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S Iveragh Peninsula

Foreword by Neil Jordan

Inchiquin Drombohily The tourist buses tend to turn right at Glengarriff and head on towards Kilmackillogue Garanes Kenmare. So the is often left unvisited, except by cyclists, hikers, druids, painters, poets, Dutch and German sean-nos singers, Glengarriff Tibetan Buddhists, reiki healers, shamans and the locals themselves. Beara Peninsula Poleen Wood There are none of these evident in Norman McCloskey’s photographs. Ardgroom Rabhach’s Glen Glanmore Lake No people at all, in fact. There is one single sheep. Maybe the odd wandering farmer, shaman or reiki healer would have spoiled the breath- Derryclancy taking compositions and the stark natural beauty he finds there. Or Glenbeg Lake maybe it’s better to allow the landscape speak for itself. It tends to grow wilder the further south one travels, and I do notice the arrangement of his photographs seems to do the reverse. It begins in the Atlantic soaked Caherkeen Allihies, and moves backwards, towards the quiet forests around Poleen Wood. Reentrusk

It is a very particular, almost Nordic landscape. Stark black fissures of rock Allihies erupt out of fields of brown and maroon heather. Small outcrops of an island Bere Island and ageing hulls of boats emerge out of the mists. Waterfalls trickle or Sheeps Head cascade from the mountainous cliffs, depending on the rains. And there Peninsula are a lot of them. Cahermore Dursey Island Rain, of course, rarely makes for a good picture. It, as well as the landscape, is an enduring feature of the Beara Peninsula. But what Norman McCloskey captures forever is that moment when the rain has stopped, and the familiar beauty emerges from the cloud. You had almost forgotten it was there.

Atlantic Ocean Introduction by Norman McCloskey

This is the place where it all began for me. A place that captivated me from or even just a fine dry day. You don’t rush, and never have to look too hard. my very first visit, and one which kept me coming back again and again It’s an instant hit as soon as you turn on to the winding R571 that forms until it was so ingrained in me that I found it hard not to end up here. a ring road around the entire peninsula. Rugged mountains, with their The landscape of the Beara Peninsula has been a source of endless distinct folds and jagged lines, greet you instantly. The initial tree-lined inspiration from the very first time I put film into a camera and headed out roads through a thin strip of farmland give way to open expanses of bog and into the landscape. A rugged and wild finger of south-west Ireland jutting rock that stretch out to the sea. I have the same sense of anticipation and out into the Atlantic Ocean, its spine of majestic and beguiling mountains excitement every time I drive out on this road, while at the same time letting have provided me with a never-ending list of beautiful locations to work in, a familiar feeling of contentment, peace, and connection wash over me. which seem to change every time I visit. For over two years I made the short journey from my home to create images It is truly a special place and somewhere that I have had a real deep-rooted for this book. Mostly early in the morning, setting off in the dark to be there connection to for over half my life, and so deciding to make this book was and present for that magical early morning light high up in the mountains both an exciting and daunting task. I have set out to photograph both new or to witness the beginning of a new day reflected on lakeshores or over and familiar locations, exploring the peninsula in greater detail while also the sea. Always working on my own, I have spent countless hours in this exploring my own relationship with landscape photography. incredible place, fully immersing myself in its beauty and in the time and space, it gifts to me. I discovered a place that I feel instantly at home in, no matter where I am or what the conditions. I have many years worth of memories of both working I have not set out to make a definitive collection of images that represent here and enjoying incredible days and nights out, all enhanced by stories every aspect of the Beara. Instead, this is my own personal take on a about people, places and history. I know this place, and I know how much it landscape that has inspired me and has, in fact, changed my life in more means to me. ways than I had ever realised.

I live on the peninsula opposite, and from my home, we look across at the mountains and light, and clouds passing over it. My first sight in the morning and last at night is towards the distinct outline of Knockatee and the Caha Mountains. As a landscape photographer, these mountains act as a constant lure, and it doesn’t take much to have me packing gear and heading across to them. A tantalising clear sky at night, a forecast for a still or misty morning, A call to quiet

Twenty-six years ago I took my first landscape photographs on the Beara. I didn’t fully appreciate it then, but the place I had made my home was providing me with the antidote to an upbringing that was full of drama, chaos, hurt and noise. Nothing has been so effective in tuning out that racket, than immersing myself in a landscape that I find so captivating.

