told a little of the history behind the steam driven motor and the generator sitting to the front. She lived outside the town when a child. She is 80 years young and bright has a spark. Her father use to take her and her sister up onto a hill top close to her home to see the northern lights. It was only when she got older that realized what her father was showing them was the electric lights in the town of Boyle. It’s a Blackstone engine  and helped generate electricity for Boyle until 1965 with DC power. After our chat I did offer to take her a spin around the town on the bike, with a wink of her eye and telling me if she was ten years younger we parted with a laugh and a smile on my face. A wonderful women.

My next trip out was to County Mayo over on the west coast, this time to a remote, or  has we would say ” in the asshole of nowhere” to find a disused footbridge. The ride out to it was all single track roads, passing  a remote house out here you wonder what it must be like in winter since its flat scrub land and the wind was racing across it. When I got to the bridge the road ends and a private lane continues up to a farm about a half mile away. The river it crosses has brown water due to it running through the peat bog’s, and here’s a tip don’t drink the water.

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It turned out to be a long day in the saddle and the rain held off for most of the day.

My next ride out was up to the northern part of County Donegal, Glenveagh National Park area. The day was great with blue sky’s from early morning it promised to be a warm day. Going direct from home to the rally point was around 3.5 hours but I’m not known for going the direct route. The plan was to travel through Counties Monaghan, Cavan, Fermanagh and into Donegal. Up the shore of lower Lough Erne in Country Fermanagh to Kesh.

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This was taken from a view point just outside Kesh town in County Fermanagh, this is looking north up Lower lough Erne.

Then onto the small town of Pettigo which is in part of Northern Ireland (UK) and part in Donegal (ROI). Through Donegal town and a drive up the centre of the county to Church hill. Then follow the R251 (road)around the north of Glenveagh National Park and down to lough Dunlewy.

 

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This is looking down from the road on the side of Mount Errigal, Donegals highest mountain. The lough in Lough Dunlewy and the area with the church ruins in the bottom left is the Poisoned Glen. The history of the glen is linked with the photo rally point which is just out of shot in the top right of this photo. Here’s a link to the Poisoned Glen.

The church ruins in the Poisoned Glen was a photo rally point a few years back.

Next the Rally Point, this is number 1 on the map. It’s called Lugh Lambfada and another link. Lugh

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Not a great time of day for photography with high contrast but sometimes you have to make do. This is Lugh and here is the pilot of the bike to give scale to the sculpture

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Complete with body armour in case I had to fight him. I done another rally point in Northern Ireland on the return trip but well leave that from another post

Thank you all for visiting and be safe wherever you are.

Photo Rally 2017

Welcome back to another update on doing the 2017  Irish photo rally . More info about it and a map with the photo rally points is here. This one is number 21 on the map and is in County Sligo and is called  The Scenically Set Ruin in Gleniff. I was lucky to get these photo’s has the rain was just starting and with in a few minutes it was a very wet ride home. Here is the photo of the point 21.

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Yes the bike must be in there, part of the rules.. And now the scenic part, this next shot was taken from the other side of the bike.

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At this point the rain was starting to fall, so camera away and followed the wet road through Gleniff.

Thank you for visiting and for your comments and likes.

 

Photo rally

Another three of rally points done, but only got a couple of photos edited. The first is here in County Monaghan. This stands in the most northerly parish of Co. Monaghan: Errigal Truagh. Behind the old school house stands  the ruins of an ancient church, where many beautifully carved old headstones of McKenna interest remain a major tourist attraction. Which I hope to follow up with some photos later.

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Next its over to County Leitrim, to the birth place of  Margaret of New Orleans. Will include a link here about this amazing woman. It surprises me sometimes the history and stories behind some of the photo rally points. Please have a read about this woman, Margaret of New Orleans. And here is her restored home in Ireland.

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The motorcycle you see in the photos is a BMW R1200gs and is my transport around Ireland for work and pleasure.

Thank you for visiting and have a great weekend.