Killybegs
After County Antrim (don’t know what I’m talking about? Aren’t you reading all my blogs??) I drove to Killybegs. Killybegs is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the largest fishing port in the country and on the island of Ireland. It is located on the south coast of the county, north of Donegal Bay. It’s a beautiful little town.
It has a secret waterfall, which is both well-hidden and fairly well known. There is walk down to the beach and a climb over rocks, not my favourite pastime climbing over rocks, and I am pleased that my personal hero (my husband) was there to help. The beach itself was covered in SO many interesting features, which made getting to and from the waterfall even longer. Lots of things that I can’t identify, that have incredible textures and shapes. Tiny, tiny mussels and sea snails, a sea anemone and a jellyfish waiting for the tide, and seaweed. A huge variety of pebbles and stones, different colours and patterns, and thought-provoking rock formations, only me? … ok!
It was well worth the effort though. Not visible from the beach (and there are several warnings about not getting caught out by the tide), the waterfall is hidden around a corner at the end of a cool, dark cave. For me, when I was there, it had just the perfect amount of water cascading over it. The sun light making the water dazzle and reflect off the rocks.
The coast here is wonderful, the Irish, four seasons in one day, weather means that the grass is a gorgeous green. Ireland isn’t called the emerald isle for nothing. Calm weather today means that the skies and the sea are an astounding blue. Clouds and sky are constantly changing, the sheep wander around where they please, wild birds simply ignore you and carry on as normal. With the sun shining it’s a wonderful place to be.
Killybegs itself had some amazing wildlife right there in the harbour. I saw a cormorant and a heron; I was completely mesmerised by jellyfish that were swimming (do jellyfish swim?) right by the harbour wall. Compass jellyfish are quite small and I could have watched them for ages as they gently floated around the waters, I was not fooled though, they do sting.
This fishing port is quite an exciting place for a photographer, with lots of corners and interesting things to photograph. I hope I’ve done it justice. My last night there, was a glorious sunset, however the sun sets behind the mountains in the distance and I wasn’t able to get the classic sunset image I was hoping for. The moon, on the other hand, was out and clouds gently broke up the sky, there was no wind and there was hardly a ripple on the water giving an almost perfect reflection. The huge fishing boats are moored waiting to return to the sea and make a colourful subject. I had to wait for the perfect moment for the perfect shot. This sometimes takes some patience, not something that I am particularly known for, but always worth the effort.
This is my favourite image from that night, definitely worth the wait, I love the blue tint of early evening to the photo. I love the almost perfect reflection of the boats and the blush moon. The lights on the boats give a picture-perfect highlight.