These images represent my deep connection with Beara that has given me real contentment, purpose, healing, and peace.

Norman McCloskey

Reentrisk

1 Lackabane Ardgroom

2 3 Allihies Wave

4 5 Uragh Baurearagh Mountain light

6 7 Derryclancy Bere Island

8 9 Allihies Walls

10 11 Bere Island West Bere Island / Hungry Hill

12 13 Crostera

14 15 Caherkeen Wall Rabhach’s Glen

16 17 Ballydonegan Beach Caherkeen

18 19 Knockatee Lough Fada

20 21 Beara Mountains

22 23 Bere Island Rock 1 Bere Island Rock 2

24 25 Shore Rock Allihies Wall II

26 27 Garranes, Lauragh Derryconnery

28 29 Coulagh, Eyeries Glenmore

30 31 Kilmackillogue Garranes

32 33 Lough Inchiquin Poleen Wood

34 35 37 Cloonee Lake (Previous) Eyeries (Above) Baurearagh

38 39 Glenbeg Lake

40 41 Baurearagh Sheep Dursey Island

42 43 Urhan Copper Mine

44 45 Kilcatherine Eyeries Coastguard Station

46 47 The Bull & The Cow Eyeries Village

48 49 Allihies Eyeries Storm

50 51 Healy Pass

52 53 Priest’s Leap Ardgroom Inward

54 55 Tooth Mountain

56 57 58 59 Poleen Wood Autumn (Previous) Coulagh Bay Winter (Above) Allihies Pier Light

60 61 Ballydonegan Beach Pulleen Harbour

62 63 Dinish Island Beara Blue, Kilcatherine

64 65 Glenarough, Garnish Allihies

66 67 Ballydonegan Beach Dinish Island

68 69 Keecragh Mountain Keecragh Mountain

70 71

Inchiquin (Previous) Eyeries (Above) Adrigole

74 75 Glengarriff Allihies

76 77 Lauragh Ardgroom

78 79 Allihies Bog Cotton, Ardgroom

80 81 Uragh

82 83 Glenbeg Lake Bunskellig

84 85 Crossterry

86 87 Cahermore Cahermore

88 89 Reentrusk Dursey Island

90 91 Glanmore Lake

92 93 Ardgroom Ardrigole

94 95 Drombohily Zetland

96 97 98 99 Derryclancy (Previous) Ardgroom (Above) Tuosist

100 101 Cleanderry Harbour Allihies Half Moon

102 103 I am the mountain. I am the sea. You can’t take that away from me.

Biffy Clyro

Trawler & Moon

104 105 P1. Reentrisk P2. Lackabane P3. Ardgroom P5. Allihies Wave P6. Uragh Stone Circle TSE P27. Allihies Wall P28. Garranes, Lauragh P29. Derryconnery P30. Coulagh, Eyeries P31. Glenmore 50mm TSE 1/50 sec 24mm TSE 1/320 sec EF 16-35, 27mm 1/500 TSE 24mm 1.0 sec f/16 24mm 1/100 sec f/10 ISO 24mm TSE 1/30 sec 24mm TSE 1/30 sec 24mm TSE 1/200 sec 24mm TSE 1/15 sec 24mm TSE 1/10 sec f/10 ISO 200 f/3.5 ISO 125 sec f/2.8 ISO 100 ISO 50 125sec f/10 ISO 200 f/11 ISO 100 f/11 ISO 100 f/3.5 ISO 100 f/10 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100

P7. Baurearagh P8. Derryclancy P9. Bere Island P10 / P11. Allihies P32. Kilmackillogue P33. Garranes P34. Lough Inchiquin P35. Poleen Wood Mountain light 24mm TSE 1/10 sec 24mm TSE 1/800 sec Walls 24mm TSE 1/30 24mm TSE 1/20 sec EF 24-70mm, 38 mm 24mm TSE 1/6 sec 24mm TSE 1/6 sec TSE 24mm 1/25 sec f/16 ISO 125 f/3.5 ISO 125 sec f/11 ISO 100 f/14 ISO 100 1/320 sec f/2.8 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 50 f/11 ISO 100

