Posted in Inspiration, On the Road, tagged architecture, art, beauty, dublin, Inspiration, ireland, libraries, National Library of Ireland, Photography, public libraries, stained glass windows, travel on November 8, 2013| 3 Comments »
In my travels I have not forgotten stained glass or public libraries. Here is but a small section of a window found in the National Library of Ireland in Dublin. Via this link you can actually see a 360 degree view of the front hall where this and several other windows can be found along with beautiful mosaics and fine carvings. A lovely place to visit.
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged autumn, Branches, colors, dublin, Inspiration, ireland, landscape, nature, Photography, travel, trees, University College of Dublin, walking on November 8, 2013| 12 Comments »
There are many beautiful trees making up the woodland walks of the University College of Dublin – Belfield Campus. There are actually 5 walks that were formed through the purchase of old estates with woodland areas dating back to the 1800s, and the subsequent planting of many new trees. According to the campus website, there are now over 50,000 trees in place representing over 75 species. More information can be found here. I am still sorting through pictures from my campus meanderings, but I think this tree is one of my favorites — new growth against an old estate wall, bright leaves and bark on a cloudy afternoon.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged birds, dublin, ducks, Inspiration, ireland, mallards, nature, Photography, travel, water on November 6, 2013| 3 Comments »
I don’t remember seeing any ducks where I grew up in Virginia so maybe that’s why they caught my attention so much in Boston. Plus they are one of the few birds that don’t seem to mind me stalking them from shore. Sometimes they even come right up to me. Like this little lass on the Liffey River in Dublin.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged birds, colors, dublin, feathers, Inspiration, ireland, nature, phototgraphy, swans, travel, water, white on November 5, 2013| 4 Comments »
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, autumn, colors, dublin, Inspiration, ireland, leaves, light, nature, Photography, st. stephen's green, sunlight, travel, water on November 5, 2013| 7 Comments »
Posted in Inspiration, On the Road, tagged architecture, art, churches, colors, design, digital photography, dublin, glass, illustration, Inspiration, ireland, travel on October 23, 2012| 3 Comments »
Well, while in Dublin, I have to admit that I did take pictures of a few other things besides leaves and letterpress. Even on the rainiest of days, the interiors of the churches were beautiful to view as subdued light shone through stained glass windows and fell upon lovely murals.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged communication, dublin, Inspiration, ireland, letterpress, Photography, printing press, printmaking, travel on October 15, 2012| 3 Comments »
…my traveling companion and I of course had to follow the arrow pointing to the National Print Museum. I’m not sure if the arrow was meant for people in a car or on foot. Regardless, for us two pedestrians, the museum took a while to track down. Many locals did not seem to know its location and warned us that sometimes young people like to twist the signs around to fool tourists. Well, we eventually determined that the sign was pointed in the correct direction. Hopefully, more people will visit this wonderful hidden place.
After seeing the Book of Kells exhibit earlier in the week and being reminded how precious books and the written word have been throughout human history, it seemed apropos to visit a museum focused on the evolution of the printing press. The main floor of the museum has several operating machines with trays of moveable type in different fonts.
We did not have enough time to gain any hands-on experience with the different machines but the museum does offer workshops and handling sessions.
I also highly recommend visiting the reference library on the 2nd floor containing many books and pamphlets that are likely out of print. Just the few minutes I had to peer inside a few books planted seeds in my mind for future projects.
Learn more about this fascinating museum via this link.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged birds, colors, dublin, flowers, gardens, Inspiration, ireland, landscape, nature, Photography, spirituality, St. Audoen's Church, travel on October 15, 2012| 3 Comments »
… I found beautiful blooms …
… and even a bird or two …
… and of course a few more leaves.
FYI, you can learn more about St. Audoen’s Church via this link.
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged colors, dublin, Inspiration, ireland, landscape, leaves, nature, outdoors, Photography, st. stephen's green, travel on October 14, 2012| 1 Comment »
While in Dublin, I visited great cathedrals and amazing galleries, and even attended an intimate music performance. The people were friendly and always willing to share a tale or two. Sometimes the accents were so thick I could not understand a word but I didn’t care because the flow of the words were like music as well.
In addition to music, Dublin is a city noted for its great literary heritage and perhaps that is why I did not often pull out my camera (along with the rain and wind and such). I was too busy listening, or even sitting down on occasion with pen and paper myself. When I did pull out my camera, I found myself less photographing churches and more trying to capture nature. And in particular I felt compelled to try capturing the leaves in Saint Stephen’s Green, a public park located near the hotel.
What called to me? I guess the colors and patterns …
… and emerging contrasts as autumn continues to unfold …
… and there was the glisten from intermittent rains.
In a city that has a lot of hustle and bustle, especially with Trinity College right there in the center, the park was a calm respite …
… and a joy to traverse even in the rain. 😉
You can read more about Saint Stephen’s Green on Wikipedia via this link.
Words + Images 