You are currently browsing the archives for January, 2012

: Daisy

§ January 31st, 2012

The ring

Spent a few hours in Carnaross mart tonight. It was their first sale this year and the place was packed with farmers making good prices on their cattle. Carnaross is one of the biggest marts in the country with sellers coming from all over Ireland and buyers from all over Europe. Some serious money changing hands tonight……….. what recession?

Mallow Camera Club: Kolkata Photography Exhibition in conjunction with The Hope Foundation

§ January 30th, 2012

Kolkata Photography Exhibition in conjunction with The Hope Foundation
Thursday 2nd of February – Wednesday 15th of February
Mallow Library, Mallow co.cork
Four local photographers from North Cork who travelled Kolkata, India, recently will exhibit a sample of there work in the Mallow Library . The four accomplished photographers, Sean Coleman, Morgan O’Neill, Sean Murphy & David Lavery have all been given extensive access in to the projects that the Hope Foundation work within, on the streets and slums of Kolkata, ( formally Calcutta ) .
The exhibition will be opened by Hope foundation Founder – Maureen Forrest on Thursday 2nd February 2012 at 6.00pm at the Mallow Library and will run until Tuesday 15th February.
The exhibition is hoped to give an insight in to the life and the struggle on the streets of Kolkata. The photographers who are also members of Mallow Camera Club have travelled to Kolkata on numerous occasions between them, to help document the great work carried out by The Hope Foundation.
The Hope Foundation work to free children and poor families from lives of pain, abuse, poverty and darkness.Living on the streets, children are exposed to horrendous physical and sexual abuse. Those who survive are left to fend for themselves, with no promise of a safe future. They are forced to work from as young as five years of age to earn money for food and so cannot go to school. HOPE works to free them from child labour.
HOPE funds and operates over 60 projects. HOPE reach out to those most forgotten; offering protection, healthcare, nutrition, education, rehabilitation and a family for life
The exhibition is opened to the public for the duration of the exhibition
For further information, please visit www.hopefoundation.ie, email: susan@hopefoundation.ie or contact the office on 021 – 4292990.

Patrick Dinneen Photography: I’ll be doing a lot of photography in Depeche Mode*

§ January 30th, 2012

I think that every photogrpaher has a few lenses on their wish list, for me it was a macro and wide angle (10mm) lens. I don’t know how much I’d use either one but have always wanted to play with them and see what they’re like. I’ve read a lot of people saying once they [...]

: Feeding time

§ January 29th, 2012

A hooded crow scavenging among the beach stones on Salthill Promenade in Galway.
As I was sipping coffee on the Promenade in Salthill this morning, I noticed something moving on the sand near the waterline. It was a gull, flapping feebly and clearly dying. In a few minutes, it stopped moving. As it happened, a couple of guys were taking pictures of it (one of them moved the gull to a nearby rock for a better composition – the bird was no less dead but filled the frame in a more pleasing manner). Even as the two guys were walking around the bird, a grey (hooded ) crow landed near them and also began walking around the gull, sizing it up. Clearly, it wanted to be sure that the gull was no longer able to defend itself, but it didn’t want to delay too long either, in case other crows [it wasn't wondering what aperture to use, either].

Even as the gull was expiring, it had been transformed from predator to main course – as I write this, it is probably well chewed by now.It was probably less than 2 minutes from the time the motionless bird was placed on a rock (and was thus more visible) to the time it had been spotted as a potential meal. Hopefully , the bird was actually dead, since that wouldn’t be a prerequisite for the crow to start feeding.

Grannymar: Anne

§ January 29th, 2012

I think I am headed in the right direction….

Not far to go….

I found it!

Anne ~ Slate resin figure on Mirror polished stainless steel
Sculptor ~ Lucy Glendinning

A 7m high mirror polished stainless steel column with internal lighting a laser cut pattern with coloured perspex insets and a life size figure cast in slate resin. The figure faces Saint Anne’s Cathedral.

On Lucy Glendinning‘s website, not alone can you learn about her but, see her commissions, exhibitions and read her poetry.

Anne is a commissioned sculpture for Saint Anne’s Square, the new city centre piazza behind Saint Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast. The sculpture was installed in November 2009.

A multi £million leisure, commercial and residential development on redeveloped land in the Cathedral Quarter, it was partially open when I visited. This elegant scheme will comprise of ground floor bars and restaurants with turnkey offices at ground and first floor level.

Rising over four floors from the second level will be residential apartments. The focal point of the development will be a new 14,000 sq ft piazza creating a new public space with potential for performing arts and events. An hotel is already open on one corner of the scheme.

The Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) is set to open in early 2102. The venue, will be six storeys high with two theatres, visual arts space and dance studios.

Grannymar: Openings ~ 23

§ January 28th, 2012

Joy’s Entry – What a lovely name.

It is very narrow and connects Ann Street to High Street.

Home to several pubs, such as McCrackens Cafe Bar.

The Entry takes its name from the Joy family who were prominent 18th Century residents of the city. Francis McCracken, shipowner, married Anne Joy, daughter of Francis Joy. The Joy family made their money in linen manufacture and Francis Joy McCracken was founder of the Belfast Newsletter in 1737. It was first printed here in Joy’s Entry.

Henry Joy McCracken, a grandson of Francis, became interested in radical politics and joined the Society of the United Irishmen in 1795. He was court martialled and hanged at Corn Market, Belfast, not many yards from Joy’s Entry in July 1798, on land his grandfather had donated to the city.

The best view is from the Ann Street end.

Hot off the Memory Card: My kids sleep under the stars

§ January 28th, 2012

Every so often it’s great to step outside, marvel at the stars and feel so totally insignificant. And then, spin around and around until your dizzy (or perhaps that’s just me).

The clear nights recently have provided us with some great views of the stars and planets, though unfortunately no Aurora like we might have seen earlier in the week.