P12. Bere Island West P13. Bere Island North P15. Crostera P16. Caherkeen Wall P17. Rabhach’s Glen P36 / P37. Cloonee P38. Eyeries P39. Baurearagh P41. Glenbeg Lake 24mm TSE 1/15 sec / Hungry Hill 135 mm TSE 1/90 sec 24mm TSE 1/25 sec 50mm TSE 0.5 sec Lake EF 85mm 1.2 USM 24mm TSE 0.6 sec 24mm TSE 0.6 sec 50mm TSE 30 sec f/16 ISO 100 24mm TSE 1/5 sec f/5.6 ISO 200 f/5.6 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100 1.0 sec f/16 ISO 50 f/4 ISO 50 f/16 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100

P18. Ballydonegan Beach P19. Caherkeen P20. Knockatee P21. Lough Fada P42. Baurearagh Sheep P43. Dursey Island P44. Urhan P45. Copper Mine P46. Kilcatherine EF 24-70mm 24mm 1.6 sec 24mm TSE 1/15 sec 24mm TSE 1/20 sec 24mm TSE 1/8 sec 24mm TSE 1/4 sec 24mm TSE 1/1250 sec 50mm TSE 1/125 sec 50mm TSE 1/800 sec 24mm TSE 2.0 sec f/9 ISO 160 f/16 ISO 100 f/11 ISO 100 f/11 ISO 50 f/13 ISO 100 f/8 ISO 100 f/8 ISO 100 f/2.8 ISO 50 f/14 ISO 50

P22 / P23. Beara Mountains P24. Bere Island Rock 1 P25. Bere Island Rock 2 P26. Shore Rock P47. Eyeries P48. The Bull & The Cow P49. Eyeries Village P50. Allihies P51. Eyeries Storm 24mm TSE 1/40 sec f/14 ISO 100 24mm TSE 1/80 sec 24mm TSE 1/80 sec 24mm TSE 1/6 sec Coasguard Station 50mm TSE 77 sec 24mm TSE 0.4 sec 24mm TSE 6.0 sec 24mm TSE 1/4 sec f/11 ISO 125 f/11 ISO 125 f/13 ISO 50 24mm TSE 0.3 sec f/8 ISO 100 f/3.5 ISO 125 f/3.5 ISO 160 f/11 ISO 160 f/14 ISO 100

106 107 P52 / P53. Healy Pass P54. Priest’s Leap P55. Ardgroom Inward P77. Allihies P78. Lauragh P79. Ardgroom P80. Allihies P81. Bog Cotton, Ardgroom 24mm TSE 1/10 sec 24mm TSE 1/25 sec 50mm TSE 1/25 sec 24mm TSE 1/5 sec 135mm TSE 1/11 sec 50mm TSE 1/20 sec EF 70-200mm 100 mm EF 50mm 1/640 sec f/11 ISO 100 f/11 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100 f/13 ISO 100 f/11 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100 1/250 sec f/3.5 ISO 100 f/1.2 ISO 100

P82 / P83. Uragh P84. Glenbeg Lake P85. Bunskellig P86 / P87. Crossterry

P56 / P57. Tooth Mountain P59. Poleen Wood P60. Coulagh Bay Winter P61. Allihies Pier Light 24mm TSE 1/15 sec 17mm TSE 1/8 sec 24mm TSE 1/30 sec 24mm TSE 1/15 sec 24mm TSE 1/10 sec f/16 ISO 100 Autumn 24mm TSE EF 16-35mm 30 sec EF 24-70 mm 24mm f/11 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 50 f/11 ISO 100 f/13 ISO 100 1.0 sec f/116 ISO 200 f/11 ISO 100 6.0 sec f/6.3 ISO 400

P62. Ballydonegan Beach P63. Pulleen Harbour P64. Dinish Island P65. Beara Blue, P66. Glenarough, 24mm TSE 1.3 sec EF 16-35mm 1/160 sec 24mm TSE 1/13 sec Kilcatherine Garnish P88. Cahermore P89. Cahermore P90. Reentrusk P91. Dursey Island P92 / P93. Glanmore Lake f/10 ISO 100 f/2.8 ISO 50 f/16 ISO 100 24mm TSE 126 sec 24mm TSE 90 sec 24mm TSE 85 sec 24mm TSE 71 sec 24mm TSE 1/10 sec 50mm TSE 1/40 sec 24mm TSE 0.3 sec f/16 ISO 50 f/16 ISO 50 f/16 ISO 50 f/15 ISO 50 f/11 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100

