Camera Life

Crossed eyed Jock

2012-03-29T17:00:00.000+01:00

Having fun with the sugar craft decorations off my son's 21st Birthday cake.

2012-03-29T16:55:00.001+01:00

2012-03-29T16:54:00.001+01:00

Reflecting documentary photography

2011-03-31T16:58:00.001+01:00

Reflecting documentary photography, originally uploaded by Maiseydotes - on walkabout!.

A small number of the hoard of press photographers that descended on the funeral of Stephen Gately from Boyzone

Golden Moments

2011-03-21T16:50:00.001Z

The original of this image was colour which I converted to B&W. I then added two textures to the image. Applied a clipping mask to one texture and transformed that so I could place the glows in the texture where I wanted.

Proud Shamrock

2011-03-19T10:21:00.001Z

As a child every St. Patrick's Day our parents proudly wore springs of shamrock and bought each of their children a St. Patrick's Day badge which we wore along with the shamrock daddy pined to our clothes. It was tradition.

Buying shamrock in Dublin came neigh to impossible along with finding St. Parick's Day badges. I ended up the last few years buying GOAL badges in the shape of a shamrock. So good came out of my need for tradition, but it never felt quite the same.

We moved to the midlands last year and so this year I had the opportunity to go west and see the St. Patrick's Day parade in Galway. I stopped off at my local filling station and they had shamrock and badges for sale. I was transported! Buying both I proudly pinned them on and thought of my folks.

In Galway I noticed so many people proudly sporting shamrock, on shirts, jumpers, coats and caps.

I heard Hail Glorious St. Patrick being sung and my day for tradition was made.

Some traditions are too important to be allowed fade out.

HAIL, GLORIOUS ST. PATRICK (words: Sister Agnes / tune: ancient Irish melody, 1920)

Hail, glorious St. Patrick, dear saint of our isle,

On us thy poor children bestow a sweet smile;

And now thou art high in the mansions above,

On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love.

(optional repeat)

On Erin's green valleys, on Erin's green valleys,

On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love.

Hail, glorious St. Patrick, thy words were once strong

Against Satan's wiles and a heretic throng;

Not less is thy might where in Heaven thou art;

Oh, come to our aid, in our battle take part!

In a war against sin, in the fight for the faith,

Dear Saint, may thy children resist to the death;

May their strength be in meekness, in penance, and prayer,

Their banner the Cross, which they glory to bear.

Thy people, now exiles on many a shore,

Shall love and revere thee till time be no more;

And the fire thou hast kindled shall ever burn bright,

Its warmth undiminished, undying its light.

Ever bless and defend the sweet land of our birth,

Where the shamrock still blooms as when thou wert on earth,

And our hearts shall yet burn, wherever we roam,

For God and St. Patrick, and our native home.

Valentines Day

2011-02-14T12:30:00.000Z

I received a lovely e-card from my beautiful 6 year old niece for Valentines Day :-)) This Aunty is going around with a huge smile on her face. :-))

Birthday treat :-)

2011-02-08T16:54:00.002Z

Nothing like a birthday to go and give yourself a treat! I could not resist and spent all of €5.??, (can't remember the exact pennies) on what I hope will go a little way towards our summer supply of strawberries :-))

On the Prowl

2011-01-21T20:01:00.000Z

Our cat Mooch heading out.

007 & Irish Leprechauns

2011-01-20T12:00:00.002Z

Back in 1959 Disney made a film called Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Jimmy O'Dea, the Irish actor and comic played the King of the leprechauns. Sean Connery played the love interest of Darby's daughter. Whilst playing this role was spotted by Albert R. Broccoli who was casting for the first Bond film, Dr. No. You could say Connery found his pot of gold thanks to Darby. The rest is history.
Photo is of an act that was playing at the Ballinsloe Horse Festival 2010

Dance of the Leprechauns

Sean Connery

Watch Out!

2011-01-11T20:51:00.001Z

A Miracle? Feel Good Story 2

2011-01-06T21:23:00.001Z

Dropped many times, names reappears and it is all yours for only €500.00, yes €500.00... Pope John Paul II plate You just have to smile :-)

Feel Good Story 1

2011-01-06T11:02:00.000Z

In the time we live right now we all need a good luck / feel good story. Here is one. I just love it.

Looking Back on 2010

2011-01-03T19:31:00.002Z

Not in any particular order but some of my favourites from the past year.

The lads larking about in the yard.

Sisters and my great nieces

Harvesting

Dublin - Loopline Bridge

In August I was asked to take some wedding photographs.... The Flower Girl

The bride & groom

The Ballinasloe Horse Fair Waiting on The Off - Curragh Racecourse The quality here is not good but I was shaking as I took it and I asked too much of my lens. Seen in the field beside us, not sure if it is a Sparrow Hawk or a Peregrine Falcon. Any suggestions? I just love living in the countryside. Early morning training on the Curragh racecourse, Kildare. Winter arrives painting the countryside white 19 riders & racehorses on a winters snowy morning going to the gallops

New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T09:28:00.009Z

It's that time of year again. For the last couple of days I have been very emotional. I get like that at this time of the year and to be honest I dread it. I would rather sleep through, wake up tomorrow and just get on with it. For my son's sake I do try to put on a happy face, but deep down I can't get rid of the un-easy feeling that I carry. So I am thinking of Spring and all the pleasures that budding new life will have in store for me to see in our new home. Do I have a resolution? If I did it would be summed up in one word; Reconnect.

Frozen Canal

2010-12-30T20:37:00.000Z

Kilmainham Gaol

2010-12-30T20:05:00.009Z

Kilmainham Gaol (Jail) is a revered historic building that has been at the centre of Irish history since it was first built over 100 years ago. Kilmainham Gaol opened in 1864, during a period of Victorian prison reform and it is designed like Pentonville Prison in the UK. It is a 3 story high space surrounded by catwalks that the prisoners walked to their cells . Over the 128 years it served as a prison, its cells held many of the most famous people involved in the campaign for Irish independence. The British imprisoned and executed the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising here. This part of the gaol has been used as a location in many films; In The Name of the Father, Michael Collins, The Italian Job to name but a few.

I applied a basic Orton Technique to the image, desaturated a little and finally applied an ink line filter to it.

Further information - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilmainham_Gaol

Waning lunar eclipse over The Curragh Plains

2010-12-24T18:18:00.001Z

19 Horsemen

2010-12-24T18:10:00.001Z

2010-12-24T18:08:00.001Z

The 'back' garden

2010-12-08T23:53:00.000Z

2010-03-11T11:06:00.004Z

"........To you, once loved and for ever,

from whom I part

Not because fate is blind, or the heart cold,

But because the world is neither yours nor mine,

Not even ourselves, not even what is dearest,

I offer what I can, my living moment,

My human span"

Parting by Kathleen Raine

2010-02-22T09:53:00.000Z

Glorious Day

2009-08-28T12:52:00.002+01:00

My son exercising one of the horses in Meath

Concentration

2009-07-08T16:04:00.002+01:00

Concentration, originally uploaded by Maiseydotes.

My son and Alan putting a couple of the horses through their paces. The lads and their horses were as one....total concentration from all of them.