§ May 12th, 2012
This is the second series of photographs of my new runners- VIVOBAREFOOT Evo.
The second photograph shows how breathable the runners are; the photograph on the right shows a macro of one of the hexagons. You can see that it’s made up of some kind of overlapping material with miniature holes which allow my foot to keep cool. The third photograph shows how flexible they are. And the last one just mucking about with Picasa settings.
Post title is taken from the song “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster The People. For me it was the feelgood hit of last summer.
The first series of the photographs can be found here
§ May 11th, 2012
I’ve taken the path that descends from the summit of Ben Baun – the highest of the Twelve Bens – to the pass at Maumina many times. Every time, I glance over at the ‘hanging rock’ to see if it is still there. The rock looks finely balanced and doesn’t appear to have moved even an inch in the 6 years that separates the two above pictures. And why should I expect it to move ? The rock has probably hasn’t moved in my lifetime, or indeed many lifetime. The hard rock that makes up much of the Twelve Bens mountain range is a result of geological alchemy – sandstone created as the sediment of a 5oo million year old ocean later transmuted to quartzite through huge tectonic forces. Over time, the quartzite became exposed through erosion, was lifted up to form mountains around 10 million years ago, only to get carved up by a procession of glaciers as the various Ice Ages gauged valleys through the mountain range¹.
I’ve tramped across the Bens in snow a few times and it’s great fun, if only for the novelty value. No doubt, the freezing and thawing action that takes place every winter in Connemara will eventually send the hanging rock tumbling down towards Maumina , and as long as I’m not walking under it when it happens, I don’t mind.
¹Writing this post sent me back to Tim Robinson’s “Connemara – listening to the wind”, part of a trilogy of books which are as good a guide to Connemara as you could hope to find.
§ May 10th, 2012
Another macro photograph. Just in case you miss it, there’s a fly climbing up the weed. I did get some strange looks from people in cars driving past; me lying in the ditch on the side of the road…..
Post title ‘Watch The Sunrise’ is a song title from American band Big Star. I know it from Belle and Sebastian’s Late Night Tales.
§ May 10th, 2012
This little bird is a female stonechat, perched on a fence on Inishbofin. The island is full of them.
§ May 8th, 2012
Clery’s and the Clock
O’Connell Street with three clocks
The three clocks have been there for years. They are McDowell’s the Jewellers, Lir and Clery’s.
Clery’s & Co. Ltd. Department Store
In late November 1940, Clery’s, opened the doors with a sale, to celebrate a new era under the management of Denis Guiney. This marked a turn in the fortunes of one of Dublin’s most famous department stores.
Originally Mc Swiney, Delany and Co. opened ‘The New or Palatial Mart”, a purpose-built premises in a prime position on Lower Sackville Street, as O’Connell Street was known one hundred and fifty nine years ago. Thirty years later it was taken over by M. J. Clery of Limerick. From 1883 to the present day, the name Clery and Co. has hung over the doors.
Legend has it that Denis Guiney bought Clery’s Store for £20,000. However, this was a partial payment. The true figure was a quarter of million pounds. On the wall of Clery’s Board Room hangs a cancelled cheque for the amount of £230,000, dated in 1941 which completed the purchase of the store. Denis Guiney came from Killorglin, Kerry where his father had a small farm. The eldest son of seven children, Denis left school at 14 and served his apprenticeship in the drapery shop near Killorglin. In 1917, Denis took the plunge and moved up to Dublin where he worked for Roberts and Co.
In 1921 Denis Guiney married Nora Gilmore and opened his first shop at 70 Talbot Street. The shop began at a dangerous time in Dublin. The Civil War raged around the country. Violence surged on the Dublin streets. In 1922 the shop on Talbot Street came under fire and was destroyed. Re-opening in 1923, the Guiney fortune went from strength to strength. By 1940, the turnover in Guiney’s was greater than Clery’s at that time. A year later the turnover reached £1 million.
Guiney’s store’s popularity stemmed from the assurance of good value, durable quality and stylish but affordable fashions. This was the reputation Denis brought with him when he took over Clery’s Store. Monster Sales, Drapery, Furnishing and Clocks, Clery’s Ballroom and the Beehive Bar and Clery’s Restaurant, were among the many features that ensured Clery’s succeeded under the wing of Denis Guiney’s management. Clery’s became a special resort for country people who came in droves at Christmas and on holidays to avail of the guaranteed bargains. Through the forties and fifties, Clery’s developed in the shadow of rationing and the country’s economic difficulties.
Withstanding the transformation of the sixties, Clery’s remained a focal point of the city-shoppers by adapting to the population’s changing demands. In 1967, Denis Guiney passed away but his business ethos was carried on by his second wife, Mary, who preserved her husband’s family tradition. During his forty-six years as an employer, he had provided employment for over 6,000 people and had established Clery’s as a leading department store in Dublin.
Clery’s Clock.
A large clock with two faces hangs above Clerys’ central doors on O’Connell Street. “Under Clerys’ clock” was a well-known rendez-vous, both for Dubliners, and visitors from the countryside, and is famous in the city’s popular culture as a place where ‘first dates’ and many romances began.
No longer considered “our country-cousins” domain, Clery’s boasts of over 70 different units from the fashionable clothing outlets and an affordable range for children. Under the great span of Clery’s roof, you will find something for everyone including China, household goods, clothing, cosmetics, soft furnishings, mobile phones and the largest selection of beds in Dublin. With four separate coffee shops cum restaurants, you will not have to go far to rest your feet during a day of shopping.
No Christmas is complete without Clery’s Santa’s Grotto which has delighted Dublin’s children for generations.
More info about Clery’s
§ May 8th, 2012
One of the Irish Coastguard’s Search and Rescue helicopters flying past Letterbreckaun (Binn Bhriocháin) in March this year, on a morning when most of the mountains in Connnemara were lightly dusted with snow. Letterbreckaun is 667 metres tall and is part of the Maumturk mountain range. The low altitude would suggest that the helicopter was probably engaged in a search operation.
§ May 7th, 2012
Mallow Camera Club are pleased to announce an evening with Brian Hopper on Monday 14 May @ 8.30pm . Brian is a highly acclaimed photograpgher having accredited an FIPF, ARPS and AFIAP .Brian is based in Dudalk and a member of the Dundalk Photographic Society who are one of the top clubs in ireland .Brian has served as National Distinctions Secretary, Print & Projected Image Co-Ordinator and currently serves on council with The Irish Photographic Federation
Brian was also a member Dundalk Photographic Society’s team which was awarded the 5th FIAP Club World Cup.
Also bring along your entries for photographer of the year as entries will not be accepted after Monday 14 May
