Almost Summer

Absolutely freezing today, so, what to do but go to the beach for a very, very brief visit, just to bring you this panoramic view of Clogga Beach near Arklow, Co Wicklow.  You have to concentrate hard, folks,but this view could almost be of summer.

Foamy

 A freezing cold Friday last on Maghermore Beach near Blainroe, Co Wicklow and this is a strange sight - foam on the beach!  According to Wikipedia, it's caused by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter derived from sources such as the offshore breakdown of algal blooms. Well there we are then!

Clancy's Bar

 We're in Bray, Co Wicklow today to continue our occasional series of attractive/unusual bars in Wicklow.  This is Clancy's traditional bar, a quiet refuge in the middle of town!

The Adventurer

The adventurer poses here momentarily before plunging into the freezing depths of Wicklow Harbour in search of prey.

You Too Can Dream

Looking back along the coast from Bray Harbour towards salubrious Killiney Hill, home to some very famous music types. You too can dream!

A Nice Back-drop

 

 The tender Granuaile, at anchor off Wicklow Harbour, together with an ominous sky make for a nice back-drop when playing to this green at Wicklow Golf Club.

Tied Up

 

Fishing trawlers tied up on the South Quay, Wicklow Harbour on a dull, overcast afternoon.

January seems to be a quiet fishing month here or maybe I just keep missing the action!

Winter Crossing

In winter, you have to be well muffled up while crossing the Parnell Bridge over the River Leitrim, at Wicklow Town, even on a bright sunny day.

Keep Out!

Keep Out - And This Means You!

Peace In Glencree

On our recent New Year's tour around the Sally Gap and Glencree we stopped off at the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation overlooking the beautiful and spectacular Glencree Valley. 

On the site of Glencree Barracks, built in 1806 to keep the Military Road through the mountains free from rebels, and later, in the 1850's, it was reopened as St Kevin's Reformatory for young boys, Glencree, today,  is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that is devoted to peacebuilding and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain, and beyond.

Founded in 1974 as a response to the conflict in Ireland and to further non-violent solutions to encourage reconciliation within and between communities, Glencree works towards understanding complex relationships, as well as cultivating new ones, between all people from all parts of society.

A Sliver Of Sunlight

 

A sliver of sunlight criss-crosses the bogland on a cold, dark and dreary day in the mountains near the Sally Gap, Co Wicklow.

In The Cold Light Of Day

 Well, I missed yesterday's post and today's is late because my laptop crashed and couldn't be restarted - motherboard died! But thanks to the good folks at Dell a new motherboard was despatched and installed on site within a day and so we're back.

Looking down on this sparkling vista of Wicklow Bay and in the cold light of day, I write this memo to myself:  Make sure you have the next few days' posts scheduled or, at least, copied to an external drive!

Swan Harbour

It's a dull Sunday morning in Bray Harbour but, for me, the real reason to come here is the resident colony of swans who always present a photo opportunity.

Higher Up

On the highest point of the road between Sally Gap and Roundwood, we've just passed Lough Tay and Luggala Lodge way below and are looking across the Cloghogue Valley towards Lough Dan in the distance.

Back In The Gap

For most of the month of December and early January, because of ice and snow, it was impossible for mere mortals to venture into the high Wicklow Mountains of the Wicklow Gap and Sally Gap but now it's all clear and so today we follow on from yesterday's post which means we're back in the Gap - the Sally Gap - and heading south for Roundwood past Luggala and the dark waters of Lough Tay.

A Road To Nowhere

This is the Old Military Road a couple of miles south of Glencree, Co Wicklow taking us to  the Sally Gap and sometimes disappearing in the dark clouds which often overhang this wild mountain region.  We're traversing a bleak and desolate land through never ending peaty bogland with the Lower and Upper Loughs Bray and the lofty cliffs terminating the ridge of Mount Kippure on our right.  It always seems to me that here, we're on a road to nowhere.

