Summer of Travel Blog

Agnes Scores a Hole in One at the K Club

These last two days have been crazy!
The rain!!!!!!!!! completely wet from the morning
to the evening!
yesterday was terrible, couldn’t do anything. I wanted to visit a manor, it was closed… and this morning, went to a beautiful garden and farm in the middle of nowhere, got completely wet, and muddy… then my mobile broke down, the screen went completely white…couldn t find the way back, and ended up in a field in front of a big bull. I ran away until I found a road, and thumbed a lift. the man who gave me a lift was going to Maynooth (where i wanted to go), but he had something to do in Straffan first.
Once at straffan, I got out of the car, as I saw a man with a guinness umbrella looking at the river, and I wanted to take a picture of him. After a photo we started to talk, he was here for the european open in the K club, and gave me a free entry pass. I spent my afternoon watching the golfers (still under the rain).
It was the first time I attended a golf competition. To be completely honest, I hadn’t even heard about the Smurfit European Open before, and yet I still got a chance to get in to photograph the event. Then I saw a crowd around a man, I thought It might be somebody famous. I asked somebody in the crowd who told me it was the legendary Ian Woosnam, the winner of so many championships.
I decided to approach him. He very kindly obliged and honoured my request for an autograph. Still feeling a little brave, or cheeky, I asked him if it would be ok to take his picture with me for myguideIreland. He was really friendly with me, and showed as much interest in where I came from, and what I was doing here, as I had for him. A Hole in One, on an otherwise wet day.

Add comment July 9th, 2007

The Gallery

I’m glad to say that the gallery seems to be at last functioning as a gallery. and that our intrepid explorers are populating the albums with their work. I must also say that the standards being set for photography are going to make a real challenge for our summer of travellers next year.

I particularly like this from David Wilkinson’s talent, showing a priest in Doolin, Co. Clare. As well as being remeniscent of a scene from ‘Ryan’s Daughter’ this image also has a beautiful little punchline of humour when you zoom up close. What else could complete such a story in this image better than a half pint in the priest’s hand,…poetry….thank’s David.

Agnes Abou Assaf is doing remarkably well in what I would concider to be our most difficult regions, the Midlands East, containing eight counties, with it’s attractions mostly off the beaten track, especially if your hitch hiking. But she is still managing to fill her albums with quality images despite the weather, and with the possitive attiude that she always brings to her work.

Erin, at last, Waterford crystal,..our most famous product, I was starved for good images from the factory. Some realy nice work in your albums on the craftsmen, thank you.

Although Joy is up in the North west writing, she still manages to find time to photograph her experiences and share them with us in the gallery, who would have thought that you could find a Buddhist Retreat in Co. Cavan?

Keep up the good work and look forward to meeting up with you all later this month.

Philip Watkin

Add comment July 3rd, 2007