Kilkea Castle
Over the bank holiday weekend we stayed in the beautiful surroundings of Kilkea Castle in Kildare. Not to far of a spin in the car. As per usual in Ireland we get the good weather on the bank holidays… those who know … know.
There is much history in this castle and for this interest here is a bit from the hotels information…
Today, Kilkea is known as one of Ireland’s oldest inhabited castles and as the erstwhile home of the mighty
FitzGerald dynasty. However, it was the Anglo-Norman warrior Sir Walter who was the first owner of the
stronghold here. Born into the swashbuckling medieval age of castles and conquests, de Riddlesford rose to prominence
following the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169 when fighting men’s loyalties were richly rewarded.
The redoubtable knight Strongbow, having played a leading role in the invasion, granted de Riddlesford
property in the ancient tribal territory of ‘Omurethy’ in south Kildare, including the barony of Kilkea and
Moone. The first castle at Kilkea remained in de Riddlesford’s family for three generations until his granddaughter,
the heiress Emmeline, married into the FitzGerald dynasty. Over the following seven centuries, the
FitzGeralds held sway, and Kilkea Castle grew in magnificence, while the shadowy figure of Sir Walter and
his fort faded from view.
As you walk around you find touches of the old history hidden from view. This overgrown grave yard holds stories from as far back as the 15th century…
As well as the Golf Couse there are some wonderful gardens and part of the old mote that circled this castle still runs past it.
Away from the grounds there is a small woodland trail that leads to an ancient hilltop fort. It is a hill in the middle of this wood land and to the untrained eye is just a hill… my eye is very untrained but I did like the view from the farmers field…
Lastly here are some details and miscellaneous shots from the weekend… when the sky is grey in Ireland I sometimes blow the sky out and pretend I brought the Castle in for some good old standard Headshots on a white background… Don’t judge me… I know I lost detail in the highlights… it happens…
Noah’s Left
We have had a lot of rain… but thankfully we reached almost two weeks on the dry…
water levels rise and we get wet…
I do find it difficult to find something to shoot on those days…
But the odd time one does find a touch of inspiration… even if cold and wet…
Day & Night
So I spotted this little fella in amongst a sea of grass… rest assured I did get quit the look from passer-by's as I knelt in the wet grass…
Later that evening I took a few more night shots… does it have to make sense…
No Gorillas
As the mist rolls in it gives a feeling of isolation. Trees pop from the grey…
The Old Ruins look alone… there is a sense of loneliness and time standing still….
Pulled Back In… Willingly
Its been a bit crazy over the last two Months… The weather turned grey… the light flat and a backlog of shots still to go through…
My youngest brother finally found someone to take him of my mother and father… I was of course chosen for Best Man … after all I am… infamously now by both brothers as they now have made me their Best Man… so its there fault. He had an amazing photographer on the day who put everyone at easy… and thankfully it wasn’t me… so I just took a few shots where I got time to in between the madness… I always loved doing the details and ring shots… I will leave the rest to their own Facebook and and Instagram pages… here it was just a small memory for me… may they have a happy ever after…
The Obscure
At any given time you need to be open to seeing what may be abstract and obscure to everyone else but you see something that you know the camera will see and create an image worthy of a hotel corridor..
Totally Random
Do you see the light… sometimes there are long days of complete overcast cloud cover here in Ireland, we are used to it I suppose, but when you bring your camera out each day and nothing jumps out… everything seems two dimensional or flat… you can use this and can sometimes be its own thing, but after 5 days you may not be inspired… you leave the camera turned off weighing you down knowing I should just shot but why… if you have nothing in front that inspires you want to shoot then don't…but then a small window of light bursts out for a few minutes… it’s gone again in an instant but if you are quick enough…
Tied up in Knots
Trees being choked by trees or vines… living tighter and tighter together as time passes by… I do find it fascinating the differences textures to be found…
I’m in the Dark Here
It is odd that I still bring the camera out on the evening walk now that it is getting dark from late afternoon…but when I don’t have it there is always a possibility I will see a shot but I am old school so I don’t use my phone…
I was not going to bring it on this particular evening when I suddenly came across this street light situation before me… Just bring the camera… you don’t have to turn it on..
but you might regret it…
Last of the Autumn Colour
It is only a matter of time before the leaves last fall for another year… there is a small window where the colours are at full peak. I have noticed of the last few years the change is not always at the same time… Climate is playing its part… we just watch and wait for another Autumn to pass us by…
Lost and Found
I have always wondered what happens to the things we lose on a walk. Most of the time it tends to be something a baby or child threw from a buggy or hat falling from your pocket…
Just remember… some good person will pick it up and place somewhere safe for everyone else to see what you lost… but most times it may be left where was cause nobody wants to know why you walked with a breakfast tray and lost it…
Watcher in the Water
When we take a photograph I tend to see it as a small time capsule… a frozen moment showing us what was happening or what or who did it look like in that exact moment in time. The landscape always changes but it is subtle. You don’t see yourself change day to day but anyone who haven’t seen you in a long time will notice…
The same with landscapes, a storm rolls in, trees fall, branches break and we have lost a piece… if you walk by a year from now would you even notice something is different… changed…
This is a shot taken back in 2021 of the Boyne River looking towards the Newtown Bridge. Take note of the large tree on the right…
Somebody decides to remove a tree from a back garden… do we notice it while it stood tall or was it until it is gone and we wondered what was that before…
Twilight Beckons…
The evenings are getting shorter… soon we will have daylights brings us those dark dark evenings… My camera will be working less so the posts may not be as frequent… don’t be so excited… I mean what are you doing look at this stuff… go and get a hobby or watch You Tube… These are the ramblings of a Mad Man…
Darkness Falls Across the Land
Harsh shadow is a complicated subject. It gives dimension to a subject or can add a touch of mystery… or some three dimension aspect to our images…
Grounding an object to the landscape…
… but again no shadow has its own qualities…
The Bulls Ass End of Navan
A few weeks ago i had an hour to kill in Navan. I brought my camera along but had nothing in mind to shoot. Street photography is a bit of a trend now but it is something I find very hard to do…
Do you take photos of people you don’'t know… or sit in the shadows like a wildlife photographer in a hide patiently waiting. Not for me I am afraid… so I turn back to the details again, Looking for something that catches my eye…
While photographing some railings by the Parish Priest Home I heard a voice say ‘get any good snaps’… the Parish Priest is looking down on me with the look of confusion as I was lying on my stomach on some steps trying to compose an image… Now i ask myself which is more awkward… shooting strangers without permission or explaining my reasons for photographing what most people would walk past…
Just a Small Piece at a Time
Do you need to see every thing … Does it make sense to show it all if you don’t see a photograph before you. Yes you can take a shot just to have as a memory, there is nothing wrong with that, but sometimes you may see a small piece of a something that catches your eye and the benefit of such an image is to leave the viewer guessing what else is there… what else am I missing…
