News

As a family we've had a hectic few months due to a house fire at my mother in laws and she was hospitilised for 14 weeks. As a result the site didn't get any updates, so I've put up shots from the Donegal and Ulster Rallys, and also some landscapes from a wee holiday in the Lake District.

I took a week in Ballina town and toured around North Mayo and parts of Galway's Connemara area. Apart from Tuesday morning, the weather was good.

I had one of the best experiences photographing the Aurora on Thursday 10th October. I was at Legananny Dolmen in the Dromara Hills, about 4 miles from home and got some good shots and the best is on this site in the Irish Landscapes portfolio.

What a great rally. Well ran as ever with fantastic cars and crews putting on a fantastic spectacle. The weather on Friday was poor for the Mamore Gap Stage, but the rain meant good sideways action. Saturday started good but the cloud came down on the High Glen Stage, so wet again, and the Sunday was wall to wall sunshine for the Gartan Stage. Over the 3 days I've shots of nearly everybody.

The McGrady Stages were held at Bishopscourt a few weeks ago on a cold windy day, it was bright and there was no rain, but the wind really stirred up the dust from sections of the course. Photos of nearly everyone are available.

The Circuit of Ireland Easter Stages were a couple of weeks ago on a sunny, and warm day. I was on stage 1 between junctions 12 and 13, and then went to Junction 12 for stage 5. There was 5-6 minutes of heavy rain an hailstones that made for a great corner.
Two great events and thanks to the organisers and the marshalls on both.

Another great Killarney Historic Rally, even without the Molls Gap Stage. up to the Killarney Club's usual high standard, and the weather played it's part well...very cold with damp stages but dry overhead for the spectators for most of the day.
Some lovely cars out and 'newer' historics making their debuts.

I spent a great couple of hours at a friends old farm, and got some fantastic shots of a 1950s farm that hasn't been touched since. I've tried to edit in a retro but colour style.

As ever a great event, with the weather cold but dry and some very fast cars. These photos are on the two Kilgobnet stages, just outside Kilorglin. The stage takes in some of the Shanera stage, and I was at a series of bends common to both stages. this year the cars were notably faster but no crashes , unlike the last time I was on the stage. I've got shots of 95% of the cars that were on the two runs through the stage.

I had a wee break in Skibbereen, Co. Cork and toured around parts of the county I usually bypass when at the rallys. The whole area has great photos waiting to be taken, and I'll be back to get more shots. Enjoy the latest from the area.

What a great rally, even with the drizzly, overcast weather up in the Dromara Hills where the Hamilton's Folly stage took place. And the stage lived up to it's iconic Irish stage reputation. I didn't get too wet on the first run through, and it was warm and dry for the second run. Thanks to the organizers and the marshals for a great days rallying.

We holidayed this year in Scotland as Austria was not open to tourists. I drove about 2050 miles, going to the Isle of Skye, the North Coast 500 and the Cairngorms. The weather was sunny and 24 degrees, which made for great landscapes. I managed to rattle off some 1400 shots, and I'm very pleased with them, I hope you like the few selected.

Well that's nearly the year finished and there were no rallies to go to due to the covid situation. The last one I was hoping to get was the Killarney Historic, at the beginning of December, and notification of it's cancellation came. So the B&B was cancelled, and friends I see at the event were contacted to air our thoughts and wish each other well until the rally is on again.
Its been a poor old year, but at least I'm still above the sod!

I was at the Champion of Champions 25 mile time trial hosted by Ards CC on Sunday on the Newtownards to Portaferry Road, and what an event!
A hint of a breeze, 16 degrees and sunny , all made for great times, and a new course record was set by George Pedan, breaking Olympian, Chris Boardman's 1993 record by 10 seconds.
now I'm looking forward to the Killarney Historic Rally at the end of November....hoping it goes as planned.

Some shots of the different places we visited in the Austrian lake district, have been added to the Travel gallery. A lovely place I'll be back to.

What started out as a great rallying weekend,with the weather being really good for spectating, an excellent field and fantastic stages, then it turned into a tragic last day when a fatal crash occurred, and Manus Kelly died. It has taken me a few weeks to get these photos of the event up due to wondering if I should or not.
RIP Manus.

Just home from 3 days in Connemara. This was the last part of the Wild Atlantic Way to see. Spectacular scenery, which is a lot different to the other parts of the general coastal areas.some shots are now up in the Ireland Landscapes gallery.

The annual pilgramage to Killarney was well worth the drive down. The weather was very good, damp but sunny and quite mild. This was complimented by a great field. I didn't go to my usual stage of Molls Gap, instead I was at Caragh Lough, at two different spots for the two runs through the stage. I've shots of nearly all the cars , so let me know if the one you want to see isn't on the site.

It took a while to get these shots up due to a problem with the camera card, I thought I'd lost all the shots of the rally. 'E2 Computer Solutions' (Steve Binding) recovered them all with a magic programme. I go to this wee jump on Torr Head regularly and this was the first year that so many cars were in the air....this shows how much suspension development has advanced over the past year.

Some lovely cars with a lot of history driven on some iconic Ulster stages by world famous drivers and their navigators on Saturday 1st September. I was on the Torr Head stage, about .25 mile from the stage start line and got great shots of some of the cars with Cushendun Bay as a backdrop.

Just back from Italy and Switzerland, where I got plenty of camera action. Lake Como is lovely with Varenna being my favourite town on the lake. I hired a car and went to Zermatt in Switzerland via the Simplon Pass, and stayed overnight, to get 2 great days in the town and up in the foothills of the Matterhorn at Schwarsee restaurant and gondola station. Must try to get back when the snows on the ground!!