Last Christmas, I fulfilled a dream when holding an exhibition of my photos of “West Cork on the Wild Atlantic Way”. To my delight, the exhibition, held in Cork Airport, met with a very positive response.
When the world couldn’t visit West Cork, I decided to offer a piece of West Cork to the world by taking photos of the stunning, rugged landscape. We were under “lockdown” but were permitted to take walks and, in common with so many people, my love affair with my locality was affirmed and even grew.
My social media posts quickly turned into something more as people began to reach out, looking for my images for themselves or for gifts. And then, a local shop got in touch, asking to stock some framed pictures and canvas prints.
It was all a bit of a whirlwind, from those lockdown walks to fulfilling a lifetime ambition, but a fascinating time for me.
How it all began!
I got my first camera as a hand-me-down from my older brother when I was around 14, and ever since, I’ve been hooked, using any free time I have to take photos of my beautiful surroundings here in West Cork. In recent years I’ve honed my skills and endeavoured to improve every aspect of my photography. And I guess this hard work was rewarded with the offer of the exhibition.
The exhibition had an added benefit, as it seemed to impress the folks at Fáilte Ireland, who used one of my images of Kilcoe Castle to showcase the Wild Atlantic Way at an arrival gate at Cork Airport. So passengers will be able to view one of my images for the next few years. In case you don’t know, the magnificent castle is home to the superb actor Jeremy Irons.
Thank You, Cork Airport!
I wish to thank Niall McCarthy, the MD at Cork Airport and all the team there, for all their help and support during the exhibition.