P67. Allihies P68. Ballydonegan Beach P69. Dinish Island P70. Keecragh Mountain P71. Keecragh Mountain P94. Ardgroom P95. Ardrigole P96. Drombohily P97. Zetland P98 / P99. Derryclancy 50mm TSE 1/13 sec 24mm TSE 15 sec 50mm TSE 4.0 sec 24mm TSE 1/15 sec 24mm TSE 1/20 sec 24mm TSE 1/40 sec 24mm TSE 2.0 sec EF 16-35mm 1/30 sec 24mm TSE 15.0 sec 24mm TSE 1/13 sec f/11 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 50 f/16 ISO 50 f/13 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100 f/8 ISO 100 f/11 ISO f/16 ISO 100

P72 / P73. Inchiquin P74. Eyeries P75. Adrigole P76. Glengarriff P100 P101. Tuosist P102. Cleanderry Harbour P103. Allihies Half Moon P105. Trawler & Moon EF 16-35mm 16mm 24mm TSE 1/200 (ICM) sec 24mm TSE 2.0 sec 24mm TSE 0.3 sec 24mm TSE 8.0 sec 24mm TSE 1/13 sec 50mm TSE 30.0 sec EF 16-35mm 20mm 50mm TSE 1/20 sec 1/15 sec f/11 ISO 100 f/3.5 ISO 100 f/8 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 50 f/3.5 ISO 100 f/14 ISO 50 10.0 sec f/6.3 ISO 100 f/16 ISO 100

108 109 Thank You Norman McCloskey

Sincere thanks to the following for their help in making this book: Norman McCloskey has been photographing the landscape of Ireland, in particular, the south-west since 1992. Although he has travelled all over Lorraine, for all your love and support in keeping everything running the world, it is the Irish landscape that he has a deep-rooted connection to smoothly when I’m off roaming the hills, for keeping my head up when times and a passion for working in. get tough, and for always encouraging and supporting me. I couldn’t do any of this without you. Not forgetting Finn & Emily for always making coming Having studied photography and worked in the editorial side of the industry back home all the more enjoyable. for 18 years, he opened his gallery in Kenmare in 2015 which has been a great success. His work now forms part of private collections all Neil Jordan for the lovely words in the foreword, Sarah Jordan, Conor Noone over the world and has a growing list of commercial and private and Tracy Wade for getting it there. Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro for the kind commissioning clients. permission to reproduce the lyric from Mountains, and Stacey Tang from Columbia Records and Paul Craig, Nostro Management for your help In 2013 he published his first book of photography, PARKLIGHT Images of with that. Killarney National Park, the first book of its kind featuring Ireland’s premier national park. To all the wonderful people of the Beara Peninsula whom I met over the years and a special mention to the landowners who have facilitated the “Working in the landscape is such a privilege, and I count myself very magnificent walking route across their lands. fortunate to do so on such a regular basis. The images I create are all centred around the beautiful array of light and weather we experience in this To all of you who have visited the gallery, bought a book, bought a print part of the world. I prefer to wait until the conditions are just right, rather than or just offered some kind words both in person or online. It is hugely overcook images in post-processing. I strive to portray true reflections of the appreciated and means so much to have your support over the years. moments I experience in the landscape and a successful image for me is one that the viewer connects with more than just visual senses.” Norman Mccloskey

www.normanmccloskey.com fb.com/normanmccloskeyphotography instagram.com/normmccloskey twitter.com/NormanMcCloskey

Norman McCloskey Photography 4 Main Street, Kenmare, Co. Kerry, Ireland +353 (0)64 6648754

110 111 First published in 2018 by

Norman McCloskey Photography 4 Main Street Kenmare Co. Kerry

www.normanmccloskey.com

© Norman McCloskey 2018 2nd edition printed 2019

Printed by Printer Trento, Italy

Norman McCloskey has asserted his moral right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000.

All rights reserved. The material in this publication is protected by copyright law. Excerpts as may be permitted by law, no part of the material may be reproduced ( including by storage retrieval system) or transmitted in any form or by any means, adapted, rented, or lent without the written permission of the copyright owners. Applications for permission should be made to the publisher.

ISBN No. 978-0-9926953-1-6

Design and layout by Anchor Studio (www.anchorstudio.ie)

Foreword by Neil Jordan

Introduction and text by Norman McCloskey

‘Mountains’ lyric reproduced with kind permission from Simon Neil, Biffy Clyro

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