Close To Town

Cargo ships visiting Wicklow Harbour dock at the Packet Pier which can accomodate vessels up to 100m in length.  Alongside, on the North Quay and on the opposite South Quay, you will find a diverse range of  vessels - fishing trawlers, tugs, sailing yachts, rowing boats, etc.   It's such a diverse and colourful scene and we're still no more than a few hundred metres from the centre of town.

And in between we always have canoeists!

From The Dark Side

Not much light in early afternoon last Sunday at the Upper Lake, Glendalough, Co Wicklow but it's just that time of year, when the sun is so low, which makes it seem that everywhere we turn we're viewing from the dark side.  Above is a view north from the lake toward the car park and below, in the grounds between the lake and car park, visitors can opt for trail walks in numerous directions above and around the lakes.

A Stone Cross

A stone cross in the burial ground of the 11th century Reefert Church located near the South Lake, Glendalough, Co Wicklow.  Reefert derives its name from the Irish ‘Righ Fearta’ meaning burial place of the kings or royal graveyard.

Glendalough's Upper Lake

A couple of photos from our first visit of the year to the Upper Lake in beautiful, but very chilly, Glendalough, Co Wicklow on Sunday last. 

The name Glendalough means 'valley of two lakes'. The valley, carved out by glaciers during the ice age,  stretches for over 3 km, and within it are several sites of interest, in particular the monastic sites founded by St. Kevin in the 6th Century.

Not The Riviera!

This is not the Riviera, just the afternoon sun shining down on a little slice of Wicklow Town.  I hear they're getting a lot of rain right now on the Riviera - care to swap?

The Gull Sentinels

This little boat, Sarah of Dublin, is moored on the South Quay in Wicklow Harbour and watched over by the gull sentinels.

Just Missed!

A dull, grey and very cold day yesterday with rough seas at the North Pier in Wicklow Harbour and this little girl and her dog just missed a big wave crashing over the pier a second earlier.

The Nosey Swan

The nosey swan is indeed a star.

The Draw Off Tower

Yesterday, we showed a photo of the picturesque Lower Vartry Reservoir, near Roundwood, Co Wicklow which has been in the news of late. Today we feature the Draw Off Tower which is located on the southern edge of the reservoir.

The Tower was featured in a scene from Wild Decembers, a major RTE TV drama based on the book of the same name by Edna O'Brien, shown during the Christmas holiday.

Water is piped from here right under the dam I'm standing on into the treatment plant behind and, after extensive filtration and purification, flows through a supposedly unstable 150 year old rock lined 4km-long tunnel bored through the Wicklow Mountains.  Its daily flow of 80 million litres represents about 20 per cent of the total of the water supply to the greater Dublin area.

Investigations undertaken within the past two years by external consultants on behalf of the city council uncovered a fault line in the rock which could collapse at any time.

The good news is that it's been there for 150 years.  We won't contemplate the bad!

Lower Vartry Reservoir

 

This is the Lower Vartry Reservoir on the outskirts of Roundwood, Co Wicklow. Much in the news of late, the Vartry Reservoirs are crucial to the supply of water to the South Dublin area.

The Three MOs

Three MOs (that's Morris Oxfords) leave the Wicklow Arms, Delgany for the Garden Of Ireland Vintage Car Club New Year Run on Sunday last, preceded of course by the ever gorgeous Borgward Isabella Coupé.

Charity Swim II - The Pain

Some more pictures from the Bray Charities Annual Swim on New Year's Day organised by Bray Lions Club.  You can see from the pained expressions of some of the swimmers just how cold it must have been!

Charity Swim

 

A huge crowd lined the seafront for the Bray Charities Annual Swim on New Year's Day organised by Bray Lions Club which, this year, specifically benifited Bray St Vincent de Paul.

A dull and cold day only seemed to bolster the particpants' enthusiasm as you can see from these pictures.

And don't forget the political message ...

 

... and the glamour!

A large crowd with a nice backdrop.

Photo Of The Year 2010

Today is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community and this is when we get to choose our best photo from the previous year.

I like boats and harbours and I especially like the harbour in Wicklow Town so this photo, originally titled Harbour Lights, is my pick for best photo from the previous year.  Happy New Year everyone.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants