Published March 11, 2026 in Introduction
Irish Landscape photography - from Donegal to the Burren: Ireland beyond the postcards
Landing here? This was posted in the Burren Stories & Articles, a section of The Burren Light & Land Irish landscape photography project.
My early experience of Irish landscape photography was shaped by one of the country’s more renowned locations — the coastline around Fanad Head, in Donegal. It is just one of many other visually striking and widely photographed locations in Ireland. I’ll be focusing on those locations which I visited since I started photography and ignited this motivation I have to explore the Burren, still going very strong!
The wider Irish light and land
We had booked a holiday cottage in county Donegal with a view over Ballymastocker beach , a few kilometers away from the Fanad Head lighthouse. It was to be a family break first and foremost, but I already knew that sneaking out of the cottage was possible as I couldn't possibly see the girls up before a July sunrise!
It was 2019, a few months before the Covid pandemic took a grip on a world I knew. Then for many of us there were those long commutes going to work, back and forth, 5 days a week. The 'restrictions' and a necessity of working from home introduced possibilities at either end of the day which I rarely had before, still continuing to make the best out of ever since. This holiday up North would be a taste of what was to come during Covid: many early wake up calls, in and outside the Burren, photographing the spectacular Irish Landscape. I've managed to keep it up since, although those 3:20am calls to catch a summer twilight have started to become a little bit challenging!
Donegal, the Fanad Head lighthouse
Along with the Ballymastocker strand, Fanad Head was to be the location where I spent most sunrises during our stay. Fanad Head Lighthouse sits on one of the most photogenic promontories in Ireland — a narrow finger of rock thrusting into the North Atlantic between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay in north Donegal. From a photography perspective, the place feels almost engineered for drama!
That morning didn't fail as heavy cloud rolled onto the landscape, providing a heap of drama and soft light. What sets Fanad Head apart is the raw Atlantic exposure. The headland feels like the edge of the continent where a wild ocean lashes against the most dramatic coastline.
And this is how I was hooked and spent the next few months (and years!) discovering my homeland, the Burren.
The rock of Cashel
It was on a big family reunion in county Tipperary that I had the chance to visit Cashel and its rock. Oh, I had seen it before, up close! But I wanted to photograph it from further away, from the outside... On my way down the county to the holiday home I could see a few sheep and was wondering if they would still be around when I visited.
And they were. I had a great time playing around with composition as sheep were moving up and down the steep slope. One even came real close and posed for a photo which came out very funny! To my advantage that morning clouds were quite dramatic and, again, contributed to a wonderful soft light around the hill.
I waited for the right moment, some sort of leading line and balance between sheep, terrain bumps, the abbey and the clouds, and there it was! Probably one of my all time favourite images.
These scenes are not dramatic in the usual sense — but they are the ones I thrive to return to in the Burren, and the ones I choose to print.
Northern Ireland, the Dark Hedges
I had to see it for myself. Probably just as much as many others who saw Game of Thrones. Sadly, this rise to popularity would also be the start of many problems for the Dark Hedges as the root systems of those magnificent trees were strained and weakened by the relentless back and forth of heavy tour coaches driving on this ill adapted narrow stretch of road, following its appearance in the series. I hear more trees fell in the last winter storm...
Respecting local signage, I parked outside the Hedges, very early morning to avoid the usual crowd, set the tripod, and waited for the light.
I was not alone with the same plan! A couple of German tourists came to my level, hoping for similar shots. It became very obvious that one of them would help scale the Hedges perfectly by walking into the distance. An opportunity I could have only wished for as I set off for a few shots that morning!
The Beara peninsula, the 'other kingdom'
I was surprised how calm and 'confidential' Beara was in full swing of summer. It allowed me to visit beautiful locations without a soul in sight, pretty much like the Burren!
What I particularly liked about the holiday rental this time was its proximity to water, but also to this fabulous stone circle, (near) complete with its entrance standing stone, grazing ram and fabulous background: the Kerry mountains.
The evening light was casting a lot of shadows and beaming some gorgeous light over the bumpy hills in background. The rams were out and about doing their own business not minding me at all and, after a while, I was able to focus on the best composition before light faded into dusk.
Closer to home, the Clare Glens
The Clare Glens are the closest waterfalls I can get to from the Burren. I tend to get there once a year when autumn peaks, and I have yet to be disappointed. More often that not at that time of the year the water flow is quite sustained and with mountains on either side of the Glens the wind is usually minimal keeping the turning leaves longer on tree branches, the show is quite spectacular!
The morning light filters through trees on the opposite side of the river from the path, shining on golden leaves and making some lovely reflections on the flowing water and rocks.
The Burren
For me still, nothing beats the Burren! This gorgeous sunrise shot from Abbey Hill is a perfect example of a great, classic Irish landscape.
Although it is nice to visit new places, I am also very very fond of habit, and observation. I could not count the times I drove to Abbey Hill, or Fahee North, hoping for a great sunrise. I often left without a good photo, but never disappointed!
It is quite something to see the Burren wake up: the light, the fresh air, the small flowers, the landscape in unison with the singing and shining. Or watch sunset from Flaggy Shore on a summer evening. All these precious gifts from Mother Nature which novone should be taking for granted are for all of us to enjoy, it just needs habit and commitment. So many of us are no longer observing!
Light, atmosphere and patience.
Much if not all of my recent work focuses on the Burren, particularly its quieter lowland areas and changing light, a landscape I explore further in The Burren, a land of stone and The Burren Lowlands, County Clare — a quiet landscape.
All photographs presented in the Burren Light & Land collection are part of an ongoing exploration of Irish landscape photography with a focus on the Burren, and are available as fine art prints